an educator for 42 years, I have long appreci- ated the special value of Catholic education. It is exciting to witness the revival of serious

For many people, education\u2014and most especially Catholic education\u2014does not and should not end upon graduation from high school. The value of a Catholic education is most profoundly realized in post-secondary education, an essential stage in the formation of a mature Catholic mind.

Catholic education forms the human per- son in right order with God; what is at stake is the very meaning of the human person. Dur- ing the years of vital discernment, a young adult needs to involve the whole person, body and soul, marrying faith and reason in the pursuit of truth and in the governance of his education and future.

A Catholic liberal arts education, during this crucial time in the formation of the per- son, is essential to understanding the unity of all truths. This is the special contribution of the Catholic intellectual tradition, which even for non-Catholic students ought to be an essential component of the study of Western

In addition to providing an essential foundation in the Catholic liberal arts, a faith- ful Catholic college helps the student under- stand that knowledge learned in the pursuit of a specialized academic discipline does not

and the student\u2019s faith is deepened and en- riched. According to the Vatican II declaration on Catholic education, \u201ca true education aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit of his ultimate end and of the good of the societies of which, as man, he is member, and in whose obligations, as an adult, he will share\u201d (Gravissimum Educationis).

Because of this, I am rightfully proud of my own 16-year Catholic education, which cul- minated in 1965 with my graduation from a Catholic college in the Northeast. Unfortu- nately, not everyone shares the Church\u2019s ap- preciation of Catholic education\u2014including, it seems, the current leadership of my alma mater. The contrast between what I experi- enced and what passes today as a Catholic college is striking.

required study in every semester. Every class began with prayer. Mass and the Sacraments were available daily; the noon Mass, in fact, was always standing room only. Yearly re- treats were required, sending the message loud and clear that prayer and contemplation were essential for proper Catholic formation and for maintaining a personal relationship with God. The entire campus life was a re- minder of the school\u2019s Catholic mission, from the statuary and artwork displayed in every building, to the code of dress and behavior that held us all to the highest standards of

class, senior year, that I heard a statement which alarmed me and foreshadowed the changes to come. It was from the respected college\u2019s chaplain and most-feared theology professor, who told us that, as Catholics, we had a responsibility to develop our own con- sciences independent of the Church\u2019s moral teaching.

The implication was clear. One\u2019s con- science must be formed through learning and contemplation of Catholic teaching, and a Catholic education can be invaluable to this process. But my professor\u2019s statement was a declaration of independence from Catholic teaching, rather

delity. I was ter- ribly na\u00efve to the consequences of this novel idea (at least so it was to me), considering the cultural con- text of the 1960s.

suspect, that the door to dissent was open, and the next few decades would witness the slippery slope of declining Catholic identity. At my alma mater, the course is complete. The college is now \u201cCatholic\u201d in name only. Notorious dissenters, such as Father Richard

Just as the wonderful nuns who founded the college decades ago eventually shed their habits, the college shed its Catholic identity and, with that, gave up its treasure. Although it consistently makes the U.S. News & World

Is Catholic education everywhere in such a sad state? Absolutely not! Catholic education is thriving on all grade levels\u2014elementary, secondary and post-secondary\u2014but families have to choose schools and colleges careful- ly.

In The Idea of a University, the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote that a college or university is \u201ca place that teaches uni-

versal knowledge. ...Since knowledge is lim- ited only by truth, if the Catholic faith is true, a univer- sity cannot exist externally to the Catholic place, for it cannot teach uni- versal knowledge, if it does not teach Catholic theology. Hence a direct and active jurisdiction

The crisis of Catholic colleges has been followed with great interest and concern in the last 40 years. There are Catholic colleges that declare and demonstrate their institution as founded on the principles as expressed in

Parents must be just as vigilant in their process of review and selection of a Catholic college as they are in making choices about elementary and secondary education. Parents and their college-bound children must spend a lot of time in prayer, research and observa- tion, and they should ask a lot of questions

is most profoundly realized in
post-secondary education, an
essential stage in the formation of
a mature Catholic mind.

Can a Catholic student get a good edu- cation at a non-Catholic college? Sure, as far as it goes. But a Catholic college looks beyond learning a profession and preparing to be a good worker of the 21st century. It o\ue002ers a more complete education, the free pursuit of truth. That is because a faithful Catholic col- lege or university teaches from the source of truth, which is Jesus Christ, and, therefore, possesses the fullness of truth.

A Catholic college protects and nurtures a student\u2019s faith. It rejects the disordered secular \u201ctheology\u201d that posits man as the su- preme being and deprograms a person\u2019s faith

from any part of daily life. Instead of compartmen- talizing life and identifying him- self by what he does and not who he is\u2014so that he is a doctor, law- yer, teacher or parent who hap- pens to be Catho- lic\u2014a

college prepares the student to be a Catholic doctor, a Catholic lawyer, a Catholic teacher or a Catholic parent.

tions to students. It is one important sign of the \u201cSpringtime of Hope\u201d in the Church of which Pope John Paul II spoke. Catholic edu- cation in all its venues\u2014homes, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universi- ties\u2014leads the renewed vitality in the Church and is the hope to restore all things to Christ in the Church and society.

This could not be more important. The source of salvation is Jesus Christ, teaching us how to know, love and serve God through the

Catholic Church. Catholic schools and colleg- es are the formal expression of the Church\u2019s teaching mission.

Young people rely on Catholic education to teach not only the skills and knowledge that are necessary for responsible citizenship, but also the truths of the Catholic faith. By forming the hearts, minds and wills of stu- dents, Catholic education helps them discern their secular and religious vocations in life, witness to their faith in the world and pursue their ultimate end in Heaven.

Catholic education is essential to the growth of the Church and is thriving with the Holy Spirit\u2019s loving intervention. It is by Catholic education that He protects and

the Church. The Holy Spirit is in control within the Church to bring faithful Catholic education to every soul, from early

childhood to aspiring adults ready to become the future leaders of the Church and society.

our successes and failures are cast in the shad- ow of the Cross. From the heart of the Church to the heart of our schools, we celebrate the activity of the Holy Spirit and our part as His instruments in Catholic education. We look to the Cross to show us most powerfully the ver- tical dimension to the tasks, challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Catholic edu- cation. We can do no less than to help carry that Cross and share in the celebration of its ultimate victory\u2014the salvation of souls.