Catholic Schools

Historically in Western Europe up to the period of the Reformation, and in many places subsequent to it, the main provider of schooling was the Roman Catholic Church. With the arrival in Australasia and North America of large numbers of people from Catholic countries such as Ireland and Italy Catholic schooling began to develop there and to grow significantly. In some parts of the world it is publicly funded in others the cost is born by parents, parishes and diocese. The existence of Catholic schools poses two broad philosophical questions: 1) what are they for? 2) is it right that they should exist? The short reply to 1) is that their primary function is to educate and form children in line with Catholic understandings of human beings and their destiny. 2) is answered by observing that parents have a right to educate their children, or deputise others to do so, in line with their own beliefs and values. These raise further questions of philosophical, moral and political sorts, which call for not just a philosophy of Catholic education, but a Catholic philosophy of education more generally.