The Catholic Church has recently published a number of important documents which have implications for Catholic education. 

Educating Together in Catholic Schools: To view and download click here

In this document, the Congregation for Catholic Education addresses some of the challenges faced by Catholic schools throughout the world. These emerge from the social, cultural and religious complexity in which young people are growing up. They include phenomena such as lack of interest for the fundamental truths of human life, individualism, moral relativism and utilitarianism.

In a society that hosts various and contrasting ways of interpreting life, young people find themselves faced with different proposals of values, exposing them to the danger of being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”The document defines various aspects of the meaning of "living in communion" in the Catholic school.

Aspects of Evangelisation:  To view and download click here
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has published this document to focus attention on the meaning of 'Evangelisation' today.  It clarifies aspects of the relationship between the Lord's missionary command to all baptised Christians ("Go and teach ye all nations!") and respect for the conscience and religious freedom of all people.

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that "The proclamation of, and witness to, the Gospel are the first service that Christians can render to every person and to the entire human race, called as they are to communicate to all God‟s love, which was fully manifested in Jesus Christ, the one Redeemer of the world."

Papal Encyclical - 'Spe Salvi' : To view and download click here
The title of Pope Benedict XVI’s second Encyclical, which is inspired by a quote from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans: "spe salvi facti sumus" (in hope we are saved), offers a wonderful series of insights into the significance of Hope in our lives.

The Holy Father explains in the Introduction that "Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present."  Hence, "a distinguishing mark of Christians" is "the fact that they have a future: ... they know ... that their life will not end in emptiness. ... The Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known - it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing.

(Thanks to our colleagues at the Scottish Catholic Education Service for the above details)