According to Church law (Canon 212), the Christian faithful are bound to Christian obedience to their pastors (pope, bishops, local pastors) inasmuch as they represent Christ as teachers of the faith. The faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual needs, and their desires according to their knowledge, competence and prestige. They have the right – and at times the duty – to make known to their sacred pastors their opinion on matters pertaining to the good of the Church, and to make their opinion known to the rest of the faithful.
The right to express personal opinions concerning the good of the Church is more than about voicing complaints. It includes consultation. Opinions are not to be random or capricious, but acknowledged. Integrity of faith and customs is an unconditional limit of this right.
A limit of this right includes matters of faith authentically taught by the Magisterium. If the activity of this right leads to an offense or breach of another right, the rights of free speech and free opinions do not exist.
Examples of a structured forms of consultation include the Council of Priests (Canon 495-502), the Diocesan Pastoral Council (Canon 536), the Parish Finance Council (Canon 537), etc., and, more recently, the consultation questionnaire distributed to every diocese in advance of the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family.
Not to be overlooked is that the attitude of pastors is not simply one of obedience, but of trust. All pastors should be willing to listen to lay people, giver brotherly consideration to their wishes, and recognize their experience and competence in different fields of human activity (Canon 592).
These rights and Church laws flow from the teachings of Vatican II – in one of its principal documents, "Lumen Gentium" ("Light of the Nations"):
"The laity have the right, as do all Christians, to receive in abundance from their spiritual shepherds the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments. They should openly reveal to them their needs and desires with that freedom and confidence which is fitting for children of God and brothers in Christ. They are, by reason of the knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may enjoy, permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the Church. When occasions arise, let this be done through the organs erected by the Church for this purpose. Let it always be done in truth, in courage and in prudence, with reverence and charity toward those who by reason of their sacred office represent the person of Christ.
"The laity should, as all Christians, promptly accept in Christian obedience decisions of their spiritual shepherds, since they are representatives of Christ as well as teachers and rulers in the Church. Let them follow the example of Christ, who by His obedience even unto death, opened to all men the blessed way of the liberty of the children of God. Nor should they omit to pray for those placed over them, for they keep watch as having to render an account of their souls, so that they may do this with joy and not with grief.
"Let the spiritual shepherds recognize and promote the dignity as well as the responsibility of the laity in the Church. Let them willingly employ their prudent advice. Let them confidently assign duties to them in the service of the Church, allowing them freedom and room for action. Further, let them encourage lay people so that they may undertake tasks on their own initiative. Attentively in Christ, let them consider with fatherly love the projects, suggestions and desires proposed by the laity. However, let the shepherds respectfully acknowledge that just freedom which belongs to everyone in this earthly city
"A great many wonderful things are to be hoped for from this familiar dialogue between the laity and their spiritual leaders: in the laity a strengthened sense of personal responsibility; a renewed enthusiasm; a more ready application of their talents to the projects of their spiritual leaders. The latter, on the other hand, aided by the experience of the laity, can more clearly and more incisively come to decisions regarding both spiritual and temporal matters. In this way, the whole Church, strengthened by each one of its members, may more effectively fulfill is mission for the life of the world." (37)
Editor's note: This series about the rights and obligations of the Christian faithful, as set forth in canon (Church) law, has been written especially for the Catholic News Herald by Mercy Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally. Sister Jeanne-Margaret is a distinguished authority on canon law, author of the reference guide "Canon Law for the Laity," and frequent lecturer at universities and dioceses. A graduate of The Catholic University of America with multiple degrees including a doctorate in psychology and a licentiate of canon law (JCL), she is a psychologist for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Charlotte and a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami.
The Diocese of Charlotte school system, including Asheville Catholic School, focuses on how best to weave our faith throughout the curriculum so that students understand how they are connected, and establishing a context for other things they learn. In common conversation, we often ask how we can ensure the "Catholicity" of our schools remains strong and continues to grow.
A natural inclination is to look back through the history of the Church and identify the monumental impact the Catholic Church has had on education. We might recall Gregor Mendel, the Augustinian monk, called "the father of genetics" because of his discoveries while conducting genetic experiments with pea plants. Or, we might remember St. Augustine and his profound teachings as a Doctor of the Church. As an isolated approach, teaching students about these historical figures, while very important, makes it difficult for our students to see the relevancy, meaning and connection that our faith has to what they are learning each day in school. We must also show our students how they fit into the contemporary world with all of its challenges.
In understanding that all knowledge comes from God, we must not neglect to teach our students that the wisdom of how to use that knowledge also comes from God. Choose any admired thinker from any era, and you'll find someone whose knowledge and wisdom came from God. As educators, we must impress upon our students the enormous opportunity they have to make choices about how they might change the world with what they have learned in the classroom – in other words, how to use wisdom, a gift of the Holy Spirit, to guide their free will so they may fulfill God's mission for them.
This is where our focus should be when it comes to the "Catholicity" of our schools. What are we teaching our students to do with the knowledge gained in our classrooms? What problems are we facing that our students could grow up to solve because of what they learned from a Catholic education?
Pope Francis made the following statement about the struggles our schools face when it comes to instilling a Catholic worldview and finding solutions to the world's problems: "Again and again, the Church has acted as a mediator in finding solutions to problems affecting peace, social harmony, the land, the defense of life, human and civil rights, and so forth. And how much good has been done by Catholic schools and universities around the world! This is a good thing. Yet, we find it difficult to make people see that when we raise other questions less palatable to public opinion, we are doing so out of fidelity to precisely the same convictions about human dignity and the common good."
In his statement, not only does the Holy Father identify the major areas where we continue to see global concerns, but he does so while acknowledging the challenges of current public opinions.
At Asheville Catholic School, students experience a high level of academic challenge, while they also learn the virtues and other guiding principles needed to weather the storms of public opinion. Seeing to such a task must be intentional, or the prevailing winds that buffet our students while they navigate the narrow straits of today's culture will blow them off course. For example, at Asheville Catholic School, we have developed a model for global leadership that relies heavily on making the theological and cardinal virtues ubiquitous in the school culture. We combine these seven virtues with Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" to build a values system to serve students well when combined with the academic knowledge they gain. The principles found in the virtues are timeless and applicable to any situation – enormously important in today's society. If we have a student who combines a commitment to living out the virtues of our faith along with strong academic knowledge, even in the challenging culture of today, then we have someone who is well prepared to take on the problems of our world.
In 2014, Pope Francis identified three areas of focus for Catholic education: the value of dialogue, the qualified preparation of educators, and the responsibility of educational institutions to express the living presence of the Gospel in the fields of education, science and culture.
On his first point, he compared the task at hand for Catholic schools to that of Christ Himself when He proclaimed the Good News in a region that was a crossroads of people, culture and religion. The Holy Father acknowledges the profound changes that have led to an "ever wider diffusion of multicultural societies." This educational environment requires dialogue, as Pope Francis says, "...with courageous and innovative fidelity that enables Catholic identity to encounter the various 'souls' of multicultural society."
Addressing the preparation of Catholic educators, he went on to emphasize that the current educational environment is "guided by a changing generation," and that even the Church as a whole (as an educating mother) "is required to change, in the sense of knowing how to communicate with the young."
On his third point, Pope Francis reiterated that Catholic academic institutions should avoid "isolating themselves in the world." Instead, he said, Catholic schools should "know how to enter, with courage, into the Areopagus of contemporary cultures and to initiate dialogue, aware of the gift they are able to offer to all."
So, as we consider the value of a Catholic education in celebration of Catholic Schools Week, let us consider "Catholicity" not solely by looking back at history, but as an integral part of charting a path forward for our students so that they can make history – relying on Christ to guide them in solving the problems of our world.
Michael Miller is the principal of Asheville Catholic School.