Preparing Catholic Educators for Flourishing in a Secularized Society: A Case Study
Preparing Catholic Educators for Flourishing in a Secularized Society: A Case Study

Summary/Abstract: As culture experiences secularization, and the importance of religion and prevalence of peopleholding religious worldviews diminishes, the work of forming Catholics who can live out their profes-sional and Christian vocations as teachers in different types of schools becomes simultaneously morecrucial and more complex. This article explores the importance of preparing Catholic teachers for em-ployment in contemporary educational settings in the United States to respond to accelerating seculari-zation. It argues that the Catholic Church’s vision for education can be implemented within the limita-tions of US education policy, especially through the careful preparation of Catholic teachers in CatholicEducator Preparation Programs (EPPs). First, it presents the unique context of US education, illustratingthe setting in which such programs function and the associated challenges. Next, it shares the Church’svision for well-prepared Catholic educators, identifying three key anthropological conflicts linked to sec-ularization and explaining how the Church’s teaching on Catholic education as presented by ArchbishopMichael Miller’s “Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools” provides needed guidance for EPPs locatedin Catholic universities. Next, it offers a case study presenting one EPP’s efforts to respond to secu-larization through its program redesign according to a framework that integrates Miller’s Five Marks.Finally, it explains the difficulties facing Catholic EPPs as they integrate their mission with the demandsof professional preparation.

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