A new resource from ACU’s La Salle Academy

A message from Vice President Father Anthony Casamento.

There are not many people who get enthused by reading official documents of the Vatican. It’s not that they don’t contain well considered and profound thoughts, but they are often dense and somewhat focused. The language can be dry and, at times, convoluted. And yet, the Church documents on Catholic education are rich in evocative, inspiring ideas and challenges; concepts and values worthy of our consideration. Indeed, far from being theoretical they are loaded with themes and ideas deeply aligned with our human dreams and aspirations.

In an attempt to make the themes of the Church’s teaching and emphases on Catholic education more accessible to school communities the La Salle Academy has produced a new resource:

Voices and Vision: Catholic Schools in Conversation

As the subtitle suggests, the resource is aimed at facilitating dialogue between those who work in Catholic school communities, helping them to consider ways in which they can bring to life the values proposed in the Church documents. Rather than drawing heavily on the text of the documents, Voices and Visions uses quotes, poems and prayers from a range of authors whose writings are aligned with the themes and ideas in the documents and inspire the reader to interpret their meaning for their particular context.

The Voices and Vision pack contains twelve easy to use pamphlets, three on each of the four themes in the resource:

1. Life and Culture: our way of being together
2. Education and Formation: our approach to teaching and learning
3. People and Vocation: our expectations around participation
4. Communion and Mission: the heart of our unfolding purpose

The pamphlets are best used in group reflection and discussion where the group is led by a facilitator. To assist facilitators, La Salle has produced three videos that will help skill them in leading a group in the use of these pamphlets.

For more information visit the Voices and Visions webpage.