Catholic Education: The Future Is Now

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

In recent years, Catholic education has taken quite a beating. In
Newfoundland and Quebec, provincial governments have shut down public
funding for Catholic schools, and in those provinces where such schools
remain—Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan—they are fighting for
their lives.

The author begins by describing the global, economic, political, and
cultural contexts in which Catholic education is situated. He then
discusses some of the specific challenges faced by the modern Church as
a prelude to examining the end of Catholic education in Newfoundland. It
is within this context that Father Mulligan sets out a vision of
Catholic education that will distinguish it from its public-school
counterpart.

At the core of that vision is his belief that educators should “focus
on integrating the faith dimension into every subject area.”
Recognizing that the vision will never be realized without strong
leadership, Father Mulligan addresses the reasons for the current crisis
in Catholic leadership and then proceeds to argue for systematic
training and education of Catholic educators. He returns to the
challenges confronting Catholic education before ending the book on a
hopeful note.

As a Holy Cross father who has worked in Catholic separate education
for three decades, and as the author of several books promoting Catholic
education, Father Mulligan is ideally suited to address the challenges
faced by the system. Based in part on comments from 52 Catholic
educators from across the country, and written in a reader-friendly
style (without benefit of footnotes or an index), this book should
jump-start the conversations about Catholic education that must take
place among administrators, teachers, parents, and the clergy itself.