In this week's article by a Catholic teacher, Mike considers the countercultural Gospel values that make a Catholic school 'good'. Photo: Winners of last year's Faith in Acton Awards from Savio Salesian College, Bootle.

The dialogue between Jesus and Pilate in the Gospel of John, where Jesus is asked 'Quid est veritas?' (what is truth), has always intrigued me! It is a clash between two world views. Empire vs kingdom. First vs last.

The truth to which Jesus came to bear witness was about as diametrically opposed to the imperial, conquering, militaristic truth of the Roman Empire as you could get. The truth of Christ was the truth of Kingdom of God. God is love. All of creation is made in the image of God. Emperor and peasant were equal: in the eyes of the Divine; all are worthy. The Kingdom of God is the universal holistic vision of inclusion. St Paul sums this up beautifully in Galatians:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Such words are countercultural to those whose world view is predicated on destruction and domination. Such a mindset will only ever see first as being first and last as being last. This is not my world view and not my view of Catholic education!

Many years ago I was moving schools. When I broke the news to my colleagues there was genuine happiness for me. One asked 'Is it a good school?'. Before I could reply another said 'Is it hell!' I was moving to a community that faced much economic hardship. My reply was, 'It has children in it, who are made in the image of God, so of course it's a good school.' To fully understand the question, we need to ask 'what is good?' We are aware of the Ofsted definition of good, which in itself is always worthy of striving for. This is our duty as teachers to always provide the very best education. Yet surely to be 'good' means more than Ofsted 'good'.

I believe the starting point for a school being good is how it embraces the option for the poor. I think this sums up perfectly what I mean:

When the preferential option for the poorest is at the centre of the educational programme, the best resources and the most qualified persons are initially placed at the service of the least, without in this way excluding those who have less difficulties and shortages. This is the meaning of evangelical inclusion, so distant from the logic of the world. The Church does, in fact, mean to offer its educational service in the first place to those who are poor in the goods of this world or who are deprived of the assistance and affection of a family or who are strangers to the gift of faith.

Congregation for Catholic Education Rome 28th October 2002

This wisdom defines what makes a Catholic school good: when it is at the service of the poor. Poverty means many things and is not limited to material poverty, and as such, all Catholic schools should be at the service of the poverty they face.

In the same way that Jesus offered a countercultural truth to the imperial truth of the empire,. Catholic schools should always be countercultural. Our role is to help build the Kingdom of God. Look at St. John Baptist De La Salle and St. John Bosco: they took education to the poor! This was about as countercultural as you could get! Education was the preserve of the rich; the first were meant to stay first! Yet the Kingdom of God is not built this way. The Kingdom can only be built be deconstructing the Empire.

For their entire history, the Lasallian and Salesian traditions have striven to put the poor at the heart of their mission. Their understanding of good was to serve. Catholic schools are good when they serve the poor. The first Lasallain teachers were accused of 'destroying an industry'; their schools were free! The order endured persecution for their work. In in world where education was the preserve of the wealthy, the Brothers' schools were not viewed as good.
Don Bosco faced similar opposition due to his desire to educate the poor. Their work, as is ours, was to build the Kingdom of God. A Catholic school will only be true to its name if it is true to the mission set out by Jesus:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Beatitudes should be our manifesto for evangelical inclusion. When we embrace them we will always be good in seeking the summum bonum – the highest good. In doing so we will not ask if our schools are good, we will explain why our schools are good.

Michael Bennett