| This study proposes that current conflicts between United States (U.S.) Catholic higher education and Catholic Church hierarchy are symptomatic of a lack of a clear and cohesive Catholic philosophy of education. The study proposes elements of an educational philosophy that accommodate values held by both U.S. higher education and the Catholic Church. Four methodological principles emerge from an historical investigation of U.S. higher education and provide the framework to investigate Bernard Lonergan's philosophy and theology. These principles assert, first, that education is value-laden and meaning-making activity. Second, education is a matter of social interaction. American colleges and universities, as social institutions, articulate and contribute to the social values that form the fabric of U.S. culture. Third, church-related higher education can make a significant contribution to this discourse on social values from the perspective of explicit religious tradition. Fourth, in order to be full partners in this conversation, church-related colleges and universities need to find ways of connecting their conception of education to their conception of church, thereby, clarifying institutional self-understanding and identity in U.S. culture. Utilizing these principles and elements of Lonergan's thought, an approach to higher education emerges that envisions education as intentional meaning-making and value-laden activity that comprises four interrelated realities: critical consciousness, authentic community, prophetic action, and institutional identity. The study concludes with three primary implications for Catholic higher education policy: an orientation toward a comprehensive view of education, an appreciation of community involvement, and a need for intentional efforts toward forming institutional identity. |
