About CFOTAE 2012

A realistic vision of Catholic education today needs to be rooted in the work and teachings of the Council. The struggle for Catholic identity in a culture of dis-belief requires a tangible witness to faith in every aspect of school life: school ethos, organization, curriculum content, particularly in the sciences and social science, pedagogy, classroom management, our relation with parents and the significance of the parish.

What does it mean to be Church today? Why Catholic Schools? The basic ideas that we need to answer these questions are found in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. Theologians and bishops continue to recognize Vatican II as the most significant event in Catholic history in over 400 years. A younger generation of teachers, for whom the excitement and creativity of the council came before their time, this will be a chance to find out what made it such a significant chapter our Catholic story.

This year the Canadian Forum on Theology and Education will celebrate the marvelous achievements of Vatican II. For many participants, the theme Vatican II: The New Evangelization of this year’s conference will be an opportunity to acquaint themselves with a vision of the Church that emerged at the Council. For others the Conference will be a moment of recommitment to the prophetic values promoted in the Council’s documents.

Catholic Education Week begins as Forum closes. As an ecumenical council is the highest teaching authority in the Catholic Church Forum is a great lead in for teachers, administrators, chaplains, members of school councils, trustees, parish clergy and staff.