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The present study investigated the Catholic identity of Catholic schools based on administrators’ awareness of Catholic anthropology, particularly as presented in Pope Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, and their willingness to include it in faculty formation. The researchers recognized a growing trend among high school adolescents moving away from the Catholic faith and its teachings regarding human sexuality. They sought to understand the root causes of this trend, hoping to find solutions to reverse it.
In their foundational research, the team discovered that at the heart of this conflict lies a cultural anthropology fundamentally opposed to the Church’s vision of the human person. They also found that the Church recognizes both the urgency of this crisis and the essential role of lay educators in witnessing to the faith.
Based on these findings, the team created a survey for Catholic high school administrators that asked about their awareness of, willingness to implement, and perceived obstacles to incorporating the Theology of the Body into the formation of lay educators (faculty). Statistical analysis demonstrated a range of openness and readiness, but only 21% of schools reported high awareness of the Theology of the Body and its potential to reverse the trends of rejecting Catholic teaching. Few schools included it in their formation programs, citing various obstacles.
The study recommends a more holistic integration of the Theology of the Body in teacher formation and a greater awareness of the conflict between competing anthropologies. This work is significant because today’s anthropological acceptances directly shape the beliefs and moral choices of young people, and in turn, their understanding, acceptance, or rejection of the Catholic Church and her teachings as well.