This book explores in a theoretical and practical sense the challenges and opportunities arising in the initial and ongoing formation processes for teachers in Catholic schools. It showcases a range of international perspectives on how prospective teachers for Catholic schools are prepared both academically and pastorally for their professional role. Divided into two parts, Part 1 of the book focuses on certain countries in the Anglosphere; each country with a dedicated chapter in which the academic and pastoral approaches to teacher formation are examined in the context of its particular cultural, political and religious landscape. Part 2 of the book examines specific areas of interest with particular reference to what it means for the Catholic Church's mission to offer suitable formation to its corps of teachers. Building on the editors' previous work, this book offers a fresh perspective on this subject by bringing together observations from selected local contexts on what Catholic teacher formation looks like as a set of organised processed and structures. It also shows how the study of educational themes offers challenges to current practices, but also opportunities for fruitful engagement with other educational perspectives.

The expectations of the Catholic Church and the demands of the state are a precarious balancing act that have been apparent throughout the history of Catholic education. It is a relationship that is under scrutiny, even in the contemporary context. Drawing on the works and lives of key figures in the history of teacher preparation in Catholic education internationally, this important text illuminates the contributions they made and the challenges they faced. In providing this rich historical synthesis, the authors invite further reflection on the most appropriate methods of teacher preparation for contemporary Catholic schools and on possible contributions to wider teacher preparation from cogitating the history of the Catholic tradition. This book addresses teacher preparation for Catholic schools at both the 'pre-service' and 'in-service' levels by looking at the Church and its relationship with the state. The former will allow opportunities for a deep study of the role of 'faith' in Teacher Preparation, while the latter focuses on how a distinctive faith-based model of education can be in dialogue with the expectations of civil society. By using this multi-layered framework, the book offers exciting and innovative opportunities to inform contemporary practice from international examples, proving an invaluable text for researchers in the fields of comparative education, theology and the sociology of religion.

This book explores Pope John Paul II concept of the New Evangelisation and examines some of the implications that this has for Catholic schools. For John Paul II the New Evangelisation arose out of the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath. At its core it sees a relationship between believers and Christ, through the ministry of the Church, as the key for an authentic Christian life in the third millennium. The New Evangelisation recognizes that the cultural milieu in which Catholic schools operate is very different from even a few decades ago and as such schools need to reconfigure themselves to meet new challenges. Catholic Schools can no longer rely on passive socialization as a primary means of catechesis. It needs to better articulate their message in an era when religious beliefs and practises are increasing marginalized, often seen as a private concern or one option amongst many. By emphasizing, amongst other things, an engaged and responsive mentality, cultivation of supportive groups and the need for a reconceptualisation of religious education, Catholic schools can address the significant challenges the New Evangelisation puts before them.