Thomas H. GROOME. What Makes Education Catholic: Spiritual Foundations. 2021. Pp. 243. $24.00 pb. ISBN 978-1626-98447-9. Reviewed by Michael MCCALLION, Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

I have been reading Groome’s written works for years and he never disappoints me. Perhaps that is because I am consistently surprised and affirmed by his strong sociological as well as theological point of view when writing about Catholicism. His previous books such as Educating for Life (1998) or What Makes Us Catholic (2002) are simply further examples of his strong sociology as applied to Catholicism. Catholic theology is thoroughly sociological in the sense that all of the sacraments of the Church are embedded and celebrated in community, and Groome consistently and eloquently draws that fact out in his writings – using the sociological perspective quite gracefully (see chap. 4 of Educating for Life in particular). Needless to say, then, I find What Makes Education Catholic compelling, informative, and useful because, in my opinion, of his emphasis on the communal nature of the Catholic faith.

There are three parts to the book each with two, four, and four chapters respectively. Part I is titled “The Gospel Foundations of Catholic Education,” Part II “From the Depths of Tradition,” and Part III “Spiritual Foundations for Postmodern Catholic Education.” Each chapter includes, after various sections in each chapter, a part titled “For Reflection and Discussion.” I found these to be well thought out and most helpful in drawing out the main points of the chapter. “For Reflection and Discussion,” could be most helpful in parish adult education sessions or for college classrooms. Indeed, I think the book should be used in both situations – parish and classroom.

Part I has 2 chapters: “To Teach as Jesus Did” and “To Educate for Hope.” Part II has 4 chapters: “The Didache, Augustine, and Benedict,” “Celtic Monasticism, Thomas Aquinas, and Julian of Norwich,” “Ignatius of Loyola and the Society of Jesus,” and “Angela Merici and Mary Ward.” Part III also has 4 chapters: “Persons in Community and a Community of Persons,” “A Catholic Outlook on Life and Ways of Knowing,” “Forming Citizens in a Public Faith,” and “Religious Education in the Postmodern Catholic School.” He ends with a “Postlude: Seeds of a Catholic Pedagogy.” Groome also includes a selected bibliography and index.

Part III was my favorite section, especially chapter seven “Persons in Community and a Community of Persons.” As Groome writes: “The chapter title signals that we address together the dual features of our human estate, proposing that we are ever both personal and social beings, with the two deeply intertwined. This reflects the classic Catholic proposal that we live life best as persons in community and as a community of persons.” He goes on to argue that our communal personhood arises from the deep structures of Catholic faith and the Catholic Church’s sacramental system. Later in this chapter he writes, “Of all the foundational issues for Catholic education, nothing is more significant than how we understand the human person and the kind of collaborative existence and social living for which God creates us” (p. 120). Groome makes it clear in this chapter that the American value system that suggests we are first and foremost individuals who may choose to join this or that community or society, rather than realizing humans are innately social beings who become flourishing selves only in community, is grossly overstated in addition to being philosophically, sociologically, and anthropologically misinformed. Groome emphasizes, therefore, throughout the book that Catholic schools need an anthropology and sociology that can inspire education for the common good (as well as the personal). Of course, Groome’s model for such an education is the teaching and praxis of Jesus himself.

It is a rich book with many insights that theologians, Catholic educators, and social scientists interested in Catholicism would benefit from. Simply put, Groome continues to write compelling and insightful books about Catholicism.

Finally, if one wishes a deeper analysis and review of this book, might I suggest the review in Theological Studies by Thomas P. Rausch, SJ.