Effort aims to return Catholic education to the roots of the faith

DETROIT — Promoting an understanding of virtue and encouraging its practice are the aims of a new archdiocesan initiative being rolled out this fall.

All Catholic schools and after-school religious education programs in the Archdiocese of Detroit will begin implementing the Virtue Project curriculum for children from pre-school through eighth grade.

The goal From the “Mission Effectiveness Strategic Plan” (the focus of which is that Catholic schools will have a strong Catholic culture to maintain the mission for which Catholic school were established): “The Archdiocese will develop a Gospel-based virtue program* to be implemented throughout the AOD that provides formation for parishes, families and schools rooted in our baptismal call to holiness and living a life of virtue. In the schools this program will be integrated throughout all staff development, parent handbooks and curricular strands. These will be reviewed/assessed for effectiveness on a regularly developed timeline.”*The virtue program is to be an overarching initiative, which permeates all aspects of the school culture (students, staff families, curriculum, extra-curricular activities, athletics, etc.) which leads to a fully formed disciple of Christ, sure of their mission and prepared to live as an active witness of Christ and His Church, in the world. The virtue program is centered on Christ, rooted in our baptismal call, and prepares our students, educators, and parents to live as Christians in the larger society.

“The hope is there will be a new focus on imitating Christ through these virtues,” said Greg Carnacchi, a retired Catholic school principal who served as co-chairman for the Virtue Education Project.

But weren’t Catholic schools and religious ed programs teaching about virtue before this?

“I’m sure they were, but they weren’t focusing on the virtues,” said Susan Leslie, assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for the Northwest Region of the archdiocese.

Carnacchi said the new push would seek to coordinate those efforts. “With this program, you’ll have schools, religious ed and homeschoolers focusing on the virtues at the same time,” he said.

The program calls for a month-by-month focus on each of the virtues, so that the first year would cover the three theological virtues — faith, hope and charity — and the four cardinal virtues — prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.

The second year looks at the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, piety, wonder and awe.

The focus for the third year is on the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, goodness, modesty, chastity, faithfulness and self-control.

Many of the lesson plans have already been developed; all will eventually be available on the archdiocesan website, www.aod.org. The lessons draw on Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and examples in art and literature that support the virtues, Carnacchi said.

But in addition to the specific lesson plans, the committee is also considering how to integrate teaching the virtues into other content areas in the schools.

Leslie said there had been a great deal of excitement and participation in developing the program. “We have really felt the Spirit leading us as we’ve been doing this,” she added. Carnacchi said the effort can be seen as part of the New Evangelization, as it urges Catholics “to embrace our Catholic faith, and go out and live it.”

The program grew out of talks three years ago between Archbishop Allen Vigneron and Margie Crooks, director of the archdiocesan Department of Evangelization, Catechesis and Schools, to develop a strategic plan for Catholic education and look at ways to strengthen Catholic identity in the schools and the after-school religious education programs.

But the program can also be seen as part of a wider effort. “All Catholic schools in the nation are looking at how they can strengthen their Catholic identity,” Leslie said.