Maher, Michael J.

Dr. Michael J. Maher holds graduate degrees from Saint Louis University, Missouri, and Loyola University Chicago. He has served in Catholic educational ministry as a Parish Director of Religious Education and as a Campus Minister since 1989. Dr. Maher is currently the Chaplain to the School of Education of Loyola University Chicago. He is the author of Being Gay and Lesian in a Catholic High School (Haworth Press, 2001) and numerous articles on religion and education.

Educational Philosophy of the American Catholic Hierarchy in the 20th Century: An Analysis of Vatican and American Official Statements

2005 0-7734-6160-4
The task of this book is to describe the contemporary educational philosophy of the Catholic magisterium. This review is based upon official Catholic magisterial documents. Documents have been limited to the last century, focusing particularly on documents since the Second Vatican Council. Special attention is given to statements of the United States Catholic Conference because the expected audience for this book is Catholic educators and researchers working in the United States. Three elements make up the educational philosophy of the Catholic magisterium: education as social, the presence of God in the daily world, integration of every available element in an effort at holistic education. Catholic education hands over a cultural heritage as well as the Faith. It is aimed at building a better society and protecting certain eternal truths from popular false teachings. The Church has not only a right to educate, but also a duty to do so. The theme of “integration,” or “holistic education,” is very important in Catholic education: integration of faith and knowledge, integration of the home and the school, integration of faith and lived experience. All persons have a right to education, including religious and moral education.