Constellations of Hope: Pope Leo XIV on Catholic Education

Constellations of Hope: Pope Leo XIV on Catholic Education

 By Franci Revel Eckensberger, Lead Editor

Header image via EWTN

God has created me to do Him some definite service: He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work.
-St. John Henry Newman

On Saturday, November 1, Pope Leo XIV will declare St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. This declaration comes at the end of the Jubilee of World Education, which began October 27 and saw Pope Leo declare Newman co-patron saint of the mission of Catholic education (alongside St. Thomas Aquinas). 

The co-patron declaration is one joyful detail of the Holy Father’s new Apostolic Letter on Catholic Education—”Disegnare Nuove Mappe di Speranza,” or “Drawing New Maps of Hope.”

While the full letter is available at the provided link, we wholeheartedly thank Dr. Roger Nutt, Provost of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL, for his valuable insight on the letter. Nutt outlines and explores its key points in his response entitled “A Reason to Hope: Pope Leo XIV Has Made St. John Henry Newman Co-Patron of the Mission of Catholic Education,” available here at the Ave Maria website. He also reflects on St. John Henry Newman’s enduring impact and legacy, acknowledging Newman’s long-held status among educators as a “de facto patron due to his unsurpassed vision for higher education.”

Nutt explains that the Holy Father’s vision for the future of Catholic education centers “the importance of service to truth,” which is where Leo “meets Newman”:

“Despite the new challenges to authentic Catholic education, Leo explains: ‘the foundation remains the same: the person, image of God (Genesis 1:26), capable of truth and relationship.’ ‘Truth and relationship’—Leo accentuates the importance of Catholic community and culture for the formation offered by authentic Catholic schools and universities—something Newman appreciated more than is commonly acknowledged.” (Nutt, para. 7)

The publication of “Drawing New Maps of Hope” coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Christian Education, “Gravissimum Educationis.” The letter reaffirms the Church’s commitment to education laid out in the 1965 declaration while recognizing contemporary concerns and the “imperative of updating her offerings in light of the signs of the times.” (#11.1). Pope Leo’s acknowledgment of our modern ills—he calls the “setting” that parents, students, and educators navigate “complex,” “fragmented,” and “digitized”—is surely welcome among those faithful who find themselves floundering in the current educational landscape. His letter implores us to consider Catholic “educational constellations” as an “inspiring image of how tradition and future can intertwine without contradiction: a living tradition that extends towards new forms of presence and service” in the face of our contemporary crises. 

Rather than a “nostalgic refuge,” he writes that Catholic education can be “a laboratory of discernment, pedagogical innovation and prophetic witness” (#11.1). There is a heat to his message, an urgency reflected in his pronouncement of education as forming “the very fabric of evangelization,” further underscoring the relational importance of education to our faith communities and cultures. About the vast Catholic educational network that carries out this mission, the Holy Father writes:

“It is a constellation that spans every continent, with a particular presence in low-income areas: a concrete promise of educational mobility and social justice. This constellation demands quality and courage: quality in pedagogical planning, teacher training and governance; courage in ensuring access for the poorest, in supporting fragile families, in promoting scholarships and inclusive policies.” (#10.4)

Our “constellations” rely on the interplay of collaborative forces and participation from every star. There is an imperative for each force to put the “person at the center, educating them to see with the far-sightedness of Abraham (Gen 15:5): helping them discover the meaning of life, their inalienable dignity, and their responsibility towards others” (#5.1). Leo reminds us that we are “sons and daughters, not orphans,” and says that this awareness is what allows fraternity to exist. A person-centered project requires us to function in fraternity, as a we. We feel the urgency of our own roles, individually and as a community, to turn away from transactional, algorithmic, reductionistic standards and toward the Church’s mission to form souls capable of authentic relationship, commitment to the truth, and heartfelt service—especially for those students most shaded from hope. 

Our constellation includes schools, organizations, parishes, and dioceses with their own urgent educational missions. We are also proud to partner with the Institute of Catholic Liberal Education, which renews K-12 Catholic schools by reclaiming the Church’s educational tradition for growth in faith, wisdom, and virtue. “Drawing New Maps of Hope” intensifies our sense of purpose in supporting Catholic education’s responsibility for recognizing, honoring, and cultivating each student’s whole self in the light of God’s eternal love.

As we support Catholic educational institutions through our marketing and communications work, we look to the guidance of St. John Henry Newman’s patronage. We are called to help these institutions tell their stories, communicate their distinctive mission, and reach families seeking an education that can “cultivate a heart that listens, a gaze that encourages, and an intelligence that discerns” (#5.2). 

We pray for the intercession of St. John Henry Newman and St. Thomas Aquinas in the mission of all Catholic schools, parishes, and dioceses. If you are seeking to communicate your educational vision effectively and reach families searching for authentic Catholic education, we invite you to join our constellation. 

I ask educational communities: disarm words, raise your eyes, and safeguard the heart. Disarm words, because education does not advance with polemics, but with meekness that knows how to listen. Raise your eyes. As God said to Abraham, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars”
(Gen 15:5): know how to ask yourselves where you are going, and why.
– Pope Leo XIV, “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” #11.2

Interested in learning how Paloma & Fig can help your Catholic school, parish, or diocese better communicate its unique mission? Contact us to discover how our experience can serve your community. 

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Writer and editor Franci Revel Eckensberger holds a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Cornell University. With years of experience as a copyeditor for academics, fellow writers, and various small businesses, she takes pride in maintaining clarity, consistency, and beauty in each client’s voice. 

Franci finds grace and insight in the Catholic Church’s rich relationship to language and invites that relationship to influence both her literary and editorial work. Saint Cecilia and Catherine of Siena continue to play a vital role in her journey to the faith as an artist. She lives in coastal Delaware with her husband.