Love, then, is more than just a series of benevolent actions. Those actions have their source in a union increasingly directed towards, others, considering them of value, worthy, pleasing and beautiful apart from their physical or moral appearances. Our love for others, for who they are, moves us to seek the best for their lives. Only by cultivating this way of relating to one another will we make possible a social friendship that excludes no one and a fraternity that is open to call. Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, paragraph 94

In Chapters 3-4 of Fratelli Tutti, it becomes obvious that the pandemic is shaping Pope Francis’s message of fraternity. I explored this section on this week’s Catholic School Matters podcast with CTU theologian and former Catholic high school theology teacher, Dr. Carmen Nanko-Fernández. Francis speaks of the marginalized in our society, including the elderly and those with disability who are given a status as less than human.

When it became obvious last spring that COVID was disproportionately impacting the elderly and those with preexisting conditions as well the economy, do you remember the voices calling for sacrifices from our elderly/vulnerable to benefit the economy? Pope Francis is speaking directly to that horror by focusing on the dignity of all. We cannot allow economic prosperity to shape our life and death decisions; we cannot privilege the value of human beings.

In the same way, he connects this degradation of the elderly and the disabled with our treatment of immigrants by also echoing the parable of the Good Samaritan in the previous chapter. There is no one better to speak to about this than Nanko-Fernández, a Latina theologian. Francis writes, “Every brother or sister in need, when abandoned or ignored by society in which I live, becomes an existential foreigner, even though born in the same country” (97). Francis calls out the xenophobia that has gripped our Christian nation (as well as European Catholic countries). If we truly believe in the dignity of every person, then we wouldn’t treat migrants as enemies. “If every human being possesses an inalienable dignity, if all people are my brothers and sisters, and if the world truly belongs to everyone, then it matters little whether my neighbor was born in my country or elsewhere” (125).

The source of this treatment is not simply xenophobia. “Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever. It makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our ambitions, as if by pursuing even greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow by serving the common good” (105). Our American celebration of independence and individualism conflicts with the belief in the common good.

I heard echoes of this debate last week as our governor rescinded the state-wide mask mandate. Now mask mandates are local mandates and the voices calling for sacrifice, herd immunity, and the unconstitutionality of restrictions are louder. We need to continue to elevate the concerns for the most vulnerable populations and the common good.

I invite you to carve out some time to read this section of Fratelli and join the discussion on the podcast and look over the various materials here.

Want to keep up with the conversations surrounding Catholic education? Set up your own Google Alert, subscribe to this newsletter by clicking "follow," subscribe to the Catholic Schools Daily, or subscribe to the Catholic School Matters podcast.

Dr. Tim Uhl

Finding and generating great content to serve Catholic schools

Email: uhl@montanacatholicschools.org
Website: www.montanacatholicschools.org
Location: PO Box 1708 Helena MT 59624
Phone: (406) 442-5761 102
Facebook: facebook.com/montanacatholicschools
Twitter: @mtcathschools

1. Aquinas College has curated a great list of Black Catholic history resources
   
2. Kaye Crawford has developed a Black Catholic curriculum & resources at blackcatholichistory.com
3. Tia Noelle Pratt has a number of great resources on her website
4. 8 free resources on Black History Month from DA
5. 7 new resources on Black History Month from Larry Ferlazzo

1. New Green Bay Catholic high school to open
2. 4 Pittsburgh Catholic schools to merge into 2
   
3. Burke Catholic HS (Goshen) to open new middle school in fall
   

Here is the curated list of Catholic schools closing at the end of the 2021 school year and new schools opening for the 2021-22 year.

Check out the past episodes from this season:

• Part Three, Fratelli Tutti, with Dr. Carmen Nanko-Fernández
• Part Two, Fratelli Tutti, with Fr. Joe Corpora
• Part One, Fratelli Tutti, with Dr. Ann Garrido
• 12 Christmas podcasts: Michael Deegan of the Archdiocese of NY, Nicole Garnett of Notre Dame law school on religious charters, Maka Black Elk on truth & healing, Dr. Jeannine Hill Fletcher on The Sin of White Supremacy, Dr Leslie Lipovski from the Diocese of Arlington & St. Isidore Virtual Catholic School, Mary Flock of the Diocese of Orange & St. Polycarp Virtual Catholic School, Bruce Davis of Catholic Virtual, Jeff Hausman of AVLI, Kyle Pietrantonio of DIA Schools, Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski of VLCFF, Frankie Jones of ACE, and Mike Derrick of San Diego Cristo Rey HS.
• Thought Leaders: Dave Stuart, Jr., George Couros, Dr. Christian Dallavis from Partnership Schools; Dr. Debbie Sullivan & FADICA reports;
• Pandemic-focused podcasts: Fr. Eric Ramirez, SJ from Regis Jesuit HS; John Galvan from the Diocese of San Diego; Elizabeth Goettl, CEO, Cristo Rey Network; Dr. Tim McNiff of Engineering Tomorrow.; Dr. Brandi Odom Lucas of Verbum Dei (Cristo Rey) HS; Jenny Oliver, the principal of St. Joe's in Auburn, CA; Br. John Montgomery, FSC, the principal of Cathedral High in Los Angeles; Leanne Geise, president of Dominican High in Wisconsin; August 19, 2020 Bea Kaleva (MT attorney) on COVID-related legal issues;
• August 12, 2020 Dr. Daryl Hagan of the Diocese of Evansville on reopening

The Last 5 Books:

1. Jesus & John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (2020) by Kristin Kobes de Mez
   

2. Being Mercy: The Path to Being Fully Alive (2019) by Joseph V. Corpora, CSC

3. 
   

   A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith (2020) by Timothy Egan

4. Doing Mercy: A Path to Contemplation (2020) by Joseph V. Corpora, CSC

5. The Church's Best-Kept Secret: A Primer on Catholic Social Teaching (2020) by Mark P. Shea

Click this link for a full list of my professional reading

Feb 8, 2021 "Mercy"

Feb 1, 2021 "Fratelli Tutti"

Jan 25, 2021 "The Common Good"

Jan 18, 2021 "School Boundaries"

Jan 11, 2021 "Reading List on Racism"

Jan 4, 2021 12 Days of Christmas Podcasts

Nov 9, 2020 "God in Disguise"

Nov 2, 2020 "Sharks and Survival"

Oct 26, 2020 "Mt. Rushmore Controversy"

Oct 19, 2020 "The Cleveland Partnership"

Oct 5, 2020 "Governance Reform"

Sep 28, 2020 "Autonomy & Radar"

Sep 21, 2020 "Learning While Doing"

Sep 14, 2020 "Connecting the Disconnected"

Aug 31, 2020 "Racial Injustice"

Aug 24, 2020 "Figuring it Out"

Aug 17, 2020 Serenity Prayer

May 24, 2020 Value Proposition During Uncertain Times

For previous newsletters, click this link

A couple of years ago I set out to write a book which would explore the challenges of Catholic school leadership. My premise that there are no easy answers and that we have to learn from our (and other's) mistakes in order to form a mindset appropriate for orchestrating conflict proved prescient as we all faced completely new and unexpected challenges in 2020. The book,Orchestrating Conflict: Case Studies in Catholic Leadership is now available on Amazon or on the Barnes & Noble site in print or e-book formats. The book explores issues in Catholic school leadership and the tensions between building community and following Church policies and introduces deliberate practice as a method for leadership formation.