Pope Leo XIV reflects on the future of Catholic education 60 years after Vatican II
By Ryan Mayer
On Oct. 28, 2025, the 60th anniversary of “Gravissimum educationis,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education, Pope Leo XIV promulgated an apostolic letter titled “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” calling for a renewal of Catholic education. One of the document’s strongest themes is that Catholic education is a living, dynamic tradition. Pope Leo traces the rich history of Christian pedagogy—from the desert fathers and monastic traditions to the educational work of St. John Baptiste de La Salle, St. John Bosco, Maria Montessori and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. This history is not nostalgia; it is a reminder that educational charisms have always emerged because the Church recognized the needs of the time and responded with creativity and courage—and continues to do so today.
These various charisms and expressions form what Pope Leo calls “educational constellations,” an image repeated throughout his reflection. He explains the image this way:
“I speak of a ‘constellation,’ because the world of Catholic education is a living and pluralistic network: parish schools and colleges, universities and institutes of higher education, professional training centers, movements, digital platforms, service-learning initiatives and school, university and cultural pastoral programs. Each ‘star’ has its own brightness, but together they chart a course. (8.1)”
Catholic education in the Archdiocese of San Francisco reflects this constellation. Nearly 100 Catholic elementary and high schools each has its own unique history, community and charism, yet all are united in the mission shared by every Catholic school: to encounter Jesus Christ in all that is true, good and beautiful, and to form young people into the persons God created them to be. The “constellation” of Catholic education here also includes mission partners who support teacher formation and school culture, such as the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, Openlight Media’s Education in Virtue curriculum, Sophia Institute for Teachers and the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, among others.
At the heart of Pope Leo’s reflection is the conviction that Catholic education is not simply another service or program of the Church but “forms the very fabric of evangelization.” Catholic schools are a “concrete way in which the Gospel becomes an educational gesture, a relationship, a culture.” (1.1) Every classroom, lesson, conversation and encounter is a moment in which the Gospel can take flesh. Catholic schools must therefore view their work not only as academic formation but as participation in the Church’s mission of evangelization. For teachers, this means that personal witness matters as much as instruction. Pope Leo highlights the importance of teacher formation—both professional and spiritual—and calls for shared formation among school communities so that teachers grow together in mission and vocation.
The Holy Father also stresses that despite changing cultural and social landscapes, the heart of Catholic education remains constant: the dignity of the human person made in the image of God and the pursuit of truth. Religious truth is not an addendum to education but the foundation for understanding all truth and the dignity of the person. This vision naturally leads to the essential communal dimension of Catholic education. Parents, as the primary educators of their children, are indispensable “stars” in the constellation. Catholic schools partner with them to form an educational “alliance,” since “the family remains the first place of education. Catholic schools collaborate with parents; they do not substitute them.” This alliance, Pope Leo emphasizes, “requires intentionality, listening and co-responsibility.” (5.3)
In a cultural moment marked by fragmentation, speed, and digital noise, Catholic schools are invited to recover what Pope Leo calls a “cosmology of paideia”—a holistic, hope-filled vision of the human person rooted in the unity of faith and reason. “Drawing New Maps of Hope” is both a call to renewal and a reaffirmation of the essential role Catholic education plays in the life of the Church. On this 60th anniversary of the Church’s foundational document on education, we are called to relaunch the mission with renewed creativity and faith—drawing new maps of hope for the generations to come.
Ryan Mayer is the director of Office of Catholic Identity Formation & Assessment for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
