Table of Contents

Foreword, Peter Mayo
Preface: The Autobiographical Lens Channeling this Text
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Know Your Ecclesial Foundation: Engaging with other Faith Traditions, Appreciating the Church’s Inclusive Umbrella, and Recognizing Teaching as a Vocation
1. The Emergence and Meaning of “Catholic” in the Catholic Church
2. That They All May be One: Ecumenical, Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue
3. An Inclusive Umbrella That is the Church
4. Teaching as Vocation
Part II: Know What Informs You: Personalism, Social Teachings of the Church, Liberation Theology, and a Critical Pedagogy in the Light of Faith
5. Looking Through a Personalist Lens
6. An Overview of the Social Teachings of the Church
7. An Organic Link to Liberation Theology
8. Enabling the Praxis of Liberation Theology
9. A Critical Pedagogy in the Light of Faith
Part III: Know Your Positionality: Confronting a Pandemic, Gun Control, Right to Life, and Climate Change
10. The Courage to Take a Position
11. Covid-19 and a Peculiar Toxic Discourse
12. God, Guns, and Country
13. Preserving the Sacredness of Life
14. Climate Change and Ecological Conversion
Part IV: Know the Spirituality that Enlightens You
15. Grounded in a Contemplative Way of Being
Afterword, Merylann "Mimi" J. Schuttloffel
Appendix A: Two Major Splits in the Church
Appendix B: The Concept of Virtue
Appendix C: The Cardinal Virtues (and Eschatological Virtues)
Notes
References
Index

Promotional Information

A critical guide for Catholic teachers in how to engage in reflective practice both inside and outside the classroom.

About the Author

James D. Kirylo is Professor of Education at the University of South Carolina, USA. Among other books, he is the author of The Thoughtful Teacher: Making Connections with a Diverse Student Population (2021), editor of Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Bloomsbury, 2020), co-author of Paulo Freire: His Faith, Spirituality, and Theology (2017), and author of Paulo Freire: The Man from Recife (2011).

Reviews

Written in a spirit of humility, graced with an ecumenical and interreligious air, and coming from an evident place of deep faith, James D. Kirylo underscores the interweaving link between a contemplative way of being and what it means to live an active faith life. Truly this book is a necessary read for all Catholic educators, really for all social justice workers.
*Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA*

A hopeful, heart-warming narrative on what it means to teach in the light of faith. Throughout the reading of this text, I felt very connected to God as it relates to the Latin American struggle we daily see in our classrooms.
*Carolina Fuentes G., Professor of Communication in the English Language, Austral University of Chile, Chile*

James D. Kirylo illustrates and fosters his conviction that a Catholic teacher is one who engages and draws others from a well-informed, radical lived faith. An educator in and beyond the classroom, Kirylo is a challenging and compelling voice for Christian seekers. His teaching has the power of credibility.
*Sister Marie Pappas, C.R., Host of Pathways of Learning, Catholic Channel, Sirius Xm, National Radio, Former Associate Superintendent for Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of New York, USA*

Thoughtfully drawing from the social teachings of the Church and skillfully utilizing a liberation theology lens, The Catholic Teacher is essential reading for those who seek to make connections relative to education, emancipation, spirituality, and religion.
*Petar Jandric, Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, Croatia and University of Wolverhampton, UK*

The book is undoubtedly a valuable resource for educators looking to incorporate Catholic social teaching into their classrooms… Especially useful for those beginning their journeys combining their spiritual beliefs with their pedagogical methods. Kirylo’s ability to distill complex topics into digestible content, coupled with the comprehensive supplementary material he includes, facilitates an efficient yet thorough exploration of Catholic social teaching and how it can transform for the better the teachers and learners who find themselves within its umbrella.
*International Journal of Christianity and Education*