Catholic Dialogue School

Lieven Boeve is Professor of Fundamental Theology at KU Leuven, Belgium.

• 1. From theory to practice and back again1.1. Interrupting tradition1.2. First contacts with the world of education1.3. Fundamental-theological deepening: recontextualisation and interruption1.4. Politics and/in theology1.5. The project of the Catholic dialogue school1.6. Between criticism and further reflection1.7. Outline of this book2. The challenges of a post-Christian and post-secular context2.1. The papal visits to Belgium of 1985 and 2024: a world of difference2.2. Secularisation and the process of cultural modernisation2.3. From de-institutionalisation to individualisation2.4. Post-secular and post-Christian: the evolution in figures2.5. About procedural, programmatic and soft-secularism2.6. How to construct identity today?3. The Catholic dialogue school: envisioning the project3.1. Catholic identity under pressure3.2. The end of the project of Christian values education3.3. The opportunity offered by plurality and dialogue3.4. What makes the dialogue school Catholic?3.5. The case of the Catholic dialogue school in Flanders: mission statement (2015) and statement of commitment (2018)4. Theological background: God interrupts history4.1. Revelation as dialogue4.2. Dialogue as a method: recontextualisation leads to interruption4.3. Catholic identity at school: interrupted and interrupting4.4. To believe in dialogue: the Christian voice5. Engaging society: how to live together in difference?5.1. Plurality, identity and the search for a new consensus in society5.2. The ‘nones’ and the issue of social consensus5.3. Telling good stories as a basis for dialogue and coexistence5.4. “Which wolf will you feed?”6. Empirical review: support base and pathways for the future6.1. A presentation of the empirical-theological ECSI-research6.2. From analysis to policy making: ESCI in schools in Flanders and Australia6.3. Some global empirical observations and reflections6.4. The Catholic dialogue school: four subtypes6.5. The golden dot in the PCB Scale: a theological discussion7. To be realised in all dimensions of school life 7.1. A useful matrix7.2. In the big and small things of ordinary life at school7.3. Making the project explicit at special occasions, with special initiatives7.4. The triangle of identity: personal, professional and institutional identity in dialogue7.5. Criteria for examples of good practice8. The role of dialogue in conducting an integral identity policy8.1. Making use of the interconnectedness of policy domains: a diagram of decision-making processes8.2. Guarding the quality of dialogue in decision making: from cooperation to co-construction8.3 A Warning to Conclude9. How does the universal church think about Catholic education? And what about society?9.1. The church: a false start with Gravissimum educationis (1965)?9.2. The church: from dialogue with, to opposition to the world9.3. The church: the rediscovery of the dialogue from the encounter with the other9.4. Society: what is at stake in the freedom of education?Conclusions and prospectsAcknowledgements

In this book, Lieven Boeve masterfully bridges theory and practice, offering an innovative framework for Catholic education in our post-Christian, pluralistic society. Drawing from his unique journey as both theologian and educational leader, Boeve presents a compelling vision where Catholic identity and respect for diversity don't merely coexist but mutually enrich and challenge one another. His innovative vision on the Catholic School provides a culturally plausible and theologically legitimate response to contemporary challenges, offering Catholic schools a renewed sense of purpose and direction.What makes this book exceptional is how the author integrates cutting-edge theological insights with practical implementation strategies, making this work invaluable for school leaders, teachers, and policymakers alike. The book convincingly demonstrates how Catholic education remains relevant by engaging meaningfully with plurality rather than retreating from it. Through this dynamic approach, Lieven Boeve legitimizes Catholic education in a forward-thinking way to church authorities, government officials, and society at large.This groundbreaking work represents not just theoretical reflections but tested approaches from its author’s decade leading Catholic education in Flanders. Now returning fully to academia, he offers profound reflections that will inspire anyone committed to the future of Catholic education in our diverse world.