New Thinking, New Scholarship and New Research in Catholic Education

"I highly recommend this book to Catholic educators and their students and also my fellow bishops, priests, religious men and women and everyone committed to the cause of Catholic education across the world."

Bishop Martin Mtumbuka, Catholic University of Malawi, Africa

"Professor Gerald Grace has inspired many people i.e. Catholics, those of Other Faiths, Religious and lay faithful, scholars, researchers and students at various academic levels. He is very committed to his Faith and this is apparent in his many writings on Catholic education, research and developments. He is committed in his mission as a Professor and makes himself available to his students at all levels with the best supervising support possible (I write as his former student). He wants the Catholic Church internationally to enhance its own mission integrity by being true to its global promise that ‘First and Foremost, the Church offers its educational services to the Poor’ (1977)."

Sister Dr Ugonna Igbo, DDL, Ph.D Regina Pacis College, Abuja, Nigeria

"Without question, Grace’s most significant legacy has been fostering a culture of disciplined innovation and systematic research in Catholic (and Other Faith) education. He has also revitalised the Spiritual mission of Catholic schooling with his ground-breaking writing on Spiritual Capital which has influenced other schools internationally. This Festschrift encourages educators and researchers to engage in new thinking, new scholarship and new research in order to strengthen the mission integrity of all forms of faith-based schooling which are attempting to realise the complete formation of the human person amidst a multitude of challenges in the 21st century."

Professor Magdalena Mo Ching Mok, Hong Kong Institute of Education, China

"Prof. Gerald Grace's contribution through Catholic Education has been immense internationally. Therefore, I consider that he has the " Missionary Spirit" in him through research and educational scholarship. The impact of his endeavours have been greatly felt and acknowledged universally. He'll be remembered for promoting the values of Catholic Education in the years to come."

Dr Nicholas Tete, SJ, President, St Xavier’s University College, Jharkhand, India

"During this conflicted time in the Church when Catholic education seems to be endangered in so many ways, Gerald Grace’s advocacy for systematic scholarship in the study of Catholic education has stirred powerful messages globally for more than two decades. As an author, editor, scholar and professor, his international leadership in advancing the field of Catholic education studies has no equal since the last quarter of the 20th century. Having collaborated with his edited publications of the International Handbook of Catholic Education (2007) and the journal International Studies in Catholic Education (2009-2020) as author and editorial board member, Gerald Grace’s outstanding works for Catholic schooling and their influence on his readers, students and colleagues remain enduring legacy. His strong support of Catholic Social Teaching in the curriculum, that highlights the ‘preferential option for the poor’ is an urgent agenda, particularly for those of us from the economically disadvantaged global south. While this festschrift celebrates his scholarly contributions, we are encouraged to continue his important theories about ‘spiritual capital’, faith-based school mission integrity vis-à-vis marketisation, and his vision that Catholic education studies be recognized as a significant discipline in the academia. This volume inspires us to face the questions he posed, to uphold the essential identity and nature of Catholic education, and to witness its ‘diakonia’ of truth today."

Dr Angelina Gutierrez, St Scholastica’s College, Manila, Philippines

"Gerald Grace brought a lifetime of scholarship, experience and global outlook to his pioneering and ground-breaking work on Catholic schools. He has dared to enquire into the most challenging questions around Catholic school mission and effectiveness, always addressing them with rigorous methodology and clear exposition."

Professor Brian Croke, KCSG Sydney University, Australia

"Colleagues enter into dialogue with some of Grace’s most innovative ideas and approaches. There is a special focus on the rich concept of Spiritual Capital in and of Catholic schools. The call for interdisciplinary research approaches into Catholic education serves as a unifying dimension of the collection, often setting the stage for future research agendas. This is indeed a valuable and worthy tribute to Professor Gerald Grace."

Professor Lieven Boeve, Catholic University of Leuven andDirector-General of Catholic Education, Flanders, Belgium

"Gerald Grace is the most well-known scholar researching Catholic education worldwide. His writings have helped to conceptualize the field and to develop an ambitious research agenda. This book, written in his honour, is an excellent example of the wide and interdisciplinary network of researchers who have been inspired by his vision."

Professor Maria del Mar Griera, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

"Professor Gerald Grace has made significant contributions to Catholic education as it faces contemporary challenges of secularisation, marketisation, multi religious contexts and new emphases from the Second Vatican Council and later documents from the Congregation of Catholic Education. Jesuit Education, as part of Catholic Education, has been challenged by and benefited from, Grace's work and inspirations."

José Mesa, SJ, Secretary for Education, Society of Jesus, Jesuit Curia, Rome, Italy

"Through his research and publications, Gerald Grace allows us to experience an "ecumenical dimension" of schools that express Catholic Identity in the different cultures of our world. Professor Grace is a real disseminator of that New Humanism recommended to is by recent Popes. His systematic projects are a significant stimulus for what is the largest faith based system of education in the world."

Professor Maria Luisa De Natale Former Vice Rector, Sacred Heart University, Milan

"Whoever is dedicated to research in Catholic education, cannot ignore the work of Professor Gerald Grace. His contribution is exceptional, because he is a pioneer in this field. For many years, he has promoted and made visible the relevance of scholarship and research and concepts he has originated, such as Spiritual Capital, are having an important impact in Latin America. This book will be appreciated in many cultures internationally."

Professor Patricia Dagach, Pontifical University of Chile, Santiago

"Gerald Grace has made many important contributions to Catholic education. This collection is a very helpful celebration of his work. It highlights key ways that Catholic education contributes to the deeper humanisation of our world. The book will be of real value to leaders of Catholic education today."

David Hollenbach, SJ Distinguished Research Professor, Georgetown University, Washington,DC. USA

"This fine collection of essays highlights Professor Grace’s role as a beacon for expanding the horizons of research and scholarship in the field of Catholic Education. He has pioneered the emergent field of international Catholic Education Studies, marked by a sense of shared purpose and solidarity. Part 2 of this collection manifests Prof Grace’s noteworthy success in fostering an international community of researchers."

Professor Paolo Carozza, Director, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

"In our time of much confusion and even despair over the purpose of Catholic education, Gerald Grace is a pioneering scholar who has charted the path forward. As this excellent collection of essays demonstrates, Grace clarifies the great need for religiously informed education in today’s world. Grace and the generation of scholars he has inspired maintain integrative approaches that overcome simplistic and unfruitful dichotomies, including the opposition between a brittle identity and an overly flexible secularism that has impeded understanding of what Catholic education can and should be. This book is a must read if you are interested in the nature and mission of Catholic education today—and is even more important for those who purport to care about church or world and think they are not interested in the topic!"

Professor Mary Doak, Theology, University of San Diego, California, USA

"Gerald Grace’s wide-ranging research and scholarship could be considered intimidating, but his clarity of vision combines realism with hope. His reaffirmation that mission integrity is crucial as we confront mission drift in a world preoccupied by the market is a call that school and college leaders must hear."

Archbishop Michael Miller, CSB Vancouver, Canada, Former Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Rome

"Gerald Grace’s work has covered so many aspects of Catholic education. He has consistently maintained a firm grasp of the realities of the work of teachers. His research interviews with headteachers working in inner city areas have highlighted the ‘spiritual capital’ which sustains the vision and dedication of so many. He has also not hesitated to respond both to system failures and to new challenges."

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, London, UK

"This is no ordinary Festschrift, it is an overview of how Professor Gerald Grace has transformed Catholic education studies into a credible academic discipline both in the Catholic world and also among Other Faith communities. This book describes the impact of his leadership across the globe."

Abbot Christopher Jamison, OSB Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregations

"New Thinking, New Scholarship and New Research in Catholic Education is a worthy and appropriate title to celebrate the work of Professor Gerald Grace, who I am honoured to say, has been, and remains, closely associated with UCL Institute of Education as Visiting Professor, 1997-today. Of particular note is the originality of his research and conceptual tools which are theoretically informed but empirically derived, and which the international community have found to be profoundly meaningful, and incredibly influential. The book is a wonderful testament to his influence on the field of Catholic education but also on education more generally."

Professor Clare Brooks, Pro-Director, Education, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK

"This is a powerful and important book, a testimony to how significant Gerald Grace’s research and scholarship on Catholic Education is in the modern world. He has almost single handedly established a new academic and professional field. The later chapters explore his very significant influence globally. These different contributions illuminate the continuing importance of the moral and spiritual dimensions of education. As such, the book has vitally important messages for all of us with an interest in education, whatever faith we profess."

John Furlong, OBE. Emeritus Professor of Education and former Director of the Department of Education, University of Oxford

"Over an academic lifetime, Gerald Grace has convincingly demonstrated how critical scholarship can illuminate and revitalise Catholic Education Studies. This edited collection provides an impressive genealogy of his intellectual journey in creating and validating a respected place for Catholic Education Studies in the academy. The chapters bring to life a remarkable journey enriched with strong
theorising, intellectual creativity, but above all, a passionate commitment to social justice and the common good."

Professor Diane Reay, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education