CHURCH: by Francis Matthew L.

Pleta

REACHING FOR
THE BREACHED
In June 2013, Pope Francis said to some students that “school
is one of those environments where we learn to live; that is to
become mature men and women, capable of making a good journey in
life.”. He stated that the purpose of education is to gain positive
values and to develop a good personality. The Catholic Church has
valued freedom and service as an important component of humanity.
They believe that school teaches children to participate in activities
photo by: Ryan Deto
that encourage them not to be closed in on themselves, but to open
themselves to others especially those in need. Education gives
people a perspective about the world wherein the learnings they gain
should be used for the greater good.
Given that the Catholic Church gives importance towards education,
they have conducted efforts in supporting students to pursue their paths
in life. There are religious organization such as the Knights of Columbus
who offer scholarships for students in college. However,
these scholarships are reserved for the spouses, widows,
children, and grandchildren of members who’ve served valiantly.
There are also instances where scholarships are offered to
Christians who want to study theology or who want to seminary
school. Church organizations in schools and universities also offered
students a place to be in. Campus ministries and youth organizations
serve as a ground for students to express their faith in various ways. It
helps students also to connect with other people and promote a
communitarian life.
photo by: Menchit Wong
The Catholic Church is more than a spiritual and religious
institution, it is also the biggest charitable organization in the world.
In Africa, the Catholic Church runs 2 882 centers for sanity
education, 67 848 maternal schools, 93 315 primary schools, and
42234 secondary schools with 1,968,828 high school students assisted
and 3,088,208 university students assisted.
The church recognizes their duty and obligation to offer help to
the needy by being able to assist people and children with their
paths in education. Education supports the teachings of the church
because it helps people realizes that they are part of something
bigger than themselves. It also helps them realize that the things they
learn in school can be used in order to help solve issues outside of
school. As pope Francis said that education is not limited to classrooms
and libraries, but it requires the participation of an individual to serve
• Paton, D., Lucie-Smith, F. A., Phillips, F., & Catholic News Service. (2017, February 17). The world's
others.
charity. Retrieved from https://catholicherald.co.uk/issues/february-17th-2017/a- worldwide-force-for-good/
biggest

• Pope Francis to students: "Education isn't limited to classrooms". (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.romereports.com/en/2018/01/18/pope-francis-to-students-education-isnt- limited-to-classrooms/
• Maximiano, J. M. (2018, September 27). Catholic Church: World's biggest charitable organization. Retrieved
from https://usa.inquirer.net/15692/catholic-church-worlds-biggest-charitable- organization
photo from: UST SImbahayan