"It is, however, the special function of the Catholic school to develop in the school community an atmosphere animated by a spirit of liberty and charity based on the Gospel." (Declaration on Christian Education, 1965, #8)

"Community is at the heart of Christian education not simply as a concept to be taught but as a reality to be lived." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #23)

"Through education, men must be moved to build community in all areas of life; they can do this best if they have learned the meaning of community by experiencing it." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #23)

"Christian fellowship grows in personal relationships of friendship, trust and love infused with a vision of men and women as children of God redeemed by Christ." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #24)

"The experience of Christian community leads naturally to service. Christ gives His people different gifts not only for themselves but for others. Each must serve the other for the good of all." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #28)

"No human joy, no human sorrow is a matter of indifference to the community established by Jesus. In today's world this requires that the Christian community be involved in seeking solutions to a host of complex problems, such as war, poverty, racism, and environmental pollution, which undermine community within and among nations." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #29)

"Building and living community must be prime, explicit goals of the contemporary Catholic school." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #108)

"Participation together in the liturgy and in paraliturgical activities and spiritual exercises can effectively foster community among students and faculty." (To Teach as Jesus Did, 1972, #109)

"At the same time a new thrust has emerged in educational administration, emphasizing not only technical skills but the role of the administrator as one who fosters community within both schools and school systems." (Teach Them, 1976, p. 5)

"The school must be a community whose values are communicated through the interpersonal and sincere relationships of its members and through both individual and corporative adherence to the outlook on life that permeates the school." (The Catholic School, 1977, #32)

"Christian faith, in fact, is born and grows inside a community." (The Catholic School, 1977, #53)

"It [the Catholic school] opens itself to others and respects their way of thinking and of living." (The Catholic School, 1977, #57)

"...the school must be able to count on the unity of purpose and conviction of all its members." (The Catholic School, 1977, #59)

"The breakdown of family ties and community identity along with intensified loneliness are among the negative results of this mobility. Except perhaps in rural areas and surviving ethnic neighborhoods, Church leaders can no longer take for granted a sense of community; often they must instead work to develop and sustain it." (Sharing the Light of Faith, 1979, #21)

"Yet it [community] does not always grow easily; patience and skill are frequently required." (Sharing the Light of Faith, 1979, #209)

"Even conflict, if creatively handled, can be growth-producing, and Christian reconciliation is an effective means of fostering community." (Sharing the Light of Faith, 1979, #209)

"Building and living community must be prime, explicit goals of the contemporary Catholic school." (Sharing the Light of Faith, 1979, #232)

"Everything that the Catholic educator does in a school takes place within the structure of an educational community, made up of the contacts and the collaboration among all of the various groups - students, parents, teachers, directors, non-teaching staff - that together are responsible for making the school an instrument for integral formation." (Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, 1982, #22)

"The distinctive feature of the Catholic school is 'to create for the school community an atmosphere enlivened by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity." (Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, 1982, #38)

"The educational community of a Catholic school should be trying to become a Christian community: a genuine community of faith." (Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, 1982, #41)

"It must never be forgotten that the school itself is always in the process of being created, due to the labor brought to fruition by all those who have a role to play in it, and most especially by those who are teachers." (Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith, 1982, #78)

"...what makes the Catholic school distinctive is its attempt to generate a community climate in the school that is permeated by the gospel spirit of freedom and love..." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #1)

"The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real. The gospel spirit should be evident in a Christian way of thought and life which permeates all facets of the educational climate. Having crucifixes in the school will remind everyone, teachers and students alike, of this familiar and moving presence of Jesus, the 'Master' who gave his most complete and sublime teaching from the cross." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #25)

"...students can be made to feel 'at home' even when the surroundings are modest, if the climate is humanly and spiritually rich." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #28)

"Considering the special age group they are working with, primary schools should try to create a community school climate that reproduces, as far as possible, the warm and intimate atmosphere of family life. Those responsible for these schools will, therefore, do everything they can to promote a common spirit of trust and spontaneity." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #40)

"'School' is often identified with 'teaching'; actually, classes and lessons are only a small part of school life. Along with the lessons that a teacher gives, there is the active participation of the students individually or as a group: study, research, exercises, para-curricular activities, examinations, relationships with teachers and with one another, group activities, class meetings, school assemblies." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #47)

"It is worth noting, once again, that the students are not spectators; they help to determine the quality of this climate." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #103)

"Some of the conditions for creating a positive and supportive climate are the following: that everyone agree with the educational goals and cooperate in achieving them; that interpersonal relationships be based on love and Christian freedom; that each individual, in daily life, be a witness to gospel values; that every student be challenged to strive for the highest possible level of formation, both human and Christian." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #103)

"A school exerts a great deal of effort in trying to obtain the students' active cooperation. Since they are active agents in their own formation process, this cooperation is essential. To be human is to be endowed with intelligence and freedom; it is impossible for education to be genuine without the active involvement of the one being educated. Students must act and react: with their intelligence, freedom, will, and the whole complex range of human emotions. The formation process comes to a halt when students are uninvolved and unmoved. Experienced teachers are familiar with the causes of such 'blocks' in young people; the roots are both psychological and theological, and original sin is not excluded." (The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, #105)

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