The Catholic Schools of Wichita, Kansas

Deep in the heart of our nation's breadbasket is a story about a group of truly progressive schools. The schools of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, have taken the American Bishops very seriously when they taught us to incorporate Catholic Social Teachings more thoroughly into our lives as Catholics. What better place to begin focusing on Social Teachings than our schools?

The diocese left no stone unturned in their efforts. The most basic level of education began with the educators themselves; all 655 professional educators were in-serviced about the seven core principles of the church's social teachings. Not only that, six teachers were commissioned to explain how to incorporate the principles of Catholic Social Teaching into different educational subjects including language arts, mathematics, science, social science, technology, and the fine arts. Furthermore, Wichita has decided to focus on justice in the diocesan center-city schools, and will review employment and compensation practices in line with bishop's pastoral message on economic justice.

The most obvious place to teach Catholics about their Church's stance on social justice is in our schools. The diocese of Wichita models this justice in its care of its teachers, and it stands as a sign of hope that the newest generation of Catholics will not be ignorant of their Church's social teachings.