Theologian highlights pillars, mission of Catholic education

From The Superior Catholic Herald...

Articulating the “deep and beautiful call” to share the faith, theologian Dr. Ryan Hanning presented two keynote addresses – one on the pillars of Catholic education, another on happiness and purpose – at the Diocese of Superior’s 2024 Fall Conference.

The annual event, primarily a day of formation and continuing education for educators and catechists, opened at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Rice Lake, on Friday, Oct. 25, with Mass celebrated by Bishop James P. Powers. Dr. Hanning’s first keynote followed a demonstration by Studio 3:16, a religious education program that uses entertainment to “fan the flames” of faith in elementary-level classrooms.

Hanning, who lives on a homestead outside of Nashville with his wife and family, has 10 children ranging from ages 4 to 23 and an extensive, decades-long background in Catholic education.

Framing education “in the mind of the church,” Hanning explained that the church understands “every child is born with unalienable dignity.” In addition to material needs – clothing, shelter, food, water – children also require education to reach their potential. Among those needs, which are largely biologically driven and passively received, “education is different because education is intellectual and spiritualized,” he said.

Read the rest of this news story on The Superior Catholic Herald (official publication of the Diocese of Superior) website here...