Formation of the heart. Memory, liturgy and the identity of Catholic student teachers.

Abstract

Twenty years on from the merger of Scotland’s Catholic teacher training college with the University of Glasgow, this paper examines the formation of Catholic teachers in Scotland in light of the Holy See’s vision. It concludes that the academic formation and opportunities for dialogue allow such a vision to be fulfilled to a large degree. What remains is to present students with a compelling vision of Catholic educational philosophy and an experiential “formation of the heart”. After examining the rich idea of the heart in biblical thought, it analyses empirical research among Catholic students and beginning teachers in Australia and Scotland and the potential of liturgical formation. Drawing on the biblical and liturgical concept of memorial, it explores liturgy’s ability to form the memory of an individual and a community, putting this concept in dialogue with the theory of the ‘reminiscence bump’, a period of strong identity formation in young adults. It concludes by suggesting ways in which liturgy – in parish, at university, and on pilgrimage – can help to form the memory, the identity, and the heart of Catholic education students.