Education and Formation

God's work in forming his people is revealed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Teacher, and reaches to the depths of every individual's heart as a result of the living presence of the Spirit. Mother Church is called to take part in the divine work of formation, both through a sharing of her very life, and through her various pronouncements and actions. It is thus that the lay faithful are formed by the Church and in the Church in a mutual communion and collaboration of all her members: clergy, religious and lay faithful. Thus the whole ecclesial community, in its diverse members, receives the fruitfulness of the Spirit and actively cooperates towards that end. (Christifideles laici, n. 61)

While “the home is the first school of Christian life and ‘a school for human enrichment’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1657), education and formation are lifelong processes.

The Diocese of Stockton joins with parents in the education and formation of their children by providing well-respected Catholic elementary and high schools as well as exceptional parish religious education programs.

Since learning does not stop with graduation, the Diocese offers many opportunities for continued education and formation, whether in the Catholic faith or in preparation for a specific ministry in the Church.

In the words of Pope John Paul II in his 1988 apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici, n. 58:

This, then, is the marvelous yet demanding task awaiting all the lay faithful and all Christians at every moment: to grow always in the knowledge of the richness of Baptism and faith as well as to live it more fully. In referring to birth and growth as two stages in the Christian life the apostle Peter makes the following exhortation: “Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation” (1 Pt 2:2).