Gaudium et Spes at 60: social justice and Catholic education

Sr Gemma Simmonds CJ

This conference at St Mary's University, from 3 -5 December, was organised to mark the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the last document from the Second Vatican Council, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, known as Gaudium et Spes, on 7 December 1965.

The opening keynote address was given by Sister Gemma Simmonds CJ from the Margaret Beaufort Institute in Cambridge, entitled Acceptable in our own country?

In a very wide-ranging talk she stressed how much the council had changed the Church both internally and in terms of our outlook on the world - the vision of social justice in Gaudium et Spes has become normative in teaching in Catholic schools, but a new generation of Catholics is less interested, 'tied up in contemporary ideological conflicts'.

The second keynote address was given by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP (Emeritus Archbishop of Liverpool) who described how excited he had been by the council as a sixteen year old schoolboy. He showed the strong continuity between the Council's theology (particularly in Gaudium et Spes) and the synodal pathway, which has in many ways been pioneered in Liverpool. Enthusiasm for synodality is entirely in the spirit of Vatican II.

Anna Blackman from the University of Glasgow gave the third keynote address. She drew on the recent apostolic letter of Pope Leo, Drawing New Maps of Hope, marking the 60th anniversary of the council's document on education, Gravissimum Educationis, and she also focussed on how influential the teaching of Gaudium et Spes has been in Catholic schools.

The fourth keynote was given by Mgr Paul McPartlan, now Rector of the Mater Ecclesiae College linked to St Mary's. Using original diagrams he showed the close connectivity and unity between the constitutions and other documents from Vatican II - Gaudium et Spes can be seen as framing the whole of the council's teaching.

One of the most moving sessions was led by Dr Louise McGowan, Headmistress of St Claudine's Catholic School for Girls in Harlesden. She detailed how in the face of growing poverty her school has provided 'wrap-around services for children and families.' This is because of what poverty has done: 'every child's right to human dignity, to education, to justice, to be able to grow up in an environment in which they can thrive is violated and in many cases today, annihilated.' The school's response to these needs is inspired by the gospel and the vision of Gaudium et Spes.

On the final day the next keynote address was given by Dr Mary Mihovilović, who is responsible for Postgraduate taught programmes in Education at St Mary's focussed on how the Catholic Multi Academy Trusts can respond to the growing challenges in Catholic schools in terms of social justice - how does decentralisation work?

Professor Stephen McKinney from Glasgow University concluded the conference by looking at the ways in which Gaudium et Spes has informed key teaching documents about Catholic education and continues to inspire practical work being done in universities as well as schools to alleviate poverty.

In addition to Paul McPartlan and Mary Mihovilović, St Mary's academics who took part in the conference were Ashley Beck, Raymond Friel (Honorary Professor), Caroline Healy, John Lydon, Káren North and Sean Whittle.

The Revd Dr Ashley Beck MA PhD SFHEA is Associate Professor and Programme Lead, MA in Catholic Social Teaching and Foundation Degree in Pastoral Ministry School of Theology, Faculty of the Arts, Business, Law, Education and Theology St Mary's University. Transcripts of most of the papers are available from Fr Beck at ashley.beck@stmarys.ac.uk and it is hoped they will be published in the Pastoral Review in 2026.