The Faculty of Theology and Philosophy offers a range of programs as part of the Theological Foundations for Enhancing Catholic School Identity  (ECSI) Project.

Learn about the ECSI Project and our partnerships, and browse learning opportunities.

About the ECSI Project

The KU Leuven Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) Project is a tool for enhancing Catholic identity in schools within an increasingly secular and pluralist global society.

The ECSI Project provides ongoing international research that gives staff, students and school communities a theological framework to better understand and clarify their Catholic identity and beliefs.

The project provides empirical and practical-theological instruments to measure a school's Catholicity, and in turn, confirm its future direction and practices.

"We often speak intuitively about Catholicity. The role of this project is to bring a framework and also some language to discuss Catholic identity in schools."
Professor Dr Didier Pollefeyt
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Theological Foundations for Enhancing Catholic School Identity

The Faculty of Theology and Philosophy offers academic programs designed to guide leaders, teachers and staff within Catholic educational institutions towards a theologically grounded understanding of the ECSI project.

Our programs draw deeply from the Catholic theological tradition and provide learning opportunities to support Catholic schools in understanding, assessing, and enhancing their Catholic identity.

Through the Theological Foundations for Enhancing Catholic School Identity project, participants engage with topics and issues such as:

  • the nature and purpose of the Catholic School
  • the contemporary de-traditionalised secular situation
  • a hermeneutic-communicative understanding of religious education
  • theology as recontextualisation.

Participants develop skills to interpret data generated by the ECSI instruments, as well as the ability to communicate their understanding in ways that support Catholic schools, educational systems, and communities in enhancing their Catholic identity.

Our partnerships

This project has been developed in close collaboration with Professor Dr Didier Pollefeyt, KU Leuven, Belgium, and Directors of Religious Education in a number of Australian dioceses.

Find ECSI Project learning opportunities

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