Explorers, Guides and Meaning Makers: (1 Mission and Education)

Within the community of believers, theology is not only something Catholics receive instruction in, it is something they do. In this first volume of the Mission and Education series, Australian Catholic educators Jim and Therese D'Orsa invite and assist colleagues to become 'grassroots' theologians themselves. It is an invitation to deeply integrate their human experience in the service of today's young people with the Catholic community's living faith tradition. To view a sample of this work see: https: //garrattpublishing.com.au/pdf/SampleChapters/ExploreMeaningMakers-SampleChapter.pdf

About the Author :
Dr Jim D'Orsa is a Catholic educator with an extensive history of teaching and senior leadership in schools and systems. He was a pioneer in preparing lay leaders to take on the development of vision and mission in Catholic colleges. Jim lectures at The Broken Bay Institute, is a visiting lecturer at Yarra Theological Union, and research associate of the MCD University of Divinity. Prof Therese D'Orsa is a Catholic missiologist and educational leader who has exercised a wide range of leadership roles in Catholic education systems and has taught in several tertiary institutions. She is currently conjoint professor of the University of Newcastle and The Broken Bay Institute, a visiting lecturer at the Yarra Theological Union, and an honorary fellow of Australian Catholic University.

Review :
"James and Therese D'Orsa's book on mission theology is a significant contribution to a field invariably characterised as being either highly ethereal or overly practical. Either way, mission theology has a history of being marginalised among theologies because its relevance is understated or it is regarded as insufficiently scholarly. The great contribution of this book is in correcting these misperceptions. In one hit, the D'Orsas demonstrate that mission theology is well founded on religious scholarship and stands tall in the field while, at the same time, illustrating its practicality for workers in a variety of religious contexts. The authors deserve to be commended for such an outstanding contribution." Professor T J Lovat Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Arts) University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia "We have to remember that Catholic education is a mission first and an academic enterprise second. This book is a major religious and professional resource to help us all to remember this and to come to a deeper understanding of what that means in practice. It is a groundbreaking and pioneering study of mission theology and mission practice in Catholic education and it should be read by all those involved in professional development and advanced study courses in Catholic education." Professor Gerald Grace Director, Centre for Research and Development in Catholic Education, University of London, Institute of Education, United Kingdom