Stirring the Soul of Catholic Education
Formation for Mission
Dr Jill Gowdie
Stirring the Soul of Catholic Education: Formation for Mission is the fifth volume in the Exploratory Studies Series of the Mission and Education project. The book grapples with the question of how to frame a re-imagined understanding of formation for the Catholic educator and leader. In doing so, it explores a new model of formation for Catholic educators, a model responsive to our time and place.
About the Author
Dr Jill Gowdie is a widely respected school and system leader. She was named in 2025 as one of the 35 leading thought leaders in Catholic Education across the US, UK, Ireland, and Australia. A published author, Jill is also a recognised speaker, writer, and facilitator in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Her qualifications cross the disciplines of theology, leadership, education, spirituality, religious education, governance, and journalism, and include a PhD in Educational Leadership. She is a member of several national and international committees and associations, and currently serves as President of the Association of Practical Theology in Oceania.
This is a very fine work. A teacher in a Catholic school is not just a teacher. He or she is a witness to gospel values and attitudes within a culture that often has a very different drift. In these pages, seasoned educator Jill Gowdie reflects creatively and profoundly on how teachers can open themselves up to formation that inspires them to answer the call to become ‘missionary disciples’. These are reflections tailored to fit the Australian Catholic school context, but they will be helpful and inspiring for Catholic school teachers everywhere.
Stephen Bevans SVD
Louis J. Luzbetak SVD, Professor Emeritus of Mission and Culture, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago
In this book, we see the rare distillation of experience, scholarship and insight across diverse disciplines in order to re-imagine a fresh and incisive approach to what formation may mean in the Catholic educator in today’s schools. Jill’s style is inviting and comprehensive, reflecting a broad-ranging mind and a passionate heart that is visionary, passionate and deeply authentic.
Dr Mary McDonald SGS
Director Emeritus of Catholic Education, Diocese of Townsville
After many years of stirring the souls of Catholic educators, Jill Gowdie gathers her wisdom ‘from the heat of the day’ into this very fine text. For Catholic education, no one is more insightful on the vital exchange between faith and culture than Jill Gowdie.
Thomas Groome
Professor of Theology and Religious Education, Boston College