Until the close of the Second Vatican Council, there was much scholarly discussion concerning a distinctively Catholic philosophy of education. For various reasons, the past forty years have seen a demise of this type of scholarly discussion. This dearth of discussion comes at a time when Catholic education (especially with 'at-risk' students) is being lauded by many. This book, which examines the philosophy and writings of Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) as they relate to education, is intended to provide readers with one way of understanding why Catholic schools do what they do every day. It is hoped that the thoughts of this philosopher-pope will spur a renewal of Catholic educational philosophy in the twenty-first century.