Observations on Belonging and Brotherhood in All-Male Catholic Schools

Abstract “Brotherhood” is used for marketing all-male Catholic schools and is often synonymously with “belonging.” This article examines those terms from three perspectives—the academic literature, the students’ views, and the views of faculty and staff—to define them. Regarding school, belonging can be defined as being affiliated with the institution, being personally accepted, respected, and included in the social environment. In Catholic schools, belonging is fostered through religion classes, religious art, statues, crucifixes, and displays of student work that illustrate beliefs and practices of the Catholic life, as well as social justice projects. The elements of brotherhood are a shared experience that unites the members and is consistent with the values of the group, group members caring about each other with a desire to see the members of the group succeed, and members taking responsibility for the group and making sacrifices when necessary.