天主教高等教育可謂全球高等教育發展的「先驅」，當今 面臨高等教育全球化衝擊之際，教廷教育部於2015年11月18日至21 日在梵蒂岡召開「全球天主教教育會議」（World Congress on Catholic Education )，並以「教育熱情永熄不滅」（Educating Today and Tomorrow: Arenewingpassion)為主題，希望在與時俱進追求學術卓 越之際，仍能保持其「身分認同」之理想。對照臺灣天主教高等教育 60年來的發展，刻正處於關鍵的十字路口，能否再創時代之高峰？ 或無可避免地逐漸失去其影響力？因為當神職人員和男女修會會士 人數大幅減少之際，引發天主教高等教育「平信徒」領導的發展趨勢， 以及創校教會團體如何與其所轄大學建立夥伴關係等相關議題。本 文首先說明探討天主教高等教育相關議題的必要性，並說明其身分 認同之時代性意義；進而探究臺灣天主教高等教育在平信徒領導的 過程中，面對「身分與使命」、「教職員培育」，以及「課程與教學」 等管理實務的挑戰與因應之道。

Catholic higher education is the forerunner of the world5s tertiary education. When the tertiary of the modern world is being challenged by many problems, the Pontifical Education Office on 18-21 November 2015 convened the World Congress on Catholic Education under the theme of “Educating Today and Tomorrow: A renewing passion” with the purpose to call upon all Catholic higher educational institutes while heading towards academic excellence never forget their own Catholic identity. On the other hand, in Taiwan, the Catholic higher education after 60 years of development is at its cross road. After they have arrived at the summit, can they ascend a step further? Or they are losing their impacts in the society? When religious vocation had been decreasing in the last 50 years, laity would replace religious and clergy to be the possible leaders in the Catholic higher education in days to come. All these changes will affect the relations between the Church authority and its tertiary education institutes. This essay discuss related questions in Catholic tertiary education as mentioned above, and further investigate questions resulting from lay leadership. Pragmatic issues such as “mission and identity”，“staff formation”，and “curriculum and instruction” will be discussed and suggestions are made to cope with possible situation after the laity takes the lead.