Catholic Education
August can be a tough month for parents. As the summer days drag on, children tire of their routine just as summer camps and athletics programs wind to a close. With the first day of school just around the corner, parents are making lists outlining supplies to purchase, appointments to make and errands to run. While hot and sticky weather makes us think of summer, this month is all about parents, teachers and schools preparing for the first day of school.
My wife and I have two Catholic high school students this fall at Dominican High School. For weeks, my family has circled the start date for fall sports and reviewed the checklists for student orientation days. While my kids may be more focused on what to wear or which friends to sit with at lunch, Catholic school parents are renewing a powerful partnership focused on the holistic formation of their children. Students and parents both benefit from the unique and powerful mission at the heart of Catholic education.
Catholic schools are more than just good private schools. Our schools, grounded in the Gospel message, are a pathway to a rich life centered on spiritual fulfillment and healthy personal relationships. Catholic schools excel when they fully embrace the mission of our Church, which is to bring all to come to know, to love and to live fully in the truth of Jesus Christ. Our schools are focused on forming young people into disciples for our Lord. A school that seeks to not just educate students but to fully embrace the love and beauty of God’s creation becomes a transformative community that can alter the future of individuals, families and communities.
For effective Catholic schools, faith is not an extracurricular. Flourishing Catholic schools embrace a vibrant Catholic culture centered on the sacramental life of the Church and with an unapologetically Catholic worldview. This approach is distinct and different from the experience found at other public and private schools. Catholic schools simply feel different to students, parents and teachers. Parents will tell you that the community and culture of a Catholic school resembles a warm embrace or a visit from an old friend.
My wife and I know that parenting teenagers can be a challenge, but Catholic schools serve as an incredible partner for parents. At a time when many young people pull away from parents, teenagers in a Catholic school hear the same message at school that they do at home. In our house, it is normal for my 17-year-old son, when updating us about his plans for the weekend — which includes work shifts and visits with friends — to also have a plan for which Sunday Mass he will attend. That commitment to his faith starts with family but is reenforced by his teachers and student peers at Dominican High School. My wife and I know that we are not parenting alone, but with a community of faithful backing us up.
This past year, I had the opportunity to visit with a group of high school parents from St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Kenosha. The parents described how their high school students discussed the Sacrament of Confirmation with their peers. These teenagers openly promoted the benefit of Confirmation and answered each other’s questions about the sacrament. These parents described the positive peer pressure their students experienced and how it encouraged them to have an active relationship with the Church outside of school. The SJCA teenagers described deep conversations about faith that regularly occurred in Fr. Todd Belardi’s theology classes as instrumental to their maturing faith life. St. Joseph’s rich and vibrant culture of faith and prayer supports a young person to open their hearts to hear a calling from the Lord.
The distinct Catholic school approach does not come at the expense of academic excellence. Catholic school students consistently outperform state and national averages. A culture of compassion, love and charity does not distract from learning but enhances student performance and focus. Students learn and grow best when they feel support, care and love. A faith-centered school with a healthy culture is the optimal learning environment.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is blessed to have a large and robust family of Catholic schools. This year, 102 Catholic schools will welcome more than 27,000 students. Enrollment in our Catholic schools has increased for four consecutive years. Parents across southeastern Wisconsin are attracted to Catholic schools because faith is at the center of what we do. Catholic school parents can be reassured that by sending their children back to school, they will receive the best parenting partners one can have. Schools with a vibrant, Christ-centered community are exactly what parents need this August as they send their children back to school.
