Faith Drives School SuccessRead Time 9 min

If you have been driving around southeastern Wisconsin over the past year, you have likely seen a new addition to the billboards that dot your landscape. Bright blue billboards reading, “Catholic Schools. Mind, Body and Soul,” have been alerting drivers, in very simple language, of the profound and unique mission of Catholic education. These billboards, combined with a robust on-line advertising campaign, are part of an important Archdiocese of Milwaukee strategy reminding parents that Catholic education is more than just excelling in the classroom.

Catholic schools consistently outperform public schools on test scores in math and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam. If Catholic schools were a state, they would be the highest performing state in the country. Yet, academic excellence is just one aspect of the mission of Catholic schools. Our Catholic schools are called to form young people into saints, who are ready and eager to be disciples of Christ.

Catholic schools partner with parents and parishes to form vibrant faith communities that care for the holistic needs of children and families. Children have a complex set of spiritual, social and academic needs and Catholic schools understand that the mind, body and soul all need to be fed. Catholic school parents value that their schools do not separate our spiritual goals from academic goals. Catholic schools understand that student growth is integrated between physical, academic and spiritual areas. When we strengthen the spiritual experience of our students, we often see improvements in academics or mental health.

Innovative pastors and principals across the archdiocese are leading their schools to find new and exciting ways to make faith come alive for their students. Schools that embrace the sacramental life of the Church prepare their students for a lifelong relationship with the Church. These Catholic schools have discovered that their students’ academic success increases when the school strengthens its Catholic identity and spiritual formation programs. It is only in a Catholic school that parents can see a community care for both their child’s academic success and their spiritual development.

Here are a few examples:

• At St. Charles in Hartland, the community has made an intentional decision to emphasize the importance of its school liturgies. The school splits into two age groups for their weekly liturgies. This allows the priest to focus his homily to specifically address the varied faith questions of the two age groups. Just as we would never teach the same math concepts to 8th graders and 2nd graders, it makes sense that a homily may need to be tailored to the ages of students.

The associate pastor at St. Charles, Fr. Ariel Orozco, goes out of his way to make sure that students are engaged during Mass. When visiting classrooms, Fr. Ariel selects a word of the week with students for his homily. He promises to incorporate the special word at some point during his homily. Students wait eagerly on the edge of their pew to hear when and how Fr. Ariel will use the special word. Fr. Ariel’s willing outreach builds community with the students, and he has personally invited them to be active participants in the Mass.

• At Our Lady Queen of Peace in Milwaukee, Pastor Fr. Javier Bustos and Principal Michael Derrick have promoted a vibrant and engaging liturgical experience. Teachers and staff serve as outstanding role models for the students and encourage active participation in music and prayer. With a diverse community, Fr. Bustos embraces the different languages spoken by his students and fluidly mixes in Spanish into his communication to connect with younger students. The parish embraces cultural traditions via student clubs, including its Aztec dancers who perform on important feast days, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

At the end of Mass students and staff together sing “This Little Light of Mine” in Spanish before heading back to class. That moment of collective joy is a perfect symbol for the impact that liturgy can have on a school community. As students leave the church they line up to high-five and joke with Fr. Bustos and Mr. Derrick. At Our Lady Queen of Peace, a culture of love, care and faith exists between students, parents, teachers and leaders.

• At St. Gabriel Parish School in Hubertus, the parish and school community have formed a united bond through a common mission and shared prayer. Pastor Fr. Timothy Bickel embraces the school and its students. Almost every morning, he welcomes students at the front door with jokes and stories. Fr. Tim has created a school song made up of the core teachings of our faith and the values specific to the St. Gabriel community. At the close of each Mass, Fr. Tim leads the students in a call and response song. From kindergarteners to 8th graders, the students sing and shout about principles of being a disciple of Christ. St. Gariel students, singing with their pastor, are living witness to the faith that is alive in that parish school.

Thanks to the innovative and dedicated work of our Catholic school leaders, Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee can be assured of the impact that our schools are having to strengthen the minds, bodies and souls of our students.