Thankful for Catholic School TeachersRead Time 8 min

As families across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee gather this month to celebrate Thanksgiving, it is easy to come up with a list of things to be thankful for. We are grateful for Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki’s career of service to the archdiocese and thankful for the appointment of Archbishop-Designate Jeffrey S. Grob to lead our Church. When making a gratitude list, individual Catholics may include specific ministries of their local parish or cite the success of St. Francis de Sales Seminary in increasing priestly ordinations. The vibrancy of Catholic parishes and schools gives us much to be thankful for.

There is one often overlooked group of servants within our Church who deserve our gratitude this Thanksgiving. Catholic school teachers are an exceptional collection of professionals who have dedicated their lives to serving children and passing along the faith. Catholic schools are essential to the evangelizing mission of the Church, and its teachers are the engine that drives this spiritual formation. Without the more than 2,000 staff members working in our schools each year, Catholic schools would not be able to transform the lives of young people across the archdiocese.

Our Catholic schools have been well served by outstanding teachers since the founding of our first parochial school more than 150 years ago. From individual neighborhoods in the city of Milwaukee to small towns in rural Wisconsin, Catholic parishes and their schools were and remain essential to fabric of our communities. For most of our history, it was the work of religious sisters that created the Catholic schools that have served our families across the archdiocese. The National Catholic Education Association reports that in 1960, 74 percent of school staff were members of religious orders or clergy. It was the tireless work and deep faith of these religious sisters who built the Catholic school system that we benefit from today.

The presence of our religious sisters was essential to ensuring that Catholic schools kept a commitment to service, strived for academic excellence and developed strong faith formation programs. Even as the number of sisters declined in our schools, the remaining sisters preserved an essential link for Catholic schools to be connected to the life of the Church. Our sisters established a school’s moral compass, and through their humility and faithfulness, modeled Catholic identity for students, parents and staff.

Over the past five decades, the landscape of Catholic school teaching staffs has dramatically shifted. This year, religious staff represent only 2 percent of all teachers. Catholic schools in the archdiocese, and across the country, have filled this void by hiring lay teachers and providing faith formation programs to support these lay educators. It is now laity who are charged with fulfilling the mission of Catholic education to deliver academic excellence, and also excellent Catholic formation.

Across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we are witness to the extraordinary impact of lay educators who have continued in the tradition established by our religious sisters. To recognize the exceptional commitment that thousands of Catholic educators have made to mentor and guide our children to become disciples of Christ, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Catholic Herald have created a new Teacher of the Year Award. By recognizing a teacher of the year, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee honors the commitment of our outstanding teachers and hopes to inspire the next generation of school leaders who will serve Catholic education.

The Catholic Herald Teacher of the Year Award will recognize a Catholic educator who exemplifies the mission of creating disciples of Jesus Christ through their teaching, dedication and personal example. Each Catholic school across the archdiocese can nominate one deserving educator for this award, and our first class of recipients will be recognized at the Catholic Schools Dinner in March. This award is one way we can honor our history and recognize the committed servants who continue to make our schools communities of faith, hope and love.

November is a perfect time to reflect on the blessings that we have received. The work of our exceptional teachers, both religious sisters and lay teachers, continues the tradition of joyful communities, academic achievement and a commitment to faith formation. We can all be thankful for the work of the teachers who make the great gift of Catholic education possible for our students.