“It would be impossible to imagine our American society today without the transforming grace of Catholic school graduates.” – Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, October 18, 2010
In the following video from last week, Archbishop Gregory explains the mission and value of Catholic schools, and points out three qualities that make them unique:
- Well defined curriculum
- Parental involvement and support
- Teachers, staff members and administrators who witness a sense of calling to assist students’ spiritual, academic, developmental and physical growth
•Well defined curriculum
•Parental involvement and support
•Teachers, staff members and administrators who witness a sense of calling to assist students’ spiritual, academic, developmental and physical growth
This is no more than you could get at any first-rate school, parochial, private, or public, with the possible exception of “spiritual” which nowadays means whatever you want it to mean.
This is what should make Catholic schools unique: teaching Catholic faith, culture, morality and worldview, the things I was taught 45 years ago in Catholic schools when they really were unique.
Archbishop Gregory doesn’t actually use the word “unique.” That was my hastily chosen adjective. I don’t want to misrepresent his meaning. What Archbishop Gregory actually says in the video is, based on research, “What are our Catholic schools doing right?”
He goes on further in the video to express what I think you mean: “Catholic schools remain at the heart of the Church. Within our schools, the primary focus must remain an unyielding commitment to strong Catholic identity and sound moral teaching. This is the mission of our Catholic schools and therefore absolutely central to their existence…We make the environment of our schools of the highest quality because of our Catholic identity, which provides the foundation for the existence of Catholic schools. The Catholic identity ensures that our young people are equipped with a sound education rooted in the Gospel message, the person of Jesus Christ, and rich in the cherished traditions and the liturgical practices of our faith.”
Yes. Thanks for that.
“Within our schools, the primary focus must remain an unyielding commitment to strong Catholic identity and sound moral teaching. This is the mission of our Catholic schools and therefore absolutely central to their existence”
Now that’s what I’m talking about! That is unique! You don’t know how much I want this to be a reality in our Catholic schools.