Author: Deacon Nick

Nick Senger, founder and editor of Catholic School Chronicle, is an award-winning Catholic school teacher, vice principal and technology coordinator. He is a deacon for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane.
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Catholic Book Group Reading de Caussade for Lent

Abandonment to Divine Providence“Today God still speaks to us as he used to speak to our ancestors at a time when there were neither spiritual directors nor any systems of spirituality. To be faithful to the designs of God then comprised the whole of one’s spiritual life. Religious devotion had not become a science crammed with precepts and detailed instructions” – Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence, translated by John Beever

Spiritual reading is one of the most powerful and oft-recommended Lenten practices. This year, you might consider reading de Caussade’s Abandonment to Divine Providence. Here’s why:

  • It’s an acknowledged classic of spirituality, providing fruitful material for mediation for hundreds of years.
  • de Caussade’s simple message is an effective antidote for a world that tends to complicate things unnecessarily.
  • At 119 pages, the book is a perfect length for the forty days of Lent; 54 short chapters make it easy to divide into daily passages for contemplation.
  • For teachers, its message can profoundly affect the way we approach our students and our teaching, leading to a deep inner peace.

I count Abandonment to Divine Providence as one of the most influential books I’ve ever read, and have gotten into the habit of reading it each year during Lent. As a member of the Catholic Readers group on Goodreads, I’m very glad that they have chosen it as their Lenten book. If you’re looking for some profoundly inspirational spiritual reading this Lenten season, look no further than this classic by Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade.

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John Allen Speaks to Catholic Educators about the Future of the Church [Video]

The Future ChurchWhat will the Catholic Church be like in ten years? Twenty years? Forty years? Journalist John Allen, Jr offers his answers to the participants of the 2011 Catholic Educators’ Conference which took place on February 14 and 15 in Vancouver. His book The Future Church: Ten Trends that are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church is a must-read for Catholic educators. It is also available in a Kindle edition.

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Watch Our Narnia Reading Marathon Live on the Web!

The Silver ChairLet us read to your students this week! In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, many schools will be celebrating Read Across America on March 2, 2011. All Saints Catholic School in Spokane, WA, where I teach, will begin celebrating a little early this year. On Friday, February 25, over thirty students and teachers will take turns reading C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair in its entirety live on the Internet.

Each reader will read approximately half a chapter, and the entire unabridged reading will be streamed live via Ustream beginning at 9:00 am Pacific time. We’d love for you to join us for all or some of the event, which should last between four and five hours. You can leave comments to cheer the readers on, or you can just sit back and enjoy this great story from the world of Narnia.

The Silver Chair is the fourth volume in the Chronicles of Narnia and comes right after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which many students saw in theaters recently. In this exciting tale, Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole must rescue a prince from an evil witch. As with all of C.S. Lewis’ fiction, expect great storytelling combined with spiritual themes. Students of all ages will enjoy this timeless classic.

I have the pleasure of leading off the marathon by introducing the book and reading Chapter 1, and I’ll also be moderating the Ustream chat room. This is our first time streaming any school event live, and we’re very excited to share this with all of you.

Please tell all the Catholic teachers and homeschoolers you know so that we can all celebrate together. See you on Friday!

All Saints Catholic School Narnia Reading Marathon

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A Round-Up of Catholic Schools Week Videos

Catholic Schools Week 2011Catholic Schools Week 2011 is over, but the celebration continues thanks to many schools who posted videos of their activities. From flash mobs to bishops’ homilies, the following videos show how schools around the country celebrated this national event.

Faculty-staff Flash Mob at Totino-Grace High School:

Homily by Bishop Michael Burbidge of Raleigh:

St. Joachim Catholic School Celebrates Catholic Schools Week:

Reflection by Resurrection School Principal Linda Knox:

An Appreciation Video to the Faculty and Staff of DePaul Catholic:

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Teach Them Something That Lasts

Note: The following reflection was written for Catholic Schools Week 2011 as part of a series for ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools.

Holy Spirit by MurilloWhen I taught Amy she was a bright, athletic, beaming eighth grader. She loved her older sister, her younger brother, and playing soccer. A short two years later, her body was ravaged by leukemia, and after a long and valiant battle, she passed away. Attending her funeral was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. And yet, though it was many years ago, I still remember the theme of the homily: Amy’s life is changed, not ended.

I sometimes imagine Amy looking down from heaven and saying to me, “These students you teach will not be here forever. Teach them something that lasts.”

And that, indeed, is the mission of Catholic schools: to teach something that lasts. Not for a decade. Not for a generation. But forever. As a guest speaker once told our faculty, “Our calling is to get students into Heaven, not Harvard.”

Not that Catholic schools don’t care about providing a rigorous education. Any of numerous studies will tell you that Catholic schools provide an outstanding academic foundation–high graduation rates and top scores on standardized tests. However, what Catholic schools uniquely offer our children is the one thing that lasts: the opportunity to develop in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

In a culture that increasingly marginalizes religion, Catholic schools keep faith at the forefront. Each day students witness the lived faith of a believing community and learn how Christ permeates every aspect of life. From learning about Catholic contributions in science to exploring religious themes in literature, from daily school prayer to weekly school liturgies, Catholic schools offer students an ongoing invitation to recognize God in their lives.

Catholic schools give students the x-ray glasses they need to see through the false promises of our culture. Catholic schools give students the hearing aids they need to listen the voice of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. Catholic schools give students the inner compass they need to find their way to their true home.

Life is beautiful, but all too short. I advocate for Catholic schools because Catholic schools offer students an education that lasts a lifetime…and beyond.

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101 Reasons to Send Your Child to a Catholic School

Catholic Classroom
The Author in High School
Billings Central Catholic High School Class of 1984

With Catholic Schools Week 2011 nearly upon us, Catholic schools all over the country are about to celebrate the gift of Catholic education. My own involvement in Catholic education has been a blessing I could never repay. From first grade through high school, from undergraduate to graduate school, I spent nineteen years as a student in Catholic schools. Currently I am in the middle of my twenty-first year as a teacher in Catholic schools. That means I have spent about 90 percent of my life in Catholic classrooms.  And I’m not sure which portion of that time–as a student or as a teacher–has taught me more.

Regardless, I’m not the only one to have benefited from the time I’ve spent within the halls of the Church’s most effective means of catechesis. As a tribute to all those whose efforts make Catholic schools possible, here is my list of 101 reasons to send a child to a Catholic school. Though there are many more reasons I could mention, the focus of this list is mostly on things that can only be found in a Catholic school. They are not in any particular order.

Why should you send your children to a Catholic school? So they can experience:

  1. Prayer each morning before the school day begins
  2. Prayer before eating lunch
  3. Prayer at the end of each school day
  4. A Christmas concert rather than a “Winter Concert”
  5. Weekly Mass with their closest friends
  6. Learning about saints and other heroes of faith
  7. Praying the rosary
  8. Participating in the Stations of the Cross
  9. Spiritual retreats
  10. Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas
  11. Reading scripture regularly
  12. Praying with the entire school when disasters or tragedies occur
  13. Celebrating All Saints Day instead of Halloween
  14. No school on Easter Monday!
  15. Learning responsibility for their own education by fund raising
  16. Learning the connection between faith and reason
  17. Being able to talk to a teacher about religion
  18. Sharing faith journeys with each other
  19. Seeing priests on a regular basis
  20. Celebrating Mary in May
  21. Halls decorated with a manger during Advent and Christmas
  22. Talking with friends about what to give up for Lent
  23. Congratulating second graders on receiving First Communion
  24. Helping Catholic Charities with service projects
  25. Hearing Jesus’ name regularly, and not as a swear word
  26. Getting pets blessed on the feast of St. Francis
  27. Getting throats blessed on the feast of St. Blase
  28. Celebrating the Immaculate Conception
  29. Seeing teachers at Sunday Mass
  30. Connecting service with Catholic social teaching
  31. Hearing a consistent pro-life message
  32. Easy shopping for school clothes
  33. Being able to discuss the religious symbolism in works like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings
  34. St. Nicholas parties
  35. Epiphany parties
  36. Seeing the same friends at church that they see at school
  37. Learning about liturgical colors and seasons
  38. Discipline based on gospel values
  39. Crucifixes on the walls
  40. Statues of Mary
  41. Religious-themed bulletin boards
  42. Nearness to the Blessed Sacrament
  43. The chance to lector at school Masses
  44. The chance to serve at the altar at school Masses
  45. Making rosaries during Art
  46. Learning that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
  47. Hearing “Make room for Jesus!” at school dances
  48. Seeing teachers wear religious-themed jewelry or clothing to school
  49. Hearing a teacher witness to his or her faith
  50. Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus at Easter
  51. Religious art on the walls
  52. A curriculum designed to help students grow in spirituality
  53. Learning about sacred music in Choir class
  54. The freedom to talk about any religion, rather than no religion
  55. An atmosphere that cares more about students getting in to heaven than into Harvard
  56. Spending seven hours a day in a faith community
  57. Learning about all vocation options including marriage, ordained and religious life
  58. Getting to listen to the Pope talk about school
  59. Discussing the religious and ethical implications of stem cell research, abortion, euthanasia, and other life issues
  60. Dressing up as their favorite saint for All Saints Day
  61. Constant support and encouragement in their spiritual life
  62. Exposure to classic spiritual works by St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, Hildegard of Bingen, etc.
  63. Ash Wednesday Mass
  64. Daily exposure to the Bible
  65. Learning about the Catholic contribution to science through great Catholic scientists including Pasteur, Mendel, Lemaitre, Bacon, and Albertus Magnus
  66. A mission to educate the whole child: spiritually, as well as academically, morally, socially and physically.
  67. An outstanding academic program that helps students become their best selves
  68. The freedom to talk explicitly about the creator who has endowed us with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
  69. Learning about the redemptive value of suffering
  70. Teachers who explicitly model their instruction after the great teacher, Jesus Christ
  71. Celebrating St. Joseph the Worker
  72. A strong intellectual history whose tradition of academic excellence is unmatched by any other organization that has ever been
  73. The development of a Catholic world view
  74. A natural integration with all aspects of family life, rather than a compartmentalized existence
  75. Moral development based on gospel values
  76. An antidote for the surrounding culture’s materialistic, image-centric distortions of reality
  77. Discovering what it means to live a “Christ-centered” way of life
  78. Learning the meaning of life in its fullness
  79. Coming to understand that at the heart of every subject is Jesus, “the way, the truth and the life”
  80. Learning to recognize the voice of God in all creation
  81. Learning to be a living witness to God’s love
  82. Being constantly reminded that God loves them
  83. Parent Nights that begin with prayer
  84. Hearing prayers at 8th grade graduation
  85. Mass to begin the year
  86. Mass to end the year
  87. Field trips to convents and seminaries
  88. Learning about the connection between faith and service to the poor and underprivileged
  89. Field trips to nursing homes to sing Christmas carols
  90. Classrooms visits by priests, deacons and women religious
  91. Learning different ways to pray
  92. Awards assemblies that begin with prayer
  93. Sports leagues that begin each game with prayer
  94. Student council meetings that begin with prayer
  95. Becoming comfortable talking about God and faith with peers
  96. Spending more hours a day in a room with a crucifix than in a room with a television
  97. Learning the history of the Catholic Church
  98. Acquiring the skills to spread the good news to all corners of the world
  99. Opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration
  100. Learning about the only thing that really matters: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, lived out in a community of faith guided by the Holy Spirit, in order to more deeply and devoutly follow will of the Father
  101. Catholic Schools Week!