Catholic Schools, Letter from the Superintendent

Suits of armor, hearts of love

By Rosemary Henry, Ph. D.

Contributor

The sculpture sees the finished product in his mind’s eye, even before it’s formed. The answer lies in his polished strokes, the perfect shaping, forming the essence of its beauty for the final reveal. The outcome is extraordinary. God, the creative artist of life, creates strong and resilient children in our Catholic schools—where he is always present.

Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us that, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” How do we, in our Catholic schools, fortify our children with the armor of resiliency amidst the world’s crises and painful experiences in life? How do we approach the mystery of coping with uncertainty, overcoming obstacles, large and small, and teaching the principles of adaptability? How do we guide our youth to rise above the fall and catapult them upon the canvas of success? How do Catholic schools prepare our children, today, for a life of learning, leading and serving?

Resiliency:

Resiliency is the spark that helps students and teachers keep the flame bright for development and growth. Resiliency is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or forms of significant stress. These may include family and relationship problems, health issues, failures, natural disasters and more. Resiliency is a psychological quality that allows people to be knocked down by life’s adversities and bounce back stronger than before. Such character development is rooted in the belief that success is possible but requires taking intentional steps to reach the goal. This important quality can be taught and learned as a guiding principle to aid children at all developmental stages. We can teach our children to cope with obstacles and lead them to a pathway for success. Catholic schools provide essential resources to form strong and resilient youth.

Relationship building:

True to our evangelizing mission, our Catholic schools provide opportunities for our students to encounter, to know and to love Jesus Christ. Studying and living out the gospel messages help children develop a moral compass. Values and virtues guide our children in ethical decision making. Through engagement in prayer, the Eucharist, Liturgy and spiritual retreats, our students grow in their faith life. What’s more, students participate in Christian service programs to promote the lived reality of action in service of social justice. Confident that the Lord never abandons children entrusted to our care, we have the assurance that they will navigate through hard times and disappointments, and during times of trial, tribulation and joy. We design this plan. The students deserve this plan. Our Catholic schools strive to deliver this plan. But, it is up to God to mold, transform and sanctify as children journey through this earthly life.

Environmental landscape – community of faith, family and connection:

Catholic schools provide a safe, secure, nurturing and Christ-centered learning environment. Students are dignified and celebrated for their unique differences. Each child becomes part of a unified school family, where community spirit thrives and where students learn, play and pray together. Within engaging and dynamic classrooms, students and teachers set the stage for authentic life connections and relationships that stand the test of time. With encouragement, support and care, our youth develop a personal voice of expression to articulate ideas, thoughts and feelings, fears, hopes and dreams. All this becomes evident within a safe haven where acceptance prevails over ridicule. Catholic schools, as part of their mission, challenge students to achieve and to succeed. Students learn that failures become new opportunities to accomplish and to reach new levels of success. Close and genuine relationships with students, friends or caring adults engender support during difficult and uncertain times. A student’s serious hardship is met with a listening ear where coping, and adaptive skills are born.

Additionally, high behavioral and academic expectations contribute to the bedrock of important influences that predispose children to positive outcomes in the face of significant adversity. Our Catholic schools succeed in building adaptative skills and self-regulatory capacities. These skills and abilities optimize our students’ resilient behaviors and outcomes. Such life-giving powers help children to, not only, manage stress, and to cope with adversity, but also reach their full potential. It is this community of faith, family and connection, that prepares our children with courage and substance to navigate successfully through the storms of life – today and tomorrow. Service to others:

Service programs and activities are fundamental to Catholic education and core to Catholic discipleship. Youth, at all levels of development, grow in their awareness, responsibility and duty to society to serve with compassion. Catholic social teaching guides our students to not only witness but to act and to serve through volunteer work and service-learning – near and far. Whether tenderly serving the homeless, the veterans, the incarcerated, those in need of housing, tutoring students, contributing to local parishes or attending to the elderly brings a swelling of the heart that explodes with satisfaction, gratification and compassion. Our students are instilled with values that are not just about giving back, but rather, building up their community, their Church, and the world.

Service matters in the lives of our Catholic school youth. Such service transforms our faith into action. Living out the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy is an essential part of our faith and further prepares our students to serve others their entire lives. Jesus, our ultimate role model, encouraged us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and serve the sick. Our students are called to this way of life with a strength of conviction and the courage to overcome obstacles. Perhaps focusing on helping others by bringing others out of despair, our youth may more effectively grapple with life’s adversities and hardships, enabling them to move away from self-centered values to virtues centered on others. Service-learning in our Catholic schools provides the perfect blend and landscape to encourage passion and love to bloom and shine through our youth’s minds and hearts.

In a time of great peril and promise, our students, strong in mind, body and spirit, stand firm with shield and armor. Armed and fortified with resiliency, love and compassion for others, they are ready to take their place in our vast and beautiful world. Our Catholic schools form, like a sculptor, with a chisel in hand, missionary disciples in service to Christ—the noblest of tasks.