The week of Nov. 14-20 is Discover Catholic Schools Week. I invite all parents and parishioners to take this opportunity to contact one of the many South Jersey Catholic Schools in the Diocese to see the amazing difference they are making in the lives of students and families.
Visit the school, ask your friends or find the school’s website. When you do, I invite you to “watch what we do to see what we believe,” to borrow a phrase from Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J. Our beliefs and the actions they motivate form the foundation that drives our success and makes Catholic schools as critical to the Church and society as they have ever been.
When you discover a Catholic school, you will see students, faculty and staff treating one another with respect. You’ll find them listening. You’ll sense that they care about one another like family. We believe that each student, parent and teacher is a unique child of God. This belief animates the work that students and teachers do with a purpose that goes beyond only doing well on a test or preparing for high school or college. Because we believe that we are children of God, it is our responsibility to seek the Truth of God together and to help all students, in partnership with their parents, to develop into who God has made them to be.
You will also witness lessons and classes characterized by discipline, engagement, perseverance and patience. School can be challenging for students academically, socially, emotionally and in many other ways – just like life. Students fail sometimes. So do the adults in their lives. But in Catholic schools, we never stop striving to be our best because we believe that all things are possible in Christ. We believe that all students have the ability to learn, and we believe that they learn best when they are known and loved.
You will also see and hear the students and faculty praying together. There are formal prayers at Mass and before class and meals, and there are individual interactions in which teachers nurture the growth of their students’ faith by modeling their own. We believe that the Grace of God is multiplied in community, and we have the freedom to acknowledge and celebrate the presence of God together.
Most importantly, you will find that the students, teachers, leadership and staff in a Catholic school strive together to be disciples of Jesus. Following Jesus is not a byproduct of a Catholic school education, and being disciples requires more than saying those words in a mission statement. It is an active commitment to knowing God and striving every day to be who God intends us to be. Come discover a Catholic school this month and see our discipleship in action.
Dr. William A. Watson is diocesan head of the Secretariat for Catholic Education and diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools.
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