Every parent believes their child to be a saint, and, with the help of Catholic education, every parent can be proven right. While it is the job of public and secular private schools to create scholars, the Catholic school infuses a particularly special perspective. Through elements rooted in strong faith and spirituality, Catholic school students learn to walk a path that is equal parts academic and equal parts enlightenment. To put it far more bluntly, Catholic school students differ from their peers in that they are not only allowed but rather encouraged, to follow in the footsteps of Christ. This discipleship is modeled for students in thought, word and deed by everyone from teachers to the pope.
Pope John Paul II once proudly proclaimed that “Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others.” Catholic school students are thusly instructed from the earliest ages to learn as much about their rich faith as possible and to forever hold it close. Is this an easy feat in a world rife with divisive politics and belittling social media posts? It certainly is not. It seems to be that, quite simply, Catholic school education and all its traditions, from eucharistic celebrations and sacramental events to daily prayer, is more important now than it perhaps ever has been.
To create a student who is both a saint and a scholar, Catholic schools firmly and proudly share in faith-filled traditions. The church calendar is as familiar to students as the daily calendar hanging in the classroom. By fully engrossing themselves in liturgical events—noting, for instance, that the Christmas season begins not with the first snowfall but rather with Advent—Catholic school students and teachers are provided the opportunity to learn preparedness, joy and introspection, all at once.
Additionally, school-wide Masses and prayer services teach togetherness and community. They remind Catholic school students and teachers that in prayer no one is ever alone. As a Catholic school kindergarten teacher at St. John the Evangelist School in Canton, MA, I see this in the eyes of my students and colleagues when we attend Mass on the first Friday of every month. I feel this in my heart when we join as an entire school community to light our Advent wreath and participate in shared readings and songs. In sharing these traditions, the deepest parts of our minds and souls become awakened.
At no time, of course, are our minds and souls ever more awakened than when partaking in the Eucharist. The body and blood of Christ is also the body and blood of the Catholic school. In what other school environment are students and teachers able to regularly witness a miracle? Catholic school students and staff can stand in awe of the powerful and mystical act that is transubstantiation. Though the kindergarteners in my care are too young to be given the Eucharist, this sacrament and miracle are regularly discussed, along with all others, in our daily religion class.
With older students at our school, particularly those who may have entered as non-Catholics, I have seen the promise and power of the Eucharist push them to get baptized. Our school enjoys celebrating these students with a laying of hands. Eucharistic participation reminds us all that it is the hands of Christ, rather than the hands of curriculum authors, that we should turn to for true education.
While a public or secular private school student might be thankful to a curriculum author for guiding their path, Catholic school saints and scholars learn that the one most deserving of gratitude is Jesus. In my school, we thank and adore Jesus in morning prayers read over the loudspeaker, and in our loud and boisterous uttering of grace before lunch. We thank Jesus, and the Holy Family in kind, during our month-long prayer of the Rosary in October and in our outdoor May Crowning in May. Acts such as these remind Catholic school students that, at the heart of all we do, there is a higher power deserving of the highest praise.
To impart these thoughts to Catholic school students, of course, Catholic school teachers must be reverent in their own faith. Regularly scheduled retreats, professional development and spiritual mentorship help Catholic school teachers walk the walk and talk the talk, in a way that sets them apart from their secular friends. For me, in particular, this looks like attending classes offered through the Lynch Institute as often as possible. More importantly, it looks like sitting across from my esteemed mentor as she reminds me to share with children the idea that “there are no good and bad people, only good and bad choices” or “God gave you two eyes, two ears, and one mouth because he wants you to look and listen twice before you speak.” When we grow in our own faith as Catholic school teachers, we not only encourage but give wholehearted permission for students to grow in theirs.
Catholic school teachers need to give students permission to grow in their faith not only in the classroom but outside of it. While the secular student believes God to only be present in the church, the Catholic school saint and scholar learns that God is just as much with them in the gymnasium. It is for this reason that our school basketball team bows its head in prayer at center court before each game. It is for this reason we offer a Hail Mary when we bear witness to an injury. Catholic schools teach and preach that there is never a time when God is inaccessible, no matter what the circumstance. So long as we continue to teach this, saints and scholars will continue to thrive in Catholic schools.
Caroline McGrathis a kindergarten teacher at St. John the Evangelist School, Archdiocese of Boston.
caroline.mcgrath@sjscanton.org