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Principal's Principles | Mission Passionate Leaders and Educators
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January 6, 2025Principal's Principles | Mission Passionate Leaders and Educators
(This is the first in a series where Catholic school leaders share their principles and experience with mission-passionate Catholic education.)
Those who teach and serve in Catholic schools are not doing so by accident. They have been called, by our Lord, to something greater, an ecclesiastical office. What a grace and privilege! This vocation we have been called to, however, can sometimes be overwhelming; the demands of the schedule, the weight of the souls in our care, the pressure to “live up” to that call and to be a worthy witness.
A few years ago, as a staff, we began reflecting on the mission and purpose of Christ the King Parish School and our vocations as Catholic educators. We discerned in front of the Blessed Sacrament our “whys:” the specific reason each of us became teachers/leaders/staff members at a Catholic school and in particular at Christ the King. Our “whys” ranged from, “Catholic education was what I knew as a student, so it seemed like a seamless transition into this profession,” to, “God held my hand and placed me in this amazing role at Christ the King so that I may help children understand that their faith in Him and in his son Jesus Christ have so much to do with their learning and accomplishments (big or small) every single day.” We all come to our roles with a particular history and faith journey and in different places in terms of our relationship with Jesus Christ. But, as Monsignor Cihak said to me three years ago, “I need you to go deeper.”
That prompt, that invitation to be more vulnerable and fully give my heart over to Jesus changed everything. What we have committed to at Christ the King is an openness and desire to take the next step, even if it’s a small one; to allow the Lord to take us deeper in our faith each day. We have been called to Catholic education and to Christ the King because He desires us to be here in this time and with our particular gifts and talents.
He created us for this! In community, shared mission and in joyful hope, we serve our students, their parents as primary educators, one another and our Lord.
How do we go deeper? Prayer has been a critical factor in our journey. We have cultivated a culture of unceasing prayer by praying each morning as a staff, praying together before gatherings and meetings, praying over each other in small groups when the need arises, praying with students who are anxious or suffering and praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. Spontaneous prayer has gone from a rare occasion to the norm. We have selected a school prayer for the year, “The Prayer to Shine the Light of Jesus,” by Cardinal John Henry Newman.
There is also an increasing commitment to our own personal prayer life, which goes well beyond the school campus. Our primary vocation is to grow in holiness and give witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we don’t have a deep and meaningful prayer life, if we don’t abide in Christ, if we don’t know Him, we are unable to spread the Gospel message to our students and each other. We can’t give what we don’t have.
Increasing access to the Sacraments, in particular the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation, has also been instrumental for our staff. Participating in the Sacraments together has deepened our relationships and strengthened our commitment to our mission. There is no better way to bring leaders and educators into the life-giving, ongoing, transformational encounter with Jesus Christ than to access the Sacraments. As a staff, we attend Mass twice a week with our students, and attend before we begin all in-service days. As a Eucharistic parish, divine worship in the Sacred Liturgy is a desire and priority.
Christ the King is blessed to have Fr. George Kuforiji offer staff confessions on the third Wednesday of every month. (Student confession is also offered monthly.) When we began this practice, many of us hadn’t gone to confession for quite some time and it was an area for growth, to go deeper. Now, as we have become more comfortable and increased our desire to be in right relationship with Jesus Christ, we wait in quite a line.
It is in community and with a shared commitment to spiritual growth and the mission of Catholic education at our school that drives us to take the next step each day. Whether it’s asking the Lord to reveal your personal “why,” deepening your prayer life, going to Confession for the first time in years, committing to the Sunday Mass obligation, or opening your heart a little wider for Jesus to reside, the Lord is asking all of us to go deeper. What is that next step you will take for Him and for your students in their, and our, journey to sainthood?
