The defining characteristic of Rigorous Catholic Intellectual Formation and Scholarship is that students are formed in a curriculum that is Logo-centric, rooted and grounded in Christian anthropology, situated in salvation history, and that animates the two tools of learning: the art of word and the art of number.

Effective Leadership and Governance in a time of renewal in the church, and specifically the Church in Western Oregon, requires the courage, fortitude and surrender of Christ’s first disciples.

One of the main teachings of the Theology of the Body is that every person is equal in dignity and worth, regardless of race, age, sex, and socio-economic status. God delights in us all the same. What better way to teach about the beauty and worth of every race than to have children paint their favorite Mary of the world.

Christ did not suffer on the Cross so that we would not have any suffering but rather so that our suffering, as the children of God, might be joined with his and redeemed, and we might be saved.

The Catholic Education Playbook and Mission Outcomes document is the framework for understanding how the school can animate the Church’s mission ever more deeply for this age the Lord has placed us in. Specifically, the Playbook and Mission Outcomes give details on what Archbishop Sample means by “Mission Passionate Catholic Education” in the Archdiocese of Portland.

As I further reflect upon our role within Catholic Education, I get to experience and see our strongest witnesses--our teachers--who model our deep devotion to Jesus Christ. As a result of their continual transformation of faith, their witness to Christ becomes stronger.

Combined with the story of humanity, the numbers that represent quantitative data about our world tell a complex and compelling saga; one that invites us to lean in, learn more, and ask great questions. Math can be great fun when told as a story!

Prayer is a language; it is the language we use to speak to God and to converse with others about and to God, whether in a grand cathedral or a simple living room. Prayer, however, is no ordinary language or conversation: it is elevated speech. Prayer is a place where our humble words, uttered from the world, break out and enter the eternal realm.

Every decision made in our schools should be made through the lens of our mission. Does this choice align with our mission and does it move our mission forward?

If you want to teach about the sanctity of human life, you can easily do this through a science lesson. Life is defined as, “any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing, excreting, breathing, moving, growing…” (Britannica). These aspects of life agree with a Catholic understanding of the human person...

Worldly economics is concerned with the production, consumption and transfer of wealth. Catholic parents teaching home economics is not about an inheritance, trust fund, or passing on the family home, all of which have the potential to make a person spiritually impoverished. It is, however, really about the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth, only the wealth in a family is not counted in dollars and cents, but in love.

As institutions commissioned by the Church to minister the salvation of Jesus Christ, Catholic schools have the sacred duty to give a counter-cultural witness of the Gospel in a world that has lost a sense of the sacred. We do so by instilling in our young people a sense of wonder for human life, the type of wonder that allows life to be seen as a gift, not an obstacle, nor a burden or problem to be solved. This is accomplished when we aid students in their formation to be able to "see reality as it truly is," and "To embrace the mystery, the beauty, the wonder of existence itself."

By fostering strong partnerships with families, creating a culture of faith, supporting professional development for teachers, and promoting a holistic vision of education, the Catholic schools in the diocese of Portland, OR help parents fulfill their role as the primary educators of their children and contribute to the mission of Catholic education in the world.

The Catholic Education Playbook and Mission Outcomes document is the framework for understanding how the school can animate the Church’s mission ever more deeply for this age the Lord has placed us in. Specifically, the Playbook and Mission Outcomes give details on what Archbishop Sample means by “Mission Passionate Catholic Education” in the Archdiocese of Portland.

This column will explore how both educators and parents can help apply principles of TOB to all subjects and areas of student life. Language arts is the focus of this month.

Recognizing the sacredness of the moment is no small task for the family amid a culture that has taken Christian seasons and both de-seasoned and un-Christed them. In such a culture, Easter is only one day, not a season, and it is really about egg laying rabbits (and they accuse Catholics of strange beliefs…).

“An excellent Catholic school is driven and guided by a clearly communicated mission that embraces a Catholic identity that includes gospel values, a focus on the Eucharist, and a commitment to communal faith formation, academic excellence, missionary discipleship, and service.”

Children in this country have been done the great disservice of being disallowed to fail. Failure is not taught in schools—nor in the current culture generally. Failure has been replaced with lessons on entitlement with self-esteem as a virtue.

This column will explore how both educators and parents can help apply principals of TOB to all subjects and areas of student life. Literature is the focus of this month.

If you work for a parish, a school, or really in any ministry in the Archdiocese, it is easy to become jaded. If you have never experienced this, it is possible you just haven’t been around long enough…