News - OMCE Blog RSS Feed

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…

We are to be the pilgrims of hope. We are to be ministers of hope. Not me alone. Not all of our wonderful priests and future priests alone. We can’t do it alone. We need you. I am never going to meet the people you meet every day... It is your job to bring them hope and be a pilgrim to them; to carry this gift to them.

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!

What is the greatest aim, the ultimate aspiration and pursuit we can plant in the heart and mind of our students? In one word: holiness. While college can certainly be a means to continue our spiritual, intellectual, human, and vocational formation so as to mature and live the good and virtuous life, it is not the highest aim for human flourishing.

The Catholic Education Playbook and Mission Outcomes 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.

What is the Theology of the Body (TOB)? And why does it matter for youth? The little acronym “TOB” packs a big punch in today’s culture.

You may not have realized this, but if you are a Catholic mom or dad with kids at home, you are running a school. Your home is not just a school for scholars, but a school for saints.

The Father loves you. “He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6).

It is worth remembering, and reminding those in our care, that we have a savior who will not be elected on November 5th. Politicians and governments come and go, but Christ our King reigns forever.

By including more children with disabilities in our schools...we show the world the good of education for human flourishing. Those of us working to renew Catholic schools, through the inclusion of students with disabilities, show the world the profundity of what teaching is really for — assisting parents in forming students to be holy, first, before considering what else they might become.

Our many events this week, our open houses, and recruitment efforts provide an incredible opportunity for evangelization of both current families and prospective ones. How so, you might be asking?

The Church hands us the privileged task of leading students out of the visible plane with all its material limitations that they might become capable of beholding the Lamb of God, who made us for Himself and made all things to lead us to know Him...This, the Church holds, is the primary indicator of our success.