Originally published in the OCCatholic June 2011
This Spring I will watch my daughter graduate from Mater Dei High School. Many parents out there will understand the jumble of emotions I will be feeling at this event, pride, love, joy, nostalgia, anticipation, sadness, and an overwhelming sense of the increasing speed of time. However, as Superintendent of Catholic Schools, I can’t help but also see this day as her graduation from Catholic education, and that too brings feelings of joy…and sadness.
This June nearly a thousand young men and women will be graduating from our Catholic high schools and nearly 1500 will be graduating from our Catholic elementary schools. This is time of pride for students, parents, families, and in a greater way for all of us associated with the Catholic school system of the Diocese of Orange. In the midst of all of the challenges faced by families and schools, our diocesan schools continue to produce graduates who are better prepared for the next level of education and for all levels of life. The yearly miracle of the passing on of our faith can be read on the faces of these future leaders of our Church.
For students and families graduation is a time to look back with gratitude. Graduates from our Catholic schools have benefitted from the hard work and sacrifice of their parents and the generosity of the many women and men, old and young, religious and lay, who worked for the education of minds and the formation of souls. From the founding of the Diocese of Orange, Catholic schools have been central to the faith formation apostolate. Schools have served as the heart and center of vibrant life of parishes, and have produced many of the priests, sisters and lay leaders who serve throughout the diocese today.
Though there are many successful educational institutions in this county and country, the mission of our Catholic schools sets them and their graduates apart. Academic excellence, demonstrated through test scores and authentic performance, is only the beginning of this mission. Our schools work daily for the education of the full child in the faith through instruction, through participation in liturgy and prayer, and through service to the local community and the greater world. All of this is done at a much lower per-pupil cost than that incurred by the solely academic mission of public schools.
However, just as parents and students look forward with anticipation colored with some fear, so our pride in our Catholic school system in Orange and throughout this country is tempered with real concern for the future. Schools throughout the county face financial challenges which impact families and enrollment. The formerly natural decision of Catholic education for children of Catholic families becomes more and more difficult.
These fears, though real, do not need to be the last word, for the future is still of our making. Families still value and choose Catholic education for their children, and many more want to make this choice if support is available. Parishes, the diocese, and generous grants from the Pastoral Services Appeal are working to provide the funds to close the gap between the aspiration and the reality. Individuals of means are coming forward to financially support this vision, and parishioners are supporting schools through their dollars, through their voices, and most importantly through their prayers. Challenges faced by our school system can, and will, lead to new possibilities and a future of promise.
As I watch my daughter cross the graduation stage, I know that the past she is leaving behind is only the preamble and preparation for many good things to come. Congratulations graduates, parents, and Catholic schools. We are counting on hearing great things about you in the future!