by Vince Cascone
The beginning of the school year is an exciting and energizing time. The school community of faith is back together and teachers have been preparing lessons to help their students expand their minds. Our faculty and staff members love the students and are looking forward to helping them to have an even stronger relationship with Jesus who knows each one of them by name.
Prior to the start of the school year, Archbishop McKnight celebrated commissioning Masses for all of our school faculty and staff members. As the shepherd of the archdiocese, he commissioned them to educate our young people in the faith and to help them to grow spiritually and academically. During the Masses, he asked for God’s grace to empower them for their service and for the Holy Spirit to guide them. It was such a blessing for each of us to be sent out by our shepherd into this great ministry of Catholic education.
During the commissioning, Archbishop McKnight had a strong message to fuel our faculty and staff members for the journey ahead.
“Our Catholic schools are to be environments in which our youth experience something countercultural in our society,” he said. “Our dominant American culture of individualism is contrary to what we believe as Catholics.
“What is distinctive about us is not just the content of our faith that we teach in catechism class or religion class, but it’s the ethos — it’s the culture — that pervades our entire school.”
The schools in the archdiocese share the same purpose, mission and core principles. That being said, each school community is unique in how it addresses these. This is what guides each of our schools:
• Purpose: understanding that each child is a masterpiece of God, created with precision for a specific purpose, the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas provide an education that forms the whole person, so that all may attain their eternal destiny and promote the common good of society.
• Mission: In partnership with parents, the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas provide students with exceptional, Christ-centered education rooted in traditional values, forming students who are joyfully Catholic, diligently achieving and intentionally self-giving.
• Core Principles: joyfully Catholic, diligently achieving, intentionally self- giving, prudently managed and forward thinking.
One of the main goals in the office of Catholic schools (OCS) is to support pastors, principals and each of our school communities. We look forward to a great year as we help bring our young people closer to Jesus.
