Ten Ways to Discuss "Why Catholic Schools?"

Simon Sinek, whose “Start with Why” youtube video has at this count over nineteen million views, says that the most successful companies talk powerfully about their “why” more so than their “how.” As an example, he says Apple is very successful, not by touting their excellent operating systems, but by trumpeting their commitment to individuality—that their products allow people to be fully themselves, unique, unconstrained by conventional limits to their productivity. That vision speaks powerfully to consumers, and it's pretty clear, given Apple's success, that it's worked! 

I am convinced that starting with the “why” is also the key to marketing and discussing our Catholic schools with others. Too often, however, we’re limited by our language in proclaiming this “why” to others, deadened by mission statements that discuss the “whole child” or that list a commitment to the minds, hearts, souls, bodies, etc. of our students. Yes, Catholic schools ARE committed to the whole child, but it’s such a cliché’ now that saying as much is uninspiring. So I’ve tried to find other ways of discussing our mission with others, pulling from a variety of sources, which may become reference points for us as school leaders as we talk about our school with others.  Here are some of my favorites, and in some cases, my brief reflections that follow:

1) “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” (C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity)

(We are architects and co-builders, working with God’s grace to build palaces--cathedrals, even!- in the life of our students, places where God can reside, transforming them!)

 2) “The glory of God is the human person, fully alive.” (St. Irenaeus)

(We want students to develop all facets of their personality, to become "Renaissance" young men and women, so they can become the best version of themselves, and in so doing, glorify God by fully embracing all that he has created them to be)

3) (Young people), it is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal. (JPII, World Youth Day, Rome, 2000) , or

“Do not be afraid! Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch!  (JPII)

4) Pope Benedict said something similar to youth recently: 

The world promises you comfort. But you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness! 

5) Pope Francis, talking to young people about marriage, challenges them to become cultural “revolutionaries,” as follows:

"In a culture of relativism and the ephemeral, many preach the importance of enjoying the moment. I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love."

(Our last three popes understand that young people live in a world of dreary accommodation, but instead, yearn deep down to live for something more than themselves. They want, ultimately,  to be challenged by the evangelical call of the gospel, and in our Catholic schools, young people hear this call, are inspired by it, and are supported to live it out! )

5) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

(Catholic schools change lives. Our schools transform the minds and hearts of our students, so that they may seek what is holy—God himself.)

6) “There is an “optimism for excellence” here, borne out of our faith in what God’s grace is capable of achieving in the lives of our students if they’re immersed in a culture of high expectations, if they're supported by teachers and parents who care about them and pick them up when they stumble, if  they belong to a team, activity or club that they are passionate about with peers who share that passion, and if  they are invited to grow in their faith through prayer, worship and service to others. In such a culture, students truly flourish, becoming young men and women who are confident, happy and future oriented.“ (My presentation to new parents at orientation)

7) Peace Corps gets it. The armed services get it. Look at their recent recruiting slogans: "The toughest job you'll ever love." (Peace Corps), "Army Strong," "Be all that you can be!" (Army), "Not just a job, but an adventure, and "A global force for good" (Navy), "We're looking for a few good men," or "The few, the proud, the Marines." (Marines), "Aim high!" (Air Force). What do all of these have in common? They don't promise young people an easy life. In fact, they promise the opposite-- if they join up, they're going to be really tested. But through that challenge, by committing themselves to a cause that is larger than themselves, they will in fact "find themselves" and that their lives will be exciting!  This, too, is the counter-cultural call of the gospel: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Serving others is a "great way of life!" (U.S. Air Force). 

This, too, must be the inspirational and aspirational message of our schools.   

8) What is the mission of St. Rose of Lima Catholic school?  First grader #1 “To go to college.” First grader #2 “To go to heaven!”  (St. Rose of Lima Elementary video, Denver, CO)

9) Here’s a prayer I’ve found very helpful in sharing with teachers that helps remind them of their mission as Catholic educators:

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an
opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master
builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

(Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, often attributed, incorrectly, to Archbishop Oscar Romero)

10) We hold these truths to be self-evident—that all men are created equal, that they endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that governments are instituted among men to protect these rights and derive these powers from the consent of the governed (U.S. Declaration of Independence)

All successful organizations begin with founding principles—with unshakeable, unalterable truths that give it vision and life.

In simplest terms—here are our founding principles of JPII:

• We believe students are children of God, and this fills us with optimism and hope about what they are capable of achieving and the kind of people they are capable of becoming.
• We believe that young people flourish when they are encouraged to explore the full breadth of possibilities for their lives: intellectually, spiritually, artistically, and athletically. In this belief, we take inspiration from St. John Paul II, who was a scholar, poet, linguist, outdoorsman, playwright, actor and writer. -We hope that this "renaissance vision" of the human person will inspire students to seek full lives, marked by curiosity, a love of learning, and a willingness to try new things.
• We believe that the goal of education is not inward but outward, aimed at building a more just world, redeemed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The imperative of our faith is to love and to serve others--faith leads us beyond ourselves!  Though our test scores are excellent, the measure of our school’s success isn’t a test score or  an A.P. result, but whether our students leave us predisposed to make a positive difference in their families, churches and communities. 

The Declaration of Independence concludes with these stirring words: "And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on Divine Providence for protection, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. "  With firm reliance on Divine Providence, may we, too, accept the sacred honor to raise our children to grow into the young men and women that God has designed.   (a talk I gave at Back to School Night).

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Concluding thoughts:

Let us be bold! Our schools must embrace the evangelical challenge of the gospel and talk about this challenge openly with our students and prospective families. Our culture underestimates kids, inflates their grades, gives them trophies for everything. Deep down, sometimes beneath the veneer of apathy, they want more. They want to become "new creations," and to be "transformed, by the renewal of (their) minds."  They want to make a difference in other people's lives--like all of us, they want to live full lives that matter! If we speak openly and optimistically of this gospel challenge with them, if we build a culture of high expectations, prayer and support to live this challenge out, our schools can free young people of the gravitational forces that inhibit them from soaring to become the magnificent persons God created them to be! 

If we learn to talk this way about our schools, the "why" becomes a powerful force in drawing others to us. Language matters! Let's use it well!