Catholic School Office helps central high schools, parish schools

By Donna Toto

Special to The Pilot

Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this school.

He is the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes.

He is the model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students.

Such is the sentiment that holds a prominent place in the form of a framed verse in the office of Mary Louise Sadowski, principal of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. Sadowski received the verse from the Catholic School Office on the occasion of her commissioning as principal. Each year, the Catholic School Office holds a meeting for the commissioning of assistant principals and principals in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Members of the eighth-grade graduating class of St. Francis of Assisi School stand with principal Vittoria DeBenedictis and with Father Kevin Sepe, pastor of St. Francis Parish in Braintree.  Pictured (from left) are students Beau Harizi, Molly Pasman, Erin Buckley and Meghan Mahoney. Photo courtesy Office of Development

“We are all presented with a candle and commissioned to go forward and teach, as Jesus taught,” Sadowski explains. “This is very moving to me. It is an atmosphere that is very warm and enveloping. The framed verse that is in my office has always stood by me. It is right there looking at me all the time. I try to remember that. The statue of Christ, the Teacher, is right outside the building, lest anyone forget that He is our teacher, the mission of our school and all we do.”

Indeed, the Catholic School Office, which is funded in part by The Catholic Appeal, ensures that all schools are invested in Catholicity. All secondary school principals meet several times a year and, according to Sadowski, there is a spiritual piece to these meetings. In addition, retreat and reflection days are offered to further develop one’s faith and attend to the religious mission of our schools.

The work of the Catholic School Office impacts on schools like Archbishop Williams High in other ways as well. It approves all religious education teacher candidates and collaborates in overseeing the school’s religious education curriculum. The office is also responsible for the screening of all those in the campus ministry program. Theology teachers, campus ministers, department chairs and directors of campus ministry meet several times a year for an in-service training conducted by the Catholic School Office.

“Teaching in a Catholic school is somewhat of a sacrifice,” observes Sadowski. “There is a real commitment of talented people who teach standards. Our teachers are people of standards, people of faith and live a good Catholic life. You can see this in everything they do, not the least of which is the faculty’s impact on students.”

According to Sadowski, there are students who would be lost without the certain component offered to students in Catholic schools.

“In sophomore year our students study morality; in junior and senior year, social justice and peer ministry. These studies add a dimension enabling them to be a whole person in mind, body and soul when they graduate, so that they turn out to be their best selves.

Only with service to others can we learn who we are,” she said.

Sadowski characterizes her graduating seniors as ready and prepared. “When our students go off to college, many of them come back to visit during Thanksgiving. They come back and tell us, with great eloquence, how well prepared they were for the college experience.”

St. Francis of Assisi School, Braintree

“Readiness” and “preparation” are words that Vittoria DeBenedictis, principal of St. Francis of Assisi School in Braintree, uses to describe her graduating eighth-grade students as well.

“They are very mature youngsters.” DeBenedictis said, “They are also very bright. Thirteen members of the eighth-grade class will be receiving scholarships awarded by St. Francis School…. They also achieved above average results on their standardized tests.”

DeBenedictis has been principal for the past two years. Many of the students at St. Francis School have been together for eight or nine years in what DeBenedictis describes as a very family-oriented environment. She credits the Catholic School Office with helping her in her role as principal in areas such as curriculum, leadership and guidance.

“Several years ago, I participated in a leadership program for prospective principals offered by the Catholic School Office. I was nominated by my principal to take part in this two-year program, and I was assigned a mentor, another principal. During those two years, I attended a variety of meetings and workshops that focused on budgets, professional development and evaluations. It was a very strong program. I visited my mentor’s school at least three times during the course of the program and literally shadowed her. During the same period, I earned my master’s degree in school administration, so the programs went hand-in-hand,” DeBenedictis says.

In fact, the Catholic School Office provides principals with an opportunity to network and offers them a support system. The office also makes available to principals a list of names of candidates for teaching positions, as well as curriculum guidelines in religious education, English/language arts, mathematics, technology, science and social studies. In addition, the office offers workshops and other professional development opportunities for teachers and principals in computers and mathematics, and helps educators keep pace with state certification requirements.

Impact on students

Parents who have opted for a Catholic education for their children often cite the values that are taught as a decided benefit. Says Jean Harizi, whose son Beau is graduating from St. Francis and will be entering Boston College High School in the fall, “A Catholic education is value-oriented. It teaches children morality and spiritual awareness that is so important in today’s society.”

“I sent Meghan here mainly for the Catholic education,” agrees Kathy Mahoney, speaking of her daughter, who will be beginning Notre Dame Academy this September. “I like the fact that students begin each day with a prayer and attend Mass at least monthly. In becoming exposed to the Church on a regular basis, they are given a faith-based foundation to follow for the rest of their lives.”

Erin Buckley, a four-year scholarship recipient, will also be attending Notre Dame Academy this fall. Her mother, Sheila said, “Through her education at St. Francis, Erin has learned not only to feel good about herself, but also to see how she fits in the community and in the world. The academic program is rigorous and offers challenges to all of them.”

In the words of Beau Harizi, “St. Francis School is like a community of one.”

Meg Walsh, a graduating senior at Archbishop Williams, is bound for Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., this fall. She echoes Harizi’s words in speaking of her own school. “Our teachers provide a sense of community,” she says. “Our school is not just about academics. Everything revolves around community. Our teachers are our mentors and our friends. If we are having a bad day, they notice. This dedication makes it so much easier to strive to be your best. Our teachers are here for us, and we know that they are a big part of our education. They strive to be their best to make us [be] our best.”

Commencement exercises took place at Archbishop Williams High School on June 1. One hundred colleges have accepted the school’s 147 graduates. Twenty-two of these colleges have Catholic affiliations.

St. Francis School graduation ceremonies were held June 6. About 99 percent of the school’s graduating classes continue their education at local Catholic high schools. This year, St. Francis eighth-graders have been accepted to Archbishop Williams, Boston College High, Catholic Memorial, Fontbonne, Notre Dame, Ursuline and Xaverian and have been awarded $80,000 in scholarship money.

For more information about the ways in which The Catholic Appeal helps provide resources to Catholic schools, call The Catholic Appeal Office at 617-746-5628.

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