A rigorous Catholic education lifts families to live a dignified life.
Written by Rev. Jim Gartland, SJ, chief mission officer, Cristo Rey Network, [email protected]
One of my parents’ dreams was that all their children would receive a Catholic education. Being one of eleven children, and with my dad being a Cleveland fireman, their hard work and sacrifices made it possible to send us to Catholic schools. They took seriously their baptismal promise to raise their children according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and Catholic education complemented what we were being taught at home. My parents hoped that all their children would be people of faith and have a better life through excellent Catholic education.
Education is integral to the mission of the Church. Catholic schools are tools of evangelization—a place where students and faculty come to know Christ, experience His love and mercy, and hear His call to walk with Him as disciples in our world today. I am grateful for being a product of Catholic education. My Catholic education prepared me and my siblings for life.
Catholic schools are known for their academic excellence. I struggled academically in my early years of school. I was told I had a speech impediment at the time, but looking back today, I realize I am dyslexic. I had a terrible time pronouncing words correctly and memorizing. My mom and Sr. Charles Borromeo, OSU, were patient and persistent in teaching me my prayers so I could make my First Communion. My teachers were my cheerleaders, and their love revealed to me the love of God. Eventually I adjusted and began to thrive at St. Ann School, a community of faith and love.
My parents were concerned when I told them I wanted to go to St. Ignatius High School. Both the distance and the academic rigor gave them pause, but I wanted to attend a school known for its academic excellence. Through an excellent liberal arts curriculum, I came to understand that my hunger for truth, beauty, justice, and love reflected my deepest desire: to be with God.
I also deepened my faith during my high school years. I realized I was blessed with a great family and a great school. Community service programs placed me with those in need. I learned that many in the world have not been as blessed. My eyes were opened to injustice and the plight of the most vulnerable in our world. I came to see the dignity and sanctity of every person. My faith called me to share the blessings I had and to walk in solidarity with the marginalized.
Through a Presidential Scholarship, I was given the opportunity to continue my Catholic education at Xavier University. Away from home and no longer obligated to pray, I found both the need and the desire to pray. Prayer helped me keep my priorities straight and also led me to continue community service with the underserved. I had my first international immersion experience working for two weeks in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. While in college, I also discovered my vocation to become a teacher—returning some of the blessings I had received during my Catholic education.
I loved my years teaching at Loyola Academy. I also enjoyed inviting students to volunteer at an inner-city soup kitchen or tutor recently arrived immigrants. God continued to labor in my life, and I was invited to go to Peru with seven students for a summer immersion experience. I saw Jesuit schools in the slums of Lima and found my heart burning with the desire to become a Jesuit and to teach where the need is great.
I often joke that Jesuit formation is long because we are slow learners. Part of the formation includes three years working in a Jesuit ministry, often a Jesuit high school. I asked my superior if I could go to Peru for those years. He pointed out that I did not speak Spanish, and I naively told him I would attend a language school for three months and then be ready to go off and work. When family and friends asked why Peru, I responded that I wanted to be broken and really deepen my faith in God. I taught in a Jesuit school and worked in a center for working children in Tacna, Peru. The first year was one of the hardest of my life because of my limited Spanish, but over time, I came to love Peru and hoped to return after being ordained a priest.
My superior had another plan and sent me into the inner city of Chicago to conduct a feasibility study on the educational needs and desires of the underserved, growing Latino population. After walking the streets, listening to parents, and gathering data, I wrote a report recommending that we start a new Catholic high school. With an 85 percent high school dropout rate, violent streets, and underperforming schools, the question became how we could make Catholic education both accessible and affordable for low-income families.
A consultant asked the question, “What if our students worked?” We started knocking on doors in the corporate world asking if they would be interested in employing our students. Each student would work one day a week at a nine-to-five job; they would be dropped off and picked up and trained for the job during the summer before school started. Much to our surprise and delight, many loved the idea and said yes. They too wanted to invest in the education of underserved youth in our city.
We created the Corporate Work Study Program. The revenue from the work would go toward tuition, making Catholic education affordable for these students and families. What began as a financial solution became a transformational educational and professional experience for our students and their families—and a huge morale booster for companies. Four years of corporate work experience provide the social capital for our students to see themselves as corporate leaders of tomorrow. A school that began with 82 students is now part of the Cristo Rey Network of 41 schools throughout the country—Catholic schools accessible and affordable for families of limited economic resources.
Educational inequity is a reality. Catholic schools are a tool for evangelization, a place where our students and families come to know the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. Our faith calls us to walk with Jesus, to be moved with compassion and love, and to share our blessings with those in need. The need for Catholic education is great in our center cities. With Jesus, we defend and promote the sanctity of every person. A rigorous Catholic education lifts families to live a dignified life. Seeking ways to make Catholic education both accessible and affordable is the dream of Christ our King and the mission of the Cristo Rey Network. Catholic education is a great blessing, forming disciples for our world today. May we continue to dream that this blessing can be offered to those in great need.
