Newsflash: "The National Catholic Educational Association said nationwide enrollment increased by 62,000 to about 1.68 million students, marking the first increase in two decades and the largest jump it has recorded in at least five decades" (Henao, 2022).
This spark of hope must inspire Catholic school leaders, teachers, families, students, and stakeholders everywhere to ensure that this trend continues. As stewards who stand on the shoulders of the apostles that came before us, we must tend to this growth and cultivate it. Like the stewards in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), we need to take what we've been given, put it to use, and offer the Lord and our world a return on His investment.
 | |
| "Sunflower Plant Shoot" by sameold2010 is licensed under CC BY 2.0 |
In order to turn this blip into a wave of evangelization and integral formation, we must (re)focus on our mission - Christ's mission.
“Thus, the (Catholic) school does not have a mission; the mission has schools” (Nuzzi and Hunt, 2012, p. 4). This quote should serve as an anchor for all that happens within Catholic schools, helping those who minister there understand they advance the work of Jesus.
When our mission in Catholic schools aligns with the salvific mission of Christ, every decision - whether focused on academics, extracurricular activities, admissions, budgeting and/or funding - should be filtered through the lens of whether or not a particular action advances Christ’s mandate to “(g)o, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Ensuring that all members of a Catholic school’s personnel, including its business officers, understand and actively support the school’s true purpose is essential to its operations. Having clarity of mission from a financial perspective allows for innovative approaches to tuition models, sharing resources such as counselors and fine and performing arts teachers across schools, centralizing purchasing, and seeking business partnerships and funding strategies. As Catholic schools strive to offer even stronger academic and faith-based programming, compensate teachers and staff members more competitively, update facilities and technology, and also keep tuition from prohibiting families from choosing Catholic education for their children, business personnel who are committed to Christ’s mission and inspired by the Holy Spirit will find ways to creatively sustain and enhance our schools.
These Holy Spirit-infused entrepreneurs need to help our schools and Church tend this enrollment growth - concentrated mostly in Kindergarten and PreK - so that it can blossom for years to come.
This mission-minded approach is the heart of stewardship. Church personnel such as clerics, parish and diocesan staff, and parishioners of Catholic churches need to see Catholic schools as treasures of the Church worthy of cultivation, celebration, and commitment.
More fully recognizing Catholic schools as an integral arm of the mission of the Catholic Church could bolster financial support from parishes and dioceses to Catholic schools. Instead of subsidies, these monies could be seen as investments in the future of our Church, and the building up of the Kingdom of God on earth.
Stewarding our Catholic schools, and in turn the mission of Christ, also demands appropriate checks and balances to responsibly use the resources entrusted to us. Catholic school leaders play an important role in partnering with business officers toward this end. While Catholic school leaders do not need to be an expert in financial matters, they need to actively participate in overseeing the finances of the school. From checking the payroll of the school periodically to looking at balance sheets and profit and loss statements at least quarterly to empowering a team of people to know how to perform various business related tasks, the school leader must assist the business officer in the school’s stewardship efforts to “(receive) God’s gifts gratefully, (cherish) and tend them in a responsible and accountable manner, (share) them in justice and love with others, and (return) them with increase to the Lord” (USCCB, 2002, p. 9).
A seed has been planted, has taken root, and is starting to burst forth from the soil into the light of day.
May our efforts to steward the mission of Christ allow this new life to blossom and produce a bountiful, wonderful, and beautiful harvest for today, tomorrow, and into eternity.
References:
Henao, L. A. (2022, February 14). Enrollment in US Catholic schools rebounds after sharp drop. AP NEWS. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-religion-education-united-states-8bea1bef885e2d4180a2f5dca5110c9a
Nuzzi, R., & Hunt, T. (Eds). (2012). At the Heart of the Church: Selected documents of Catholic education. Notre Dame, IN: Alliance for Catholic Education Press.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2002). Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response: A pastoral letter on stewardship (10th anniversary ed.).
