"Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire."
-St. Catherine of Siena
Growing up, I wanted to be just like my older brother. As a young boy and adolescent, I would wait to see his choice of shirt before choosing my own so that I could try to match or come close. I yearned to be as good at sports as him. I admired his confidence and humor. I mirrored his tastes in music and hobbies. In short, I wanted to be just like him.
It wasn't until he left for college that I realized that even though my brother is worth emulating in many ways, I needed to become the best version of myself, not an inferior model of him. More than embracing the adage "you do you," I started to become who God created me to be.
I offer this peek into my teenage maturation to illustrate an important point for our schools: be who God meant your school to be, and we will set the world on fire.
Last week, principals from across the Diocese of Cleveland learned more about the innovative approaches of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, NJ. Ever since I came across the 60 Minutes segment (linked here) about the school almost 10 years ago, I have been fascinated and inspired by their unique approaches to student leadership, community, experiential learning, and social-emotional supports.
While there are core philosophies within each of these categories that could apply to many schools, St. Benedict's Prep (SBP) has found great success - even though it closed in 1972 and reopened a year later in 1973 - because it has become who God created it to be. Other Catholic schools would not experience St. Benedict's success by merely adopting any or all of their programs, pulling SBP's strategies off the shelf and forcefully inserting them into our schools. It would be like putting a foosball table into the faculty lounge just because you heard that it improved teacher morale at another school. Whereas it could have a similar impact, if it doesn't stem from your school's unique identity and situation, it will feel contrived and fall flat.
Instead, we need to consider what can be adapted from SBP's and each others' successes so that it fits with our missions, beliefs, values/pillars/charisms. We can lean on similar sentiments - believe that the Lord is calling us to this work, love our students, listen to the community, and provide empowering and life-giving opportunities for community members - and consider the ways in which these approaches will get lived out in our schools.
Don't become the next imitation of your childhood hero or St. Benedict's Prep.
Become who God meant you and our schools to be.
Unique in our gifts and identity. United in the one Holy Spirit.
Let's become who God meant us to be.
Let's set the world on fire.
