Duc in altum

 “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

-Luke 5:4

Duc in altum. 

This is Latin for put out into the deep. 

Jesus calls all of us away from the comforts of the shore out into the deep. Not only does He commission us to set sail, He also commands that we lower our nets for a catch. For Peter, this request seemed absurd. An experienced fisherman, Peter had spent all night in vain; they had caught nothing. 

Obediently, though, Peter sets out and lowers his nets, "...but at your command, I will..." (Luke 5:5).  

I often wonder about the level of skepticism that accompanied Peter's actions. This will never work. I can't wait to prove him wrong. Perhaps Peter also rolled his eyes, scoffed, and/or shook his head. Maybe he spoke thoughts similar to the ones I've projected above under his breath or to his companions.  

Whatever.

The English teacher in me sees the conjunction "but" in Peter's response and suspects hesitation. He even qualifies his potential reluctance based upon recent experience. I just tried this. 

But, Peter does it anyway. He follows Christ's commands. 

And, "(w)hen they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing" (Luke 5:6). 

Christ just needs our yes. He needs our fiat. Even on those days when we don't feel like it, when we aren't sure that it will work, when we are spent and discouraged and hopeless and mad and hurt and lonely and we want to give up. 

Say, "But at your command, I will."

This space, however small it may be, is all that Christ needs to breakthrough. 

This yes, however begrudgingly it may be given, can serve as the training ground for something even greater. Christ commands Peter at first to do something familiar - to put out into the deep and try to catch some fish - in a new way - with Christ in his boat. 

The response elicited astonishment: "For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him" (Luke 5:9). The response prompted community: "They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking" (Luke 5:7). The response inspired conversion: "When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man'" (Luke 5:8)

The response opened the door to another, more important and greater command and encouragement: "Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching (women and) men" (Luke 5:10). 

Perhaps Christ's command for you is to do the same things you've always done but in a new way - with Him in your boat and giving the directions. Maybe your yes, however reluctant, is a chance for you to be astonished by the abundance of His love and grace for you. Consider that Christ's participation in your life is a call to community and/or conversion.

It may be that Christ's invitation to you to put out into the deep is incredibly scary and hard. 

But, listen to the words of your Savior, "Do not be afraid" (Luke 5:10). 

Lower your nets. 

Follow Him. 

Duc in altum! 

The following spoken-word poem was inspired by leadership metaphors posed by 20th cohort of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program during the summer of 2022:

Duc in altum. 

Put out into the deep. 

With Jesus in your boat, despite the storms raging about,

You will find calm, rest, silence, purpose. 

So, stand firm upon the solid rock of Christ. 

He has called you to this great work - pull your sword out of the stone and claim your royal lineage. 

You are made for greatness,

Built for holiness, 

And destined for sainthood. 

You. Are. Amazing. 

See yourself and the world through a new frame, focus your camera, put on your leadership glasses, wear out your Rosary beads, don your favorite bowtie - do what you need to prop yourself up to become who God created you to be. 

As Christ fuels your ministry, you will be a saving leaven for the world,

Causing hope to rise, 

Sparklers to ignite,

And musical productions to fill the air. 

So, drop some beats and invite everyone onto God’s great dance floor. 

Pour out libations in celebration and sacrifice,

Giving the gift of yourself to God and others. 

May your gift attract others - like a magnet pulling in, drawing close, connecting, gathering. 

And, like wildflowers may you scatter.

Go and breathe life into dead places and persons, bringing the Holy Spirit’s power to those most in need of God’s love. 

Go and proclaim the roar that God has implanted into your heart: Mighty, majestic, magnanimous. 

For mission. 

To the heights. Into the deep. 

For God. 

Let’s go. 

By His Love

"This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." 

-Jesus, found in John 13:35

In the hymn, "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love", composer and lyricist Peter Scholtes (1966) reinforces Jesus's teaching that love serves as the hallmark of His disciples. Peter, the Rock upon which Christ established His Church, agrees, "Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God" (1 Peter 1:22-23). 

Others will know we are Christians by our love, and we will only be able to love others with a Christ-like love after first allowing ourselves to be loved by Him. 

Christ's love transforms. It heals, restores, cures, strengthens, creates, enlivens, emboldens. It fills us with life and allows us to offer this life - Christ's love - as a gift to others. 

"(T)o will the good of another" for the sake of the other (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1766, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas) stands as a Christian definition of love. Love entails sacrifice. It requires freedom on the parts of both the person loving and the person being loved. Love has nothing to do with coercion and/or conditions. True love goes far beyond pleasure and permissiveness. 

As Christians, we believe that God Himself is love. St. John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple, declares this truth of our faith, "Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8) and "God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him" (1 John 4:16).

We also believe that we have been formed in the image and likeness of this God who is love: "Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness...God created humankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:26-27).

We were created out of love for love.  

But, through sin we reject both the DNA of and the command to love. Choosing ourselves over God and others, being curved in toward ourselves, we rupture the very relationships that should bring us to the fullness of life. 

Enter Jesus Christ. 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16-17).  

Jesus Christ, "way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6), came to repair, re-establish, and restore our relationships with God the Father and with each other. Jesus Christ came to reveal the deepest truth about both God and ourselves: we were created out of love for love. 

God's love is extravagant, reckless, transformative, and mysterious. Jesus provides an abundance of wine at the wedding at Cana, the catch of fish tears the nets, and there are plentiful leftovers after feeding the 5,000. 

The shepherd forsakes the 99 for the sake of the 1, the Prodigal Son receives a hero's celebration, all of the laborers receive the same wages. 

The blind can see, the deaf can hear, the mute can speak, the lame can walk, the possessed can be made clean, the dead can come back to life.

We can receive the fullness of God's love only when we fully give ourselves - as a gift - to God and to others. We can experience freedom in direct proportion to how much we submit ourselves to Christ's yoke. We can be truly alive when we pick up our cross and follow Him.

In order for others to know us as disciples of Christ by our love, we must first be loved - healed, restored, and transformed - by God. 

They will know we are Christians by our love. 

We will become authentic Christians by His.  

Borrowed Time

"Don't you know what you've been given

So while the world's still spinning

Light a candle in your heart and shine

'Cause we're living on borrowed time."

-Matt Maher, Borrowed Time

I've been pretty tired lately. 

Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Probably psychologically and spiritually, too. 

I've been trying to get these thoughts out for over a month. Every time I sat to put down these ideas, though, nothing would come. Different than writer's block - as I've had these ideas for a while - I just felt empty. 

No energy. 

No enthusiasm. 

No time. 

From the ongoing and wearisome effects of the global pandemic, to more senseless and horrific killings, to unceasing ideological irrationality, to my own trials and heartaches, I have been motivated to do something while simultaneously caught in the clutches of my own confusion about what that might be and lack of capacity to actually do it right. 

And, in the midst of all that clamors for my attention in the next month, I went to Mass this morning. 

This, too, had been stuck in my motionless inertia. A desire to go, but a feeling that I just couldn't afford the time away from my to-dos. 

Throughout the celebration, I had a number of distracted thoughts. So much to do. So much that needs done. Even without music, it seemed to be taking a long time. 

And then, almost from the depths of my being, I remembered Mary and Martha, and Jesus's guidance that "Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her" (Luke 10:42). Like Martha, the midwesterner in me values working hard and busyness. I've always taken pride in - albeit too much - and achieved much success because of my work ethic.

Work is important. There is so much good work to do. But, prayer is needed, too. 

Without it, or more appropriately with Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).   

Life is, among other things, precious, beautiful, fierce, powerful, hard, confusing, fragile.

It is also finite. We are dust and unto dust we all shall return. 

Yet, the time between our first and last breath on earth can be filled with so many hills and valleys, triumphs and losses, positives and pains. The highs can bring so much joy that we crave more of these mountaintop moments. The lows can drain so completely that we bemoan our current state and desperately try to avoid any further despair. 

All of it, though, is a gift; that's why it's called the present. We don't get much - if any - of a say in how many of those presents we receive. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien's Gandalf the Wizard, "All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us."

We are all on borrowed time. All of us. Many, unfortunately, within our country have experienced this in tragically painful ways. The world is so broken and so many people need healing and mercy. Again, the Martha in me fills with feelings of frantic doing. 

But, we need works and faith (James 2:24-26). Contemplative action. Active contemplation. Prayer and work. Work and prayer.

To this equation, I would also add purpose. Burnout is real. Balance is a myth. Purpose, though, can fill the moments between our first and last moment on this earth with direction. Purpose can provide energy and enthusiasm for the pursuits most important to us. 

Knowing how to spend our time is powerful. Knowing why we will spend it in those ways is magical. 

As we seek to make the most of however many presents we receive, let us be purposeful in why we will use these moments in these ways. 

Spend time in prayer. Let it be the first words out of your mouth in the morning and the last ones before retiring for the night. On days when you think there is no way you could spare even those few minutes communing with God, put aside a few more. 

Connect with others. We were made in the image and likeness of a Triune God. We, too, are inherently made for relationships. From family, to friends, to colleagues, to anyone, trust that our communion with others brings us into deeper and more intimate communion with God. 

Do the best version of you. Put on your glasses that make you feel like a writer. Don the tie that helps you to feel more confident. Take time for a walk or workout or dance or laugh or coffee or music or nap or those practices that help you to be your best. You deserve to be your best. Everyone else needs you that way, too. 

Do the best work that you have been asked to do. Whatever corner of the vineyard you have been tasked with tending, tend it well. "We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs" (Bishop Ken Untener). 

The clock is ticking. 

Let's start living.

     

Where the Light Shines Through

"Cause your scars shine like dark stars
Yeah, your wounds are where the light shines through
So let's go there, to that place where
We sing these broken prayers where the light shines through--
The wound is where the light shines through
Yeah, the wound is where the light shines through."

-Switchfoot, Where the Light Shines Through

Life is hard. Incredibly hard.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention* concluded that 4 out of 10 teenagers in America describe themselves as "persistently sad" or "hopeless". More than 20% of kids aged 12-17 reported having a "major depressive episode" and just under 20% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide; note that this last number does not include the numbers who had attempted and/or had tragically died by suicide. 

These numbers scream for attention and action. And, while these statistics shock, most of the information collected for these students occurred between 2013 - 2019.

The past two years have taxed us in myriad ways; however, we had a mental health crisis - and one that affected our children - even before the pandemic. 

We are not okay. 

I am not okay. 

No one is. This isn't meant to dismiss the seriousness of the stats above. I'm not advocating a "toughen up" approach nor do I buy into the adage of some, "I experienced even harder times and I turned out fine!"

Professional athletes have helped to normalize the need for us to admit that we're not okay. However much those of us on the sidelines might note that the pressure comes with the paycheck, the platform possessed by these stars has offered a megaphone and an example in regard to admitting our brokenness and asking for help.  

In this way, a dire need exists for whole communities to work together - families, schools, healthcare systems, tech companies, media, employers, government services, churches, teams - for us to preference the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of our children and of us all.

As we continue to emerge from the pandemic and inch closer to returning to normalcy, let us consider whether or not we want to return to the way things were. Much like the apostles who left the upper room filled with the peace, joy, and hope of the Resurrection and reentered society as new creatures in the Holy Spirit, may we have the courage to be different than we were before retreating to our upper rooms two years ago.

And, like Thomas, whose despair over the death of Christ transformed to faith as he touched the wounds of Christ's resurrected body, let us have the courage to name our wounds, the vulnerability to invite others - especially Christ - into their depths, and the humility to both accept our wounds and allow Christ's light to shine through them. 

Thomas could have kept his hurt to himself. Thomas could have stayed away from the community. Thomas could have rejected the hand of Christ and remain unchanged by the power of the Resurrection. 

Instead, Thomas embraced the title, "Doubting." As depicted by Caravaggio's painting of the scene (below), imagine how many of the other apostles' faith got an assist from Thomas's incredulity. Perhaps they had similar doubts. Perhaps they remained hesitant to fully embrace Christ's wounds along with His resurrection. Perhaps they came to a deeper faith in Christ because of Thomas's willingness to share his wound out loud.    

Caravaggio - The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

None of us are okay. But, our wounds can be where the light shines through. 

The light of faith. 

The light of community. 

The light of Christ. 

The light of Christ in us. 

May we, all of us, let it shine. As we do, we might liberate others to do the same.  

*https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/understanding-public-health-concern.html 

Identity

What does it mean to be Catholic? 

From a personal standpoint, does it require parishioner-ship at a Catholic Church? Reception of the Sacraments? Attendance at Mass on Sundays? Beliefs in the Trinity, Incarnation, Eucharist, and the Paschal Mystery? Performing spiritual and corporal works of mercy? Not eating meat on Fridays during Lent? Devotion to Mary? All of the above? Something else? 

What about from an organizational standpoint? What makes a group worthy of the title "Catholic"?

This forms the main topic of the Congregation for Catholic Education's (CCE) newest document, Instruction of the Congregation for Catholic Education, "The identity of the Catholic school for a culture of dialogue": "the need for a clearer awareness and consistency of the Catholic identity of the Church’s educational institutions all over the world" (CCE, 2022, #1). 

At a deeper level, the Congregation attempts to reignite the Church's raison d'être, or main purpose, for its educational ministry (#5). Representing "an essential part of her (the Church's) identity and mission" (#10), the Church's efforts in education stem from Christ's great commission, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:19-20). 

Catholic schools have the blessings of both breadth and depth in regard to forming students into disciples of Christ. Not only do Catholic schools enjoy the gift of time with students, they also have countless avenues to synthesize faith, culture and life (CCE, 2022, #29). Some of our students attend Catholic schools 5 days a week for 13 years. Additionally, non-religious subjects such as math, language arts, history and science offer fertile soil to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty. 

This integral formation attempts to make pupils both smarter and better. Knowledge and values (#23). Reason and faith (#95). In Catholic schools, "reason enters into dialogue with faith, which also allows access to truths that transcend the mere data of the empirical and rational sciences, in order to open up to the whole of truth so as to respond to the deepest questions of the human soul that do not only concern immanent reality" (#20). 

These objectives of Catholic education must serve "the good of earthly society and the building of a world that is more human" (Second Vatican Council [SVC], 1965, #3; CCE, 2022, #13). Christ acts as the model, guide, and goal of Catholic education: "the principles of the Gospel in this manner become the education norms since the school then has them as its internal motivation and final goal" (Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977, #34; CCE, 2022, #20).  

Catholics' belief in the inherent dignity of all people demands that everyone has a universal right to education (SVC, 1965, #1). Because of this right, the Church has a responsibility to provide and make available to all an education that considers and honors human's religious dimension (CCE, 2022, #13). 

Mutual cooperation between and among families, educators, and students marks the operations of Catholic schools (#15). Educators play a key role in this work and their ministry in Catholic education necessitates permanent formation (#14), knowledge and promotion of Church teaching and theology (#47), and a "concrete pedagogy – based on bearing witness, knowledge and dialogue – is a starting point for personal, social and environmental change" (#34). 

Catholic educational organizations must also be appropriately vetted by the local bishop (#54 - 59). This oversight entails that the bishop and/or his delegates have familiarity with the particulars of Catholic schools and offers the appropriate support and guidance to live up to this honorable distinction. 

Instead of passing hard-fast rules and regulations that must be followed blindly, the Congregation seems to encourage "in essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity" (Pope John XXIII, 1959, Part III; CCE, 2022, #85). 

In a sense, this cadence suggests that deeming an organization as "Catholic" has less to do with an outside evaluation and more to do with an interior journey, effort, and ascent to autonomously claim and own this title as a part of one's identity. The Congregation states, "Even in the most serious conflicts, the unity of lived faith based on the Gospel remains the guiding compass. In this framework, doors are open to a true culture of dialogue" (CCE, 2022, #87).

"Compass Study" by Calsidyrose is marked with CC BY 2.0.

This metaphor of a compass resounds powerfully. 

We could see the principles outlined above as the checkpoints ushering us in the general direction of the "Catholic" designation-destination. Additionally, we could see our identities as Catholics - both individually and organizationally - as the compass. 

Just as Jesus never performed the same miracles in the same ways, there is no one way to be Catholic. The more that we strive to claim our own Catholic identities through "inclusive and permanent communication" (#87) and "profound discernment" (#90), the more that we will come to recognize Christ's personal invitation to each of us to move forward - in our uniquely messy and beautiful situations - in faith.       

References:

Congregation for Catholic Education. (2022, March 29). Instruction of the Congregation for Catholic Education, "The identity of the Catholic school for a culture of dialogue". https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/03/29/220329c.html# 

Pope John XXIII. (1959, June 29). Ad Petri Cathedram. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_29061959_ad-petri.html

Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education. (1977, March 19). The Catholic School. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_19770319_catholic-school_en.html

Second Vatican Council. (1965, October 28). Gravissimum Educationis. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_gravissimum-educationis_en.html 

  

To the Heights

In his book, The Hope Quotient, Ray Johnston retells a story of an early 20th Century pilot's attempt to fly around the world (2014, p. 78). While refueling in a field before a four-hour flight over water, a rat climbed into the plane. About half-way through this leg of the trip, the pilot heard a "scratching, gnawing sound inside the plane" (Johnston, 2014, p. 78). 

An uninvited passenger was chewing on the plane's steering cable. 

Two hours from land in either direction, the pilot realized that rats weren't meant to fly. He began increasing the plane's altitude until the sound ceased. After safely landing on the other side of the ocean, the pilot opened up the plane's mechanical parts and threw out the dead rat. 

Johnston's point: the next time a rat - doubt, disappointment, despair, downtrodden-ness, doom, death, the devil - is gnawing at you, ascend to the heights. 

Discouragement drops; hope rises. 

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati expressed a similar sentiment through one of his most famous phrases: 

Verso l'alto.

Photo from: https://frassatiusa.org/verso-lalto  

Translation: "toward the top" or "to the heights".

Frassati embraced life and lived it fully throughout his 24 years on earth. An avid adventurer, Bl. Pier Giorgio climbed mountains, skied, road horses, and played countless sports. His joyful, loyal, humble, and grateful spirit infected friends and family alike and encouraged fellowship and faith sharing among them. As a committed Catholic, Frassati attended Mass daily, held a devotion to the Mother Mary and the Rosary, and performed innumerable works of mercy for those suffering from poverty and sickness.

Whereas Frassati never declared "verso l'alto" as a life-motto while alive, his life witnessed a constant pursuit of the best things - truth, goodness, beauty and life - for himself and others.   

In a world bent on deconstruction and tearing down, may we ascend to the heights focusing instead on "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). This doesn't mean ignoring injustice or denying the existence of darkness. Instead, it requires that we inject light and life into situations void of hope: God works in all things and "(h)ope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems" (Pope Francis, 2015, #61).

To the heights.

In a time when society quickly cancels, turns failures into viral viruses, and dismisses dialogue and discourse, staying on the shore's safe sands and/or passively following the masses becomes attractive. Jesus calls us to "put out into the deep" - duc in altum - so that we can rise to the heights for which He created us. 

In relationship with Christ, may we courageously dance in the darkness and sing from the shadows. As we do, we can liberate others to do the same. When we do, the world may try to silence our song or disrupt the dance - "this is silly", "no one will join in", "it won't work", "it won't make a difference", "it's too hard", "who do you think you are?", "it's all about you". 

In these moments, remember Bl. Pier Giorgio's response to someone who told him that he sung out of tune, "But the important thing is to sing" (https://totheheights.com/2609/bl-pier-giorgio-frassati-quotes/).  

To the heights. 

For God. 

With others. 

In faith.

Forever. 

Verso l'alto! 

References:

Johnston, R. (2014). The Hope Quotient: Measure it. Raise it. You'll never be the same. W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. 

Pope Francis. (2015, May 24). Laudato Si'. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html  

Missionary Thrust

The days of Catholics automatically sending their children to Catholic schools have disappeared. Catholic leaders can no longer depend on baptismal records to adequately predict attendance at Catholic schools. Additionally, Catholic schools have scrambled to shift from a workforce composed of religious sisters to one dominated by the laity. Not only has this created challenges for Catholic schools to balance affordable tuition rates with needing to provide their employees with a just salary, competitive health care, and retirement benefits, it has also forced leaders to intentionally focus on enhancing the school’s Catholicity and its ongoing ability to accomplish its mission.   

Thankfully, in response to these trends, various roles within Catholic schools have evolved. Instead of focusing on development as raising money for the school, Catholic schools must now focus on advancement to include annual funds, capital projects, planned giving, alumni relations, communications, special events, and prospect research. Similarly, instead of considering admissions as merely approving or denying admission to students interested in the school, Catholic schools need enrollment management approaches that encompasses recruitment, marketing, financial aid, demographic research, admission, and retention. 

These evolutions acknowledge the increase in complexity in these efforts. They also transform the posture of the school from one of passive receptivity to one of active mission pursuit: 

And so, now as in the past, the Catholic school must be able to speak for itself effectively and convincingly. It is not merely a question of adaptation, but of missionary thrust, the fundamental duty to evangelize, to go towards men and women wherever they are, so that they may receive the gift of salvation. (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1997, #3)

Instead of a hierarchical model, these changes to advancement and enrollment management encourage a spirit of collaboration. By thinking innovatively about who to involve in aspects of this work like constructing and analyzing data, more members of the school community - data gurus, number crunchers, and/or people interested in behind the scenes work - can have a greater hand in advancing and accomplishing the school’s mission. Indeed, “(c)ommunion and mission are profoundly connected with each other…communion gives rise to mission and mission is accomplished in communion” (St. John Paul II, 1988, #32). 

"Pope John Paul II during the General Audience (790100)" by Belpaese.nl is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

These stances also imply a belief that excellence happens on purpose. In order to adequately create a budget, systems must be established to ensure financial responsibility. In addition to faithfully following a budgeting calendar, schools must be realistic about increasing costs associated with health care, the net tuition revenue actually collected, and concerning enrollment trends such as the matriculation of a large class. All of these situations require strong administrative oversight as well as honesty and humility. A strong budgeting process will help to anticipate upcoming dips in revenue and potentially indicate the need for restructuring. 

Responding to these situations also necessitates innovation. Catholic school leaders should consider moving from step-in-lane pay scales to band range approaches to reward teachers for performance in addition to their years of service. Furthermore, Catholic school leaders should explore ways to transparently and simply communicate an employee’s total compensation package to include salary, benefits, and other amenities such as tuition remission, helping to pay for advanced degrees, or other school-based perks. Leaders should do something similar for tuition information, clearly outlining the true cost of educating a student. These purposeful practices not only ensure excellence, they also uphold the dignity of the school’s families, students, teachers and staff members.

As we faithfully forge forward in the ministry of Catholic education, may we continue to "(put) the person at the centre of education, in a framework of relationships that make up a living community, which is interdependent and bound to a common destiny" (Congregation for Catholic Education, 2017, #8). 

While this work requires that we evolve, collaborate, and innovate, it also requires that we hold fast to Christ's model of discipleship through relationship one individual encounter, moment, and person at a time.              

References:

Congregation for Catholic Education. (1997, December 28). The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_27041998_school2000_en.html  

Congregation for Catholic Education. (2017, April 16). Educating to Fraternal Humanism - Building a "civilization of love" 50 years after Populorum Progressio. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20170416_educare-umanesimo-solidale_en.html 

Pope John Paul II. (1988, December 30). Christifideles Laici. 

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici.html