By Frank Roque, Principal
What is at the heart of a Bishop O’Connell education? It is the essential question that is always at the forefront of our work. How we hire, teach, play, build, form faculty, and recruit families are dependent on this question. Our mission to provide an education rooted in the life of Christ and to foster the pursuit of excellence in the whole person speaks to the answer, and it informs everything we do.
I often speak to colleagues, students, parents, and anyone who will listen about the difference between Catholic schools and other types of public and private schools. I suggest that it is a temptation to think that great Catholic schools are similar to other great schools but with a healthy dose of Catholicism added on. Our Faith and the Sacramental life are Catholic frosting on a well-made educational cake. At Bishop O’Connell we know that this is not accurate. Catholicism is not frosting on the cake, rather it is more like rum poured into the cake. It is infused into everything we do at the very core.
Earlier this summer, 16 members of our leadership team gathered at St. Agnes for a two-day retreat to discuss the foundational values that live at the core of a Bishop O’Connell education. We were seeking the proverbial rum that infuses our proverbial cake. It was an informative time where we examined our root beliefs, and through the process we defined the four cornerstones that are integral to our mission. These cornerstones support everything we do; they reflect eternal truth about our community and everyone we encounter:
We Are Created - We are created in the image and likeness of God. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) In light of our creation each of us should be known. The cornerstone of creation is also integral to our search for truth. All truth is a search for God. This cornerstone affects everything from class size to curriculum to counseling. We strive to ensure that all our students belong and are known.
We Are Fallen - We are a fallen people and because we are fallen we need to be challenged. Although we believe that all seek the good, we also know that “we see indistinctly, as in a mirror” (1Cor 13:12) and our desire for the good is skewed. The rules, the requirements, the discipline associated with Catholic education are not punishments; rather, they are guideposts to assist on our educational journey and beyond. The cornerstone of our fallen nature requires that we follow and create boundaries and accountability to guide us on our way to heaven.
We Are Redeemed - At the core of our faith is redemption. “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.” (John 3:16) With redemption comes forgiveness. Forgiveness demands that we teach mercy along with justice. We allow for second chances and do not define individuals by their failures or shortcomings. The cornerstone of redemption allows us to be a school steeped in joy.
We Are Called - We are called to something greater; we are called to be saints. This calling demands that the students we teach, and we ourselves, are sent forth. This commissioning demands that we prepare our students for the future in this world but also for a future in heaven. Academic prowess, college acceptances, service to others, and lifelong skills are not ends in themselves, but vehicles to assist us on our heavenly pilgrimage. “...You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)