An important part of our school’s mission statement lies within our Catholic identity, and the strategic plan’s goal to make that identity more visible in the school is something to be applauded from a student’s perspective.

After reflecting on the last four years of my JC experiences, I’ve realized that being Catholic is part of what makes our school special. In tough economic times, we offer more emotional and spiritual support than the newly renovated county public high schools.

The word “catholic” itself means “universal,” and the Catholic Church strives to be an inclusive community and positive force in the world. As senior year draws to a close and the JC senior class has become a family of 237 people, our connection to one another and the entire school community has only strengthened.

In particular, we’ve learned to be spiritually and emotionally supportive of one another in times of great despair and in times of joyful reflection. The senior class’s recent cooperation in preparing a personal gift for religion teacher Jackie Moeser astounds me. I’ve heard of similar occurrences at Catholic schools with smaller classes, but I’d never before heard a story of a community of over 200 classmates being able to reach out together as we have.

While our Catholic identity may not be clear from simply walking down the hallway, JC shows its Catholic sense of community at every Mass, prayer service, personal concert, and rosary reciting.

I’ve been able to reflect upon what being Catholic means to the average JC student. While we may not have dozens of students attending Wednesday mod 6 mass on their own accord, the school must take into consideration the stage of life of the teenagers in the building.

Part of being a teenager is traveling on the path of self-discovery. During these years, teenagers will struggle the most with their faith and begin to question where their true beliefs and morals lie. To expect that students will always be open to the idea of Catholicism at this age is a little unreasonable.

 At this stage in life, most students will stray from their faith. Some will return, and others may find new paths, but both of these options are a part of becoming an individual. What is important is that the school continues to show support for all members of the community just as the Church strives to respect all of God’s creation.

Being a Catholic school and showing our Catholic identity should not be measured by how many masses we hold per year or how many students attend that mod 6 mass on Wednesday. Instead, the school should focus on shaping students of moral and spiritual integrity.

I’m not saying that the strictly religious elements of our curriculum should be eliminated, but the school’s goal should be to encourage students to incorporate Catholicism more fully into their lives as the 2010 Strategic Plan suggests. By incorporating Catholicism into the everyday lives of students, every member of the community will be able to expand their faith horizons and grow as a Christian.

Katie Clarke can be reached for comment at [email protected].