St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School

What does it mean to be faithfully Catholic? How can St. Anthony of Padua School claim to be Catholic when less than 20 percent of our students belong to our Church? For the sake of clarification, Catholics define church as the assembly of those whom God’s Word convokes, i.e., gathers together to form the People of God, and who themselves, nourished with the Body of Christ, become the Body of Christ. An awesome thought, to say the least!

The word “catholic” means “universal” in the sense of “according to the totality” or “in keeping with the whole.” As part of the Diocese of Charleston and of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, our school is, therefore, Catholic. We are part and parcel of the ministry of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. In the words of our children, “This is a Jesus School!”

In addition, our school is catholic because, as legally and canonically a part of the larger Church, we too have been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race – in particular, to the children of our area. To paraphrase the late John Paul II, the ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to enable others to share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.

To be faithful to this mission is to travel on the most amazing journey one can imagine! To know that one holds the responsibility and privilege of leading children closer to their true destiny requires a dedication and prayer-filled approach to life not to be taken lightly. It is only by holding hands with an arms-interlocked multitude have teachers and administrators been able to hold firm to this challenge for the past sixty years!

Believe it or not, I am looking to Father William J. Byron, a Jesuit, to help me respond to this question of what is means for us to be faithfully Catholic. Jesuits, of course, are famous for being the experts on all things scholastic, so I am in good company! Father Byron says that community and commitment are two keys to the answer.

The commitment must be to the person and Gospel values of Jesus Christ. These values define the culture of a Catholic school and the culture shapes the community that you meet when you walk through the campus or visit the classrooms of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School.

Content and curriculum are two other areas that Fr. Byron addresses in determining the Catholicity of an educational institution. Most, but not all, of the faculty at St. Anthony’s School are Catholic and only 10 percent of our students have been baptized in a Catholic church.

We go to great lengths to make sure that all of our academic classes are following the curricula of the Diocese of Charleston and that our extracurricular programs are consistent with Gospel values. In addition, our Extended Care program offers a wide variety of activities ranging from tutoring, to the care of animals, gardening and cooking.

The Gospel is proclaimed in our liturgies, prayer services, and retreats. Sister Mary Schifferle, OSF, teaches the doctrines of the Catholic faith in each classroom with an attitude of respect for all denominations present without “watering down” what we believe.

As Catholic education must touch both head and heart, the response nurtured in our children is a heartfelt commitment to love their neighbors, especially the poor, at home and abroad. This compassion is evident each time we have a food drive or collect monies for the Holy Childhood Association or the victims of natural disasters.

There is no doubt in the mind of this Franciscan that St. Anthony of Padua School is Catholic!