Vision 2019-2020: Defining Characteristics of Milwaukee Catholic Schools

1. Vision 2019 – 2020 Defining Characteristics of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee:Who Do We Say That We Are? Kathleen A. Cepelka, Ph.D. Superintendent of Catholic Schools

2. Evangelizing with the Church • As Catholic school leaders, teachers, and staff members in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we will be mindful of our essential role in furthering the teaching mission of the Church and our inter-relatedness with one another in that work. • As members of the Church, we will participate actively in our own parishes / church communities and urge our students and families to do the same.

3. Distinguished by Excellence • As Catholic school educators, we will be tireless in striving for the ideal in every aspect of our ministry. “Good enough—for us—will never be ‘good enough.’” • Our schools will be places that shine with vibrancy, purposefulness, and attention to detail. Our mission statements will not need to be put into words.

4. Educating the Whole Child • Remembering our privileged responsibility to care for the growth of the whole human person—spiritual, intellectual, social, moral, and aesthetic—we will value and seek resources to develop all aspects of the curriculum in our schools. • Every student—in every one of our Catholic schools—should return home each night having been called by name or otherwise personally affirmed at least once that day.

5. Accessible to All Students • Every school in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will be available, accessible, and welcoming to all who wish to attend. • All schools will set target goals for increasing the enrollment of minority populations in 2020 – 2021.

6. Steeped in a Catholic Worldview • Grounded in Gospel values and Church teachings, we will prepare our students, at every level, to become skilled, engaged, and ethical citizens in a global community. • Catholic Social Teachings will be explicitly taught and integrated into every content area, discipline, and program in our schools.

7. Sustained by Gospel Witness • As Catholic school leaders, teachers, and staff members, we will teach by our lives even more than by our words. Our decisions, habits, and responses will be manifestations of what we believe. • We will “sustain our mission” by daily personal prayer and reflection, remembering that we can only give to others what we first possess and value ourselves.

8. Shaped by Communion and Community • Each school in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will be known as a community of faith, a community of learning, and a community of care. • “See how they love one another” will be the first observation by every guest in our schools.

9. Centered in Jesus Christ During 2019 – 2020, all Catholic school educators, students, and community members will make specific efforts daily to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ. Every Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will exemplify the fact that the Gospel is the most important lesson taught and lived in its midst.

11. A Prayer for Catholic Schools Good and gracious God, we pray that the focus and foundation of our Catholic schools will always be the person of Jesus Christ.May we remember that we are called to work together as part of your universal Church to build your kingdom in our midst.Let each of our Catholic schools, no matter how large or how small, whether urban, suburban, or rural, be recognized by its commitment to excellence, its efforts to form the whole child, its hospitality towards all, and its intentional development as a community of faith, collaboration, trust, and love.Help us to view every aspect of our world through the lens of the Gospel and the teachings of our faith, and let every member of our Catholic school communities become a visible example of what it means to put faith into action.Amen.