ENHANCING CATHOLIC IDENTITY WITH A SPIRITUAL

LIFE COMMITTEE (SLC)Chad Riley, Principal

St. Joseph Catholic School (Arlington, TX)

#CathEdLeader

Key Words■Encounter Jesus■Mission■Lens■Normative■Planning■Collegial■Model

■Growth■Advisory■Formation■Spiritual■Commit■Goals■Evangelization

Finance

Strategic Planning

Curriculum

SocialMedia

Facilities

Parking LotFundraising

Social

The Most ImportantTMI

Spiritual Life Committee

“The missionary task must remain foremost” (Redemptoris Missio, 86).

In Catholic schools, “Students are shown how Jesus illumines all of life—science, mathematics, history, business, biology, and so forth” (National Directory for Catechesis, p. 233).

Finance

Strategic Planning

Curriculum

SocialMedia

Facilities

Parking Lot

Fundraising Social

catholicschoolstandards.org

“Leadership in and on behalf of Catholic schools involves a shift of vertical models to collegial models” (From belief statements on leadership from The National Congress on Catholic Schools for the Twenty-first Century, NCEA, November 1991).

“People express their worship of God most fruitfully through their particular culture as it has been assumed and transformed by Christ” (National Directory for Catechesis, p. 130).

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est, 1).

Mission of the SLC

The Spiritual Life Committee seeks to enhance and promote growth in the spiritual lives of the students and families of St. Joseph Catholic

School.

SLC

Principal

Teachers

Parents

Committee Chair- ex-officio

LSAC

Details about SLC■Advisory committee to the principal■Meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month for

30 minutes – 1 hour■Members are nominated or can self-

nominate■Allow time and discussion so others can

own and implement decisions■Commit to supporting the school spiritually

by praying for specific needs.

Examples of activities planned by the Spiritual Life Committee

Why have a Spiritual Life Committee?■Serve as a lens for all other school

activities: “Mission check.”■“Many hands make light work.”■School’s memory bank to

institutionalize Catholic identity.

“I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities” (Joy of the Gospel, 33).

Chad Rileycriley@stjosephtx.org

Twitter: @yelirc