During Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, we celebrate what makes our Catholic schools special places of learning, faith formation and growth. Each day, we recognize a different member of the Catholic schools "family."
Today, we honor our principals and administrators. Here's a brief testimonial from Sr. Maria Guadalupe, OP, principal of St. Isaac Jogues School in St. Clair Shores.
The most important thing a leader of a Catholic school needs to do is keep Jesus Christ front and center. Many, many Catholic schools have on their wall, "Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the teacher." That is the reality of a Catholic school principal. Our main mission is to lead these children to Jesus Christ.
Our greatest success is if, when these children graduate from here, they graduate with a relationship with Jesus, and that relationship isn’t just their own, but the family continues to live out the faith — that they continue to go to church, and to seek out the sacramental life of the Church. It is hard to know that success rate; we won’t know until we get to heaven if we made it.
I’m fortunate as a religious sister that we begin every single day with an hour of Eucharistic adoration. Our day starts at 5:30 a.m. in the chapel of our convent with Eucharistic adoration, a time for silent meditation, a time for prayer together, followed by Mass. I couldn’t do what I do every day without that time in the morning with our Lord.
And throughout the day, we lead our children in prayer, three times a day, minimum. As a religious, I didn’t apply for this job; I was asked to come here. That was a big "yes," and every day is another opportunity to say "yes" over and over again. I have learned that with Christ, I can do a whole lot more than on my own. This is his school, and when I get out of the way and do things he wants done, we have far greater results.
—Sr. Maria Guadalupe Hallee, OP, principal of St. Isaac Jogues School, St. Clair Shores
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