The Value of Catholic Education

The time was 1606 – before the Declaration of Independence, before even the Mayflower Compact. The place was the area that would become St. Augustine, Florida.  The event was the first Catholic School on our shores – begun by Franciscans to educate children in Christian doctrine, reading, and writing.

 

For four hundred years, Catholic education has contributed to the development of individuals and  society.  And today, at our own Sacred Heart School, that tradition has been continued and augmented so that today’s children are educated in the best way possible.

 

The early Catholic educators could never have envisioned the needs and demands of educating children in contemporary society, nor could they have envisioned computers and electronics that are matters taken for granted today.

 

What the early Catholic educators gave us, however, is the call to educate our children for lives of leadership and service, to enhance their ability to solve problems and make decisions, to develop the intellectual acumen to support our democracy, to meet the demands of the time in which we live, and to preserve the commitment to the Gospel message that is the foundation for all we do.  

 

At SHS today, religion classes are taught daily and students participate in prayer services and attend Mass regularly.  At SHS, students learn about their religion and also practice it.

 

SHS also welcomes children from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds with the understanding that Catholic religion classes are part of the daily curriculum in all grades.  Non-Catholic parents who want an educational curriculum coupled with a Christian ethical code and moral compass are invited to explore what SHS has to offer them and their children.