At the beginning of each new school year, educators are often urged to take time to reflect. We reflect on why we have chosen to teach; we reflect on our successes over the past year and our goals for the coming year. But it is also important to take time to reflect on education in a broader context — its historical roots, those who have shaped education in this country, and education’s myriad manifestations and contexts.
For those of us in Catholic schools, such reflection would be incomplete without recognizing those who came before us. In the United States, the education of young people has always been one of the Catholic Church’s primary concerns. Our schools and communities were built and enriched by countless courageous, faithful men and women, most notably the teachers and leaders whom the Church now recognizes as saints. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, Saint John Neumann, and Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini are but a few of the individuals who have contributed directly to what we call Catholic education in America.
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