To the Band of Brothers: March 12, 2024

I’m in Tampa. I’ve been here for the last couple of days. I was asked to be part of a team of Jesuit educators who evaluate the Catholic, Jesuit character of a school. In this case, it”s Tampa Jesuit. The purpose of these reviews is to make sure our schools stay clearly Catholic and clearly Jesuit.

If you ask me, that’s a great idea. Anything we can do to make sure we remain true to our mission, crossing our t’s and dotting our i’s, is important. If you consider we oftentimes seem to be the lone voice crying out in the desert, it’s good to know we are not that alone. Knowing we have brothers in arms is consoling.

Let me tell you, they do things well at Tampa Jesuit. The Catholic identity is bursting at the seams. You can’t walk too far on the campus without noticing how vested they are in it. Everything from their buildings to their curriculum feeds the religious culture that makes it one of the premier private schools in Florida. It is a clear testament to the fact that what the Catholic Church has been doing in the field of education for over a thousand years and what the Society of Jesus has been doing for over 500 years, works.

I am convinced that it is exactly what the world needs. Now more than ever, our schools have to be clearly and unabashedly Catholic. At a time when it seems there is a greater concerted effort to erase lines of identity and silence traditional institutions that adamantly uphold values deemed “old fashioned” or “less progressive,” our Catholic schools need to afford families a sort of oasis. Our schools need to provide a sanctuary where children, not only hear and study the truth of the Gospel, but are given the opportunity to live it way beyond the bell. 

This is why our mission remains clear. Our strategic plan needs to emphasize a continuous strengthening of the Catholic-Jesuit ethos that permeates every aspect of our school. From the way we celebrate our liturgies, hire our faculty and staff, develop our curriculum, and even raise and invest our money, has to drip with our Catholic character. We have to adhere to the words of Joshua, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (24:15b).

The good thing is, like Tampa, Miami is teeming with good schools that can provide other options for families who don’t share these priorities. Those options mean we can be strongly Catholic because we’re not the only game in town. We can remain strictly Catholic because there are enough families to go around. We have our niche and a proven product that keeps our future bright.

What’s most exciting is there is so much more we can do. We are simply seeing the tip of the iceberg. Each year we come across new ideas and better ways of providing the best possible Catholic education one can find in South Florida. We refuse to rest on our laurels, knowing we would do a tremendous disservice to the Jesuits who came before us and the families who will come in the future. Being recognized as the best all-boy school in the state of Florida is just not good enough. Belen can reach new heights as long as we remain radically faithful to the mission entrusted to us, not simply by the Society of Jesus and the Church, but by Jesus Christ himself. 

Auspice Maria.