At the entrance of a parish school where I previously served as principal is a reproduction of the Renaissance artist Fra Angelico’s “The Annunciation.” In the painting, St. Gabriel comes to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce that she will give birth to the Son of the Most High and she responds beautifully to her role in salvation history: “May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38).

The mystery of the Incarnation is a fitting reminder for a Catholic school’s entrance as it initiates our understanding of both faith and reason. The Incarnation reveals the Word becoming flesh and the mystery that Jesus is fully God and fully man. The incarnational worldview is the lens through which we see the world and teach young people about it.

Religion and theology classes present the essential catechetical foundations for faith, but our tradition goes further: every subject reflects God. In mathematics, the truth of a correct quadratic equation is a small truth that reflects our Creator back to the student; in science, the beauty of a blossoming flower evokes wonder and awe when we recognize the beauty all around us; and in literature, we observe the goodness and virtue exhibited by our favorite literary heroes.

To our dedicated faculty and staff members, I offer: If Catholic education is at the heart of the Church, as the Church herself proclaimed, then every action must be oriented toward the Incarnation through an authentic witness to Christ; otherwise, our efforts risk becoming just a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. One Catholic school administrator who did this well is also a favorite saint of mine, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. She practiced an educational philosophy relevant to us who work in Catholic schools over a century later: We must be leaders and teachers of profound prayer, we must be constantly forming our teachers who are on the front lines in forming students, and we must embrace teaching Christian morality to our students.

To our parents, I offer: Social science research has acknowledged over the past few years that which the Church affirmed for decades—children are successful with you as their primary educators. From increased reading scores to longevity in practicing the faith, the data show that parental engagement positively affects outcomes for children. We are ready to partner with you and help form your children in academic skills, faith, morality and reason. Thank you for choosing a Catholic school!

To our students, I offer: It is evident to me that the Church needs Catholic schools to realize the Church’s mission of discipleship. To accomplish that, we must be excellent in meeting you where you are. For your sake, we will work to be transformational in what and how we teach; we will work to be joyful witnesses to a personal Savior; and we will work to dialogue with you regarding our current culture’s obstacles and the truth of the human person.

As both the son of a college football coach and a walk-on, I observed great coaches lead great teams to great success. From these examples, I learned that excellence happens on purpose, and great teams—like great schools—are driven to excellence by great leaders. In Catholic education, our success is more difficult to measure than a win or a loss; however, it is infinitely more important. We gauge our victories by how we form the next generation of disciples and saints.

As we begin a new year, may we boldly proclaim the Incarnation by teaching truth, goodness and beauty, and may we all work together as faculty, staff members, parents and students to raise new disciples and new saints!

Matt Daniels is the newly hired Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He was most recently the Senior Director of the Catholic Education Department for the Diocese of Toledo, overseeing 60 schools and nearly 16,000 students. He and his wife, Jennifer, have seven children.

This article appeared in the August 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.