I have attended a Catholic school for the majority of my educational career, and I can positively say that it has impacted my life.
By attending Roncalli my faith has grown. Roncalli is a warm and welcoming place to everyone. There has not been a moment these past four years that I have said I do not like Roncalli.
While it may be required to attend religious classes, everything I have learned has been thoroughly explained. There are people who say they feel like their faith has been forced on them throughout their educational career, but for me, Roncalli has allowed me to grow in my faith. It has made me discover myself and God.
Grace Albertson, senior
As I reflect on my years of education, a major component of my academic and spiritual success is the result of my Catholic education. Not only was I challenged to thrive in my studies, I was challenged to love, to serve and to grow.
The memories of my time at St. Mark do not revolve around getting perfect grades or middle school squabbles. I remember going to soup kitchens or being a sacristan. I can still remember washing the chalices after Mass every Friday. And when we finished the other two sacristans and I would slowly turn off the lights in the church and stand in awe of the beauty of our faith and the warm feeling of God’s presence.
Above everything else, I appreciate the love that was given to me by my teachers. Religion reached further than just learning the Commandments and reading scripture. From art class to social studies, the love my teachers had for their students was evident.
Attending a Catholic high school has exposed me to diversity. Surrounded by classmates from all walks of life, we differ financially, racially and religiously. I will always be thankful for these differences and how they helped me shape the way I see the world.
I look back at my Catholic education with fondness and appreciation and am excited to pursue a degree at Roncalli as well. I never thought this would be happening, but God has been working during my life, and I am at peace knowing the brightness of my future that is attributed to my past.
Mariesa LaRosa, senior
There is something incredible about a classroom full of bowed heads in prayer before a class begins. There is something incredible about beginning the day with Christ in his Eucharistic form through a morning Communion service. There is something incredible about the transformation of a high school gymnasium into a sacred place of worship for 1,200 students. There is something incredible about Catholic education.
After 12 years of Catholic schooling, I often forget that it’s not necessarily normal to ask a teacher to openly pray for the special intentions that I hold close to my heart, to attend a Mass during a study hall, nor to open a Bible in class to study the Gospel of Luke.
Picturing high school voided of these normalities is nearly an impossible task. The gift of Catholic education is invaluable. With it, I don’t merely learn how to evaluate trigonometric functions nor how to analyze Shakespearean literature; I learn how to love. Christ is at the core of my education, and because I am immersed in his presence, he makes it easy to spread his love in my daily actions. In each class, religiously based or not, I grow to know him, to love him, and to serve him.
I am so grateful for the amazing gift of a Catholic education. My education is more than just the ability to say an “Our Father” in front of the class or to wear a crucifix around my neck. It is the gift to journey with Christ each day, and that alone is something incredible.