If a Catholic school is serious about forming Catholic students, it must be equally serious about hiring Catholic teachers.
That shouldn’t be controversial. But in many circles, sometimes even within Catholic education itself, it is. There remains a strange reluctance among some Catholic institutions to affirm what should be self-evident: that Catholic identity begins with Catholic people. You cannot transmit what you do not live.
As St. John Henry Newman wrote, “practically speaking,” education becomes corrupted when it is separated from faith and fails to provide students with moral and personal formation; therefore, “the Church is necessary for its integrity.”
For Catholic schools, this means that faithful Catholic teachers are essential.
Hiring an all-Catholic faculty is not about discrimination but about mission. It’s about ensuring that a school’s Catholic identity is not just a decorative slogan, but the very culture that students breathe.
Pope Benedict XVI said, “The goal of all education, and in particular of Catholic education, is to form men and women who are committed to the truth, who are saints in the making.” It follows, then, that teachers must be models of sanctity, fidelity, and joy. They must speak from the heart of the Church and carry a unified vision of truth.
This doesn’t mean teachers must be perfect, but it does mean they must be faithful. The idea that a teacher’s personal faith is irrelevant to their subject matter has no place in a Catholic school. Every discipline, from theology to science, touches on questions of truth, meaning, beauty, and the nature of the human person.
In a school rooted in its Catholic mission, students learn to see the world with sacramental eyes. Math is not just numbers; it is the ordered logic of the Creator. History is not merely a timeline; it is the unfolding of Divine Providence. And the teacher is not merely an instructor but a witness, and that witness must be Catholic.
Faculty who love the Church and live their faith with joy are not just giving lectures; they are giving testimony. Their presence reinforces what is taught in class, what students do in the chapel, and what is modeled in a school’s culture.
When that faith is absent (for example, when a teacher dissents from the Church’s teachings or simply ignores them), a certain theological dissonance enters the classroom. Students notice. Over time, they begin to compartmentalize: theology on one side, “real life” on the other.
We cannot afford that split. Not today.
In 2025, the Church continues to hemorrhage young people. The next generation is growing up in a society flooded with moral confusion, digital noise, and cultural loneliness. If Catholic schools do not form students in conviction and clarity, secular ideologies are ready to fill the void.
An all-Catholic faculty is not a silver bullet, but it is a kind of spiritual shield. It helps create the conditions under which authentic formation can take root. It sends a clear message: the people shaping students’ minds and hearts believe what they teach. They live it. They love it. Their lives reflect the freedom and joy of truth.
Some argue that requiring all faculty to be Catholic limits the hiring pool or stifles diversity of thought. But Catholic education does not exist for the sake of diversity; it exists for the sake of truth. The mission of a Catholic school is not to reflect every ideology or cultural trend. It is to form men and women of holiness, wisdom, and authentic freedom.
As St. John Paul II wrote in Veritatis Splendor, “freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” That kind of freedom requires fidelity. It requires teachers who are ordered toward the truth, not just intellectually, but personally.
Thankfully, there are schools that embody this well. Many of the institutions recommended in The Cardinal Newman Society’s Newman Guide uphold these ideals in amazing ways. Some require every faculty member to sign an oath of fidelity to the Magisterium. Others build their school culture around daily Mass, prayer, and ongoing formation.
These schools are thriving, not only in academic performance but also in spiritual vitality. Their students do not simply memorize catechism answers; they internalize them. And when they graduate, they are far more likely to remain Catholic due to their holistic Catholic formation.
So yes, Catholic schools should hire only Catholic faculty. Not out of fear, but out of love: love for students, who deserve teachers who speak truth without compromise. Love for the Church, which deserves institutions that are fully hers. Love for the mission, because Catholic education is not ultimately about college prep; it is about souls.
We need joyful, bold, faithful educators. We need saints in the classroom. And they have to be Catholic.
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Some of the best teachers I’ve had in Catholic and public schools weren’t what you’d refer to as joyful, but they were serious about their task. They also had high expectations for their students to work to their abilities.
The Catholic school faculty should be Catholic if at all possible, or at least living a Christian lifestyle. If not, then the parish should not be financially supporting them and they can operate on their own accord.
They need to be practising Catholics, emphasis on practising.
A baptism certificate by itself doesn’t cut it.
I’m very happy that this was written. What makes an institution worthy to be called “Catholic” became very murky and confused beginning in the mid-1960’s. It was well-stated by this writer when he said, “Hiring an all-Catholic faculty is not about discrimination but about mission.” And when he went on to say, “But Catholic education does not exist for the sake of diversity; it exists for the sake of truth.”
Other than the Newman List colleges and universities, what so-called “Catholic” ones meet these criteria? Not one. And just because you have a few crosses scattered around campus doesn’t make you and authentic Catholic institution.
This article reminds me of when I took over the helm at my diocese’s Catholic Charities back in 2006 and held an all-day retreat for the staff entitled: “What does the ‘Catholic’ in Catholic Charities mean.” The staff’s response was a minor rebellion. To even raise the topic was anathema to the staff. And, as I see it, things have only gotten worse in our Church. Why, even our Bishops, Cardinals and Popes seem confused about what being “Catholic” means.
Good morning Chuck,
In theory, your article is spot on. As a senior at Christendom, there are a couple doses of reality that you have yet to experience.
1) Perusing a daunting stack of applications and rejecting the whole stack due to clear evidence of dissent, heterodoxy, left – wing references, and morally corrupt social media networks.
2) Responding to faculty queries about why so-and-so has been here for 15+ years and he’s not even Catholic and then communicating number one above to them.
3) Many administrators believe that forming who you do know is better than firing and hiring what you do not know. Experience tells most of them that the revolving door of heterodox instructors is the worst outcome for the souls of the students.
4) Regularly considering the following choice: a Protestant who is trying to live a moral life, a Catholic who dissents on sodomy and contraception, or a newbie who is probably hiding the fact that they just want a cushy public school position ASAP.
5) Prayerfully considering closure as the best option. It is better to close a school that has multiple heterodox teachers and can find no suitable replacements. I’ve seen this happen in two neighboring dioceses, and it was the right decision by both pastors.
Then there is the issue of the Pauline teaching on male leadership in instruction and the pervasive feminism at even more traditional Catholic Schools. This is part of the equation and must be considered to broaden the pool of teachers. Parishioners must tithe as they should so virtuous breadwinning men, fathers of large families, might return to the Catholic classroom.
Ave Maria!
Your last thoughts about who afford are a whole other thesis. (And a huge problem)
Beautiful testimony to The Truth Of The Catholic Faith! With thanks and gratitude 🙏✝️
A fine piece, with which I am in 99% agreement. However, I must say that some of the most engaged teachers on behalf of the Catholic identity of schools I have led were NOT Catholic. Interestingly, not a few of them ended up becoming Catholic.
One thing I suspect our young scholar would agree with: Far better to have a serious, committed Baptist than a Joe Biden Catholic!
Father, better yet is to have neither. Can’t compromise with the Church’s mission nor with Truth. Christ never did; why should we?
The difficulty Father with what you say is that the “serious committed Baptist” by definition, is not going to teach that the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ. I have read any number of articles this year alone about the huge number of Catholic school students leaving the practice of the faith after Confirmation, or at the latest after senior year in high school. I would think that a mix of Catholic and non-Catholic teachers would lead to indifferentism.
One of the best statements that I read regarding this topic is that, “A Catholic school is not a public school with a religion class.”
Yes, Father. Different example, but in my experience our best church choir directors were Anglican, (Episcopal).
We had a TLM Schola director from a nearby Episcopal church who was very interested in Gregorian Chant & knew much more about it than we did. He was entirely respectful & dedicated.
Who knows if perhaps he was on a path to the Catholic Faith?
As an evangelical Anglican I taught in an all girls Catholic High School. They were far more liberal than I was, but ironically they played a part in my becoming Catholic.
I’m glad to hear that Mr. Connor. Welcome home.
🙂
I second the remarks of Fr. Stravinskas.
I have taught at a number of Catholic institutions — two very corrupted, one quite faithful. I concluded some time ago that, so long as the faculty includes a majority of practicing Catholics who take the Magisterium seriously, for certain positions a school can and should consider the occasional applicant who is Orthodox or Protestant or whatever, albeit on a careful, case-by-case basis.
Let me know which Catholic school hires ONLY practicing Catholics faithful to the Magisterium. Those are the ones I’d support and recommend to others. Catholic schools are not just well-meaning secular schools with crosses affixed to the building. Either you’re an authentically Catholic insitution or you are not. Christ even told us that he’d spit out those who are lukewarm. You’re either fully committed to the mission and the fullness of Truth or you are not. Just because you’re a kindhearted person doesn’t make you qualified to teach in a Catholic school.
He also wondered if He’d find any faith when he returned, so I guess, unfortunately, none of this is surprising?
Deacon, I may be able to help you find that list. The Cardinal Newman Society’s Newman Guide (https://cardinalnewmansociety.org/the-newman-guide/catholic-schools-recognized-in-the-newman-guide/) recommends Catholic K-12 schools who strive on hiring fervent faculty faithful to the Magisterium. God bless you in your work.
Check out the NAPCIS schools. Napcis.org. These schools are required to have all Catholic faculty for all core subjects and self-contained class rooms.
Re Joseph DeLisle above – Thanks for your observations from the trenches, especially #4.
#3 is interesting. How many teachers become more serious about their own faith through their involvement with children?
Cleo,
What I have witnessed at length is: reverse catechesis.
Lukewarm parents are motivated to return to an active life of faith and prayer through the example of their children. This is all predicated on teacher’s faithful witness, and the fact that they have something to give.
The best is when the holy Catholic student, filled with the Holy Ghost, corrects the wayward heterodox teacher in charity. 99+% of students care a bit too much about their grade to attempt such heroism.
Convincing students to stay after a school Mass to make a Thanksgiving and then witness to the next lukewarm teacher why they were late for class… this is where Saints are made. Accepting an unfair punishment after this with humility is even greater.
These things can happen when you have a couple of hard-core formators who love the kids and desire heaven for them more than attendance at a prestigious university.
Ave Maria!
Joseph DeLisle above (8:35 p.m.) – Thanks for your comments.
A variation on “Children are sent for the salvation of parents”.
I disagree. I think it is best if almost all of the faculty are Catholic, and certainly for certain subjects like the Humanities and Biology, it is imperative. But I have worked beside Catholic teachers who were not quality professionals. This gives the false impression that being Catholic is enough. In addition, when you have a few non Catholic teachers you have peers to bring to Christ.
Every teacher should sign statement agreeing to teachings of Church.
agree. Problem is too many Catholics don’t know what is Catholic. Many of the recent converts to the Catholic faith are teaching heresies, either Protestant rejection of the New Covenant found in the Eucharist instituted by Christ in favor of Old Testament Covenants called Dual Covenant or Covenant Theology. Or, they were Jews who recently converted to th4e faith and also teaching Old Testament Judaism not the New Covenant or Kingdom of Heaven. They want the earthly kingdom of Isreal rejected by Christ in the desert. We have a problem.