Diocesan Catholic school administrators received an opportunity to “remain in” Christ during an annual administrator retreat held Sept. 26-27 at Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark.
The Office of Catholic Schools’ theme for the 2024-25 school year, “I am the Vine, You are the Branches: Growing in Community and Educating for Eternity,” comes from Christ’s words: “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me” (John 15:4).
The two-day retreat gave administrators an opportunity to heed Christ’s words, “Remain in Me,” through a time of prayer, including Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
“Following the example of the Master Teacher, who instructed His disciples to step out of daily life to rest in the Lord, the Office of Catholic Schools has organized administrator retreats each of the last four years,” said Dr. Adam Dufault, superintendent of diocesan schools.
“This is a time for prayer, for fellowship and for renewal. It is a time to refocus on our ministry of Catholic educational leadership and to be reinvigorated in our service to the Lord and the people of God in our schools.”
Several administrators spoke during the retreat, offering reflections on Gospel passages that draw parallels to their lives and experiences in education. Administrators also had an opportunity for small-group discussion after each reflection.
On the second day of the retreat, administrators spent time in Adoration. Josh Caton, the principal at Newark Blessed Sacrament School, offered a reflection on the Eucharistic Lord.
He encouraged administrators to remember that the same Lord who healed a woman who touched His cloak (Mark 5:25-34) is present before them. He pointed out that God can provide the same healing to them, too.
Caton also told his peers that they can do more than touch Christ’s cloak – they have an opportunity to receive Jesus Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist.
Cecelia Pitt, principal at Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul School, offered a reflection based on the Gospel story of the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:1-11), when Christ performed His first miracle upon request from His mother.
Pitt asked administrators to reflect: Do we hear the Lord? Are we listening?
She said Christ “challenges us to follow Him,” but “rarely is it easy.” She also noted that there will be times in life “when we don’t hear God.”
Pitt explored a time in her life when she endured a spiritual drought or desert. She said she now recognizes that season was a time of desolation.
She spent her first year teaching at Lancaster St. Mary School before teaching for eight years at a Newark middle school. The switch to public education was difficult.
Pitt recalled meeting with a priest who encouraged her to draw a cross in Sharpie marker on her hand. He told her, “Remember who you work for.”
Years later, now a Catholic school principal, Pitt said she no longer needs the Sharpie cross on her hand. She has a crucifix hanging in her office that she sees daily. The crucifix is a constant reminder of who she serves.
Before coming to St. Vincent de Paul, Pitt earned a master’s in educational administration. She said she was initially hesitant about interviewing for the Catholic school principal position. However, she enlisted the help of St. Therese of Lisieux and prayed a nine-day novena to her.
On the final day of the novena, she received roses at the middle school where she was then teaching. The roses included a note, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.”
Pitt shared how she tried to track down the sender. After numerous text messages to friends, she could not find who sent the roses. She said she even called the floral shop. The shop told her they had no record of who bought them because it was a cash purchase.
Pitt said she left her former school with a sense of peace.
She reminded her fellow administrators that sometimes God asks for challenging things. She asked them: What are you willing to do for God?
Pitt also encouraged them to think, in their vocation as a Catholic school administrator, how many people they are leading to God who might not have known Him otherwise.
The retreat included a panel discussion moderated by Lori Dulin, principal at Columbus Our Lady of Bethlehem School, with principals Laura Corcoran, Chillicothe Bishop Flaget School; Mike DeMassimo, Hilliard St. Brendan the Navigator School; and Chris Kowalski, Columbus Bishop Hartley High School.
The panel discussion was based on the Gospel story of Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:24-33). His disciples were filled with fear when they saw the Lord coming toward them on the water and thought it was a ghost.
The panelists discussed their own fears and difficulties of administration.
Kowalski acknowledged that principals must be willing to be disliked. He explored some of the burdens or weights that come with administration. For one, leadership entails making decisions that not everybody will agree with or favor.
Kowalski encouraged principals to “claim their time spiritually.” He shared that he often visits the school’s chapel and spends time with the Lord there, repeating, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
He also encouraged principals to remember their “why.”
Kowalski described his students as his greatest joy next to Jesus. He said they are the “great reminder” that keeps him grounded in his work.
Near the conclusion of the retreat, Father Kyle Tennant, pastor at Columbus Our Lady of Peace Church, celebrated Mass for the administrators. He was assisted by Deacon Chris Campbell, principal at Columbus Bishop Watterson High School.
Father Tennant asked administrators to reflect on where they find strength to deal with new challenges.
Celebrating Mass on Sept. 27, the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the patron of Catholic charities because of his apostolic work with the poor, Father Tennant reminded administrators of their own poverty. He told them, “We are always poor.” God is the source and giver of all.
Father Tennant said, in poverty, the Lord is always generous. God will give His people what they need. He emphasized that God has already conquered all things. Challenges will arise, he said, but no one has what it takes to overcome them alone. He encouraged administrators to come to the Lord with their burdens.
To conclude the retreat, Dufault offered closing remarks.
He described the annual administrator retreat as a highlight of the year and told administrators that their time together was a gift.
He reminded them that they are called to a mission of Catholic education, which, he said, is something to celebrate.
Dufault announced that diocesan administrators will have a special celebration in 2025. He said that as part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025, they will travel to Rome from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3 with financial help from The Catholic Foundation.
The Jubilee Year – the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of the Lord – will include several opportunities for the faithful to participate in events at the Vatican and in dioceses around the world. A jubilee for educators in 2025 is set for the end of October through the beginning of November.