July 1, 2024 marked a historic day in Catholic education in Cedar Rapids and Marion. On that day, Xavier Catholic Schools officially launched. With that move, our schools now operate with one budget, one board and one cohesive vision. So much credit is due to our local pastors, who had the foresight and courage to make this bold move. It undoubtedly assures that Catholic education will be even stronger as together we move forward.
Since July 1st, we’ve already accomplished quite a bit. We’ve made tremendous strides toward standardizing curriculum (both religion and academic), creating competitive wages for our faculty and staff, and developing a long-term plan to take care of all of our buildings. In fact, we even bought a new building which will one day house our consolidated middle school!
However, what perhaps I’m most proud of was the development of a new strategic plan for all of our schools. This plan outlines clear and concise goals for ten domain areas of all Xavier Catholic Schools. And within that plan, an important sentence is emphatically and unapologetically written. That sentence, the new mission statement of Xavier Catholic Schools, states this:
“The mission of Xavier Catholic Schools is to form disciples unafraid to follow Jesus Christ.”
When we developed this mission statement, some thought there wasn’t enough emphasis describing the academic-side of what we do. Some thought it was too bold and that it might “scare” some off. Some told me it might come off as “phony” to the outside world.
However, as we begin this Catholic Schools Week, I can assure you this. Within Xavier Catholic Schools, our centeredness and rootedness of who we are and why we exist is very clear and unmistakable. ALL of our schools are centered and rooted in Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith. And that’s something we are so incredibly proud of.
If you ask me, our future has never been brighter. Thank you for so many years of loyal support. May God continue to bless you and your families. Happy Catholic Schools Week! Chris McCarville (R’97) President, Xavier Catholic Schools