Napa Institute
CV NEWS FEED // Thirty-three students at a private Catholic high school in California entered the Catholic Church earlier this month, according to an op-ed published by the Napa Institute.
Founded in 2003, St. Junipero Serra Catholic High School, in San Juan Capistrano, California, has approximately 1,300 students. Several Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist work at the school, and Norbertine priests from St. Michael’s Abbey celebrate daily Mass and offer to hear confessions.
In an op-ed published by the Napa Institute, the school’s co-founder Tim Busch wrote, “From the start, our vision was to create a beacon of light—a school open to all faiths, but clearly centered in the one true faith. Nearly half of our students are non-Catholic, which provides an opportunity for conversion. Clearly, it’s happening in many young lives.”
This was the first year the school offered a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program. After completing this program, 33 students entered the Catholic Church on April 14.
“(The students) came from diverse backgrounds, including several international students who had never heard of Jesus Christ prior to attending (St. Junipero Serra Catholic High School),” Busch wrote.
Reflecting on the school’s strengths, Busch credited both the religious and lay people who serve at the school.
“(The school’s success is) partly because we’re shepherded by a lay board, most of whom are parents in the school, and they’ve ensured both academic and athletic excellence,” Busch wrote. “But the biggest reason, of course, is our spiritual commitment to Catholic teaching, without exception. And we’re blessed to have the intercession of St. Junipero Serra, whom Pope Francis canonized in 2015.”
St. Junipero Serra is the patron saint of California, and vocations to Church ministry.
>> CLT founder to release book on ‘how Catholics can save American education’ <<
