This fall, leaders from Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Seattle gathered at the 2018 Christ in the Classroom Leadership Retreat in Seabeck, Washington. The retreat was facilitated by Rev. Ronald Nuzzi, Ph.D., and funded by a generous donor through the Fulcrum Foundation.
The premise of the retreat was simple and significant: communicate core principles of the Catholic faith so that school leaders can instruct teachers and students in ways that center all aspects of school life on the person of Jesus Christ. Retreat participants came away with the tools needed to illuminate the life of Jesus within their work – catechetical content and best practices that are then shared with the teachers at their respective schools.
“My experience at the Christ in the Classroom Leadership Retreat will be a blueprint for the retreat I will lead with the teachers,” said one participant.
Key aspects of the retreat centered on the six tasks of catechesis: what we believe, how we celebrate, how we live, how we pray, how we live in community, and whom we are called to serve. Beyond these focuses, the retreat served to provide leaders with a sense of conviction that is directly applied to their calling, community, and daily work.
“I can’t recall a retreat that provided so much fresh insight and meaning to what we do,” said another retreat participant.
Following the primary retreat, leaders were tasked with a crucial next step: to share their learnings with faculty and staff at each of their own schools. “It was powerful to see the connections between the great mysteries and daily life at a Catholic school,” said a third participant. “I cannot wait to share this with my faculty and staff.”