By Patrick Haggarty, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools

The tradition begins this month. Soon, high school seniors and grade school 8th graders throughout Montana will walk across a stage, shake a few hands, receive a diploma, and begin a new chapter in their life. Regardless of where the stage is located, the ritual of the graduation ceremony is similar.

Yet, the process by which the diploma is earned is sincerely different. Currently, western Montana has four communities that support Catholic schools, including Browning, Kalispell, Missoula, and Butte. And when students from these Catholic schools receive their diploma, it represents something more than completion of the prescribed academic course.

Catholic school students are required to participate in a scholastic program that is very similar to the public school, but theirs has additional obligations. They are required to do more. According to Canon Law, the Catholic school has to be at least equal to the local public school, or it is not fulfilling its mission and purpose. For example, most public high schools follow the state rules that require a graduating senior to have successfully completed two years of mathematics and two years of science. Catholic schools require a graduate to have successfully completed three years of each and they strongly recommend four.

This year, the average Catholic school graduate will have been in school for 200 more hours of instruction than their public school counterparts, as our school days are longer. In that time, they will have been exposed to far more academic rigor. They have spent approximately 150 to 200 hours learning their Catholic faith. More than 85 percent of its students will have participated in more school-sponsored activities. Each senior performed at least 40 hours of community service. Every student will have attended an all-school Mass at least a dozen times. They will have started every school day with a prayer. Most importantly, they will have been surrounded by educators who understand the vocation of Catholic education – that the love of Christ is paramount in everything a student learns. It is for this overarching reason that Catholic schools exist.

This spring, students from across our diocese will celebrate the graduation milestone. After eight or four years of study, they have certainly earned their diploma and the right to enter the next level of academics. Whether they attend a public, private, or Catholic school, every graduate deserves a heart-felt “Congratulations!” Additionally, and on behalf of the Catholic school educators in our diocese, a “Bravo!” is extended to the Catholic school graduates. Not only have they earned their diplomas, they have been an integral part of assuring Christ and His love remain in the educational experience.


Patrick Haggarty, Ed.D., is the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Helena. For more information about the diocesan schools, visit www.diocesehelena.org/schools.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 24, No. 5, May 16, 2008.