 | Boston College High School seeks to challenge our students not only to academic excellence, but also to "become young men of competence and compassion." Rooted in Jesuit and Ignatian tradition that reaches as far back to the 16th century, we hope to help our students grow in faith and service through active participation in their churches and in their community through service to others.
St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, was born to noble Basque parents at the castle of Loyola in Spain. He initially pursued a military career but suffered severe wounds in battle. During his prolonged convalescence, Ignatius read the life of Christ and the lives of the saints. Upon reflection, he resolved to devote himself to Christ. Ignatius wrote of his conversion experience in his significant Spiritual Exercises. In 1534, together with six others, Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). The spirit of Ignatius remains strong today in the Jesuit motto, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam or A.M.D.G. (Latin meaning "For the greater glory of God").
Boston College High School is part of a network of 46 Jesuit Secondary Schools that educate approximately 40,000 young men and women yearly. Well over 95% of Jesuit school graduates continue education at the college level. Jesuit schools strive to educate the whole person, challenging each student to reach his or her fullest potential as a well-rounded individual who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God. Jesuit education integrates faith with knowledge, and encourages students to apply both to improve the world around them, known in Jesuit circles as a "faith that does justice."
Our programs in Campus Ministry, Community Service, and Religious Education are central to the incorporation of our Ignatian spiritual heritage into the daily lives of our students. Campus Ministry actively promotes these goals through programs that promote spiritual and emotional growth, as well as serving as a ministerial presence in our community. Our Community Service Program provides opportunities for students to examine their own faith and to develop the leadership skills of living it out in the contemporary world while developing significant relationships with those served. Our Religious Education curriculum works to complement spiritual formation by developing the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of Christian faith, values, and service among our students. At the very core of these formation programs is the Ignatian exercise of cura personalis (Latin meaning "care of the whole person"). The relationships formed within these programs foster a culture of "faith and service" and are a vital expression of our school's reason for being. |
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