One school’s bold commitment to Eucharist-centered education
By Braeden Fallet
Director of School Marketing
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish and School
This time last year, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic School in Welby took a bold step to deepen its mission as a Catholic school: it began offering daily Mass for the students four out of five days a week.
“[It is] the clearest way to explain how our school is not merely a private school with a Catholic mascot,” Dr. Darin Lovelace, the school’s principal, explained. “We are committed to orienting our students to reality… There is nothing more good, true or beautiful than the love of God we encounter at Mass. Everything else we can possibly learn about the world points back to that love.”
This development was born from the heart of Father Nicholas Larkin, the parish’s pastor, who expressed his desire to lead students more deeply into the love of Christ, in both heart and mind.
“Our students are hungry for a deeper relationship with our Lord, and they desire to understand the Word of God and put it into practice,” he said.
Now that the new schedule has been in effect for a year, Father Larkin and Dr. Lovelace have seen abundant graces even amid the challenges of making the radical shift of reorganizing the school day around daily Mass.
From Father Larkin’s perspective, signs of spiritual growth are evident in the students, something he was convinced would be a fruit of this decision.
“I have seen the students deepen their capacity for silence, contemplation and remaining still,” he commented. “The peace that flows from the altar pours over them, and they carry that peace with them.”
Dr. Lovelace agreed, connecting that growth to a change in the tone of the school day.
“When we made the decision, I supposed that we would find students more able to settle into the school day. Having begun with the most important action we can do and giving space to center our lives together as a community, that has definitely been the case,” he shared.
Implementing such a change is not always easy from a logistical standpoint, Dr. Lovelace explained, because “the [reality] of our decision means that we often will need to adjust plans to make sure we can keep that commitment.”
But both he and Father Larkin are confident that the work has been worth it, as they have seen graces flow into the community in various ways.
“Our students have not only learned [the Sanctus, the Pater Noster, and the Agnus Dei in Latin] but sing them naturally and joyfully,” Father Larkin said. “I am always struck when students stop me to tell me they were pondering something I shared in the homily.”
Father Larkin also noted that the effects extend beyond the students into the larger school and parish community, even beyond the final school bell.
“Teachers will keep their students for a short period after Mass to give thanks. I notice that, on Sunday, those same students get their families to stay for a brief moment of quiet prayer at the conclusion of Mass,” he said. “I believe our parishioners are happy to see the students present and reverently participating in the Eucharistic celebration.”
Dr. Lovelace added that many of the students’ parents see the fruits, too, pointing to the various “comments of gratitude” he receives at monthly parent coffee meetings from parents thankful “that we as a school offer the experience of the Mass to our community every day.”
The daily school Mass and its accompanying spiritual shift have also been personally edifying for both Father Larkin and Dr. Lovelace. In fact, they shared that it has reinvigorated their work and vocations.
“This practice has altered how I approach my work,” Dr. Lovelace shared. “Throughout the day, I can — and frequently do — refer back to the sure presence of Jesus and his love for me in the Holy Sacrifice whenever I need reassurance or strength to face what is before me. This is a most tangible way to remind all of us of how we offer ourselves as educators to present Christ to our students through our vocations.”
Father Larkin ties his joy to doing his part to foster a diversity of future vocations, an aspect of his own vocation about which he is deeply passionate.
“One of my staff has been mentoring the boys who serve as acolytes for daily Mass. It has been a grace to watch the boys grow in their love for our Eucharistic Lord and take seriously the responsibility of serving Christ the Priest at the altar. I believe many vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and holy marriages will flow from this in time,” he shared.
Though daily school Mass may not yield immediate or obvious returns and presents logistical hurdles, Dr. Lovelace remains convinced that the move to center their community on the Eucharist was worth it.
“Graces are not always immediately visible, [but] we live confidently in the reality that we are being formed by our commitment,” he said.
The transformation already being seen at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary flows directly from the priority shown the Eucharist, Dr. Lovelace underscored.
“We don’t wish for students or staff to see the Mass as just one more item on the daily schedule, but the foundation of all else that we do. I encourage all teachers to connect the readings for the day, ideas from the homily, musical phrases and prayers to the ongoing moments of encounter in the classrooms,” he said.
When asked if he had any advice for other parochial schools that may be considering such a move, Father Larkin’s message was clear.
“I would encourage every pastor with a school to have their school community join them daily or even two or three times a week. The encounter we have with our Eucharistic Lord will be a treasure for them as they grow to be true disciples of Our Lord Jesus,” he shared, noting that the sacrifices in scheduling need not be especially disruptive. “Daily Mass can be reverent and quick and does not take that much time away from studies. I was adamant that recess times not be cut, [and] teachers gave up less than five minutes a class period.”
The stakes, he reiterates, are high, and the graces are worth the effort.
“The school is stronger in its Catholic identity and its intellectual formation because of this priority. The Eucharist has to be the heart of the school, or the school has zero hope of forming true missionary disciples of Jesus Christ,” he concluded.
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