Dear Parents,
About 50 years ago, Fr. Joseph Ratzinger gave his opinions on the future of the Church. Among other things, he said, “It seems certain to me that the Church is facing very hard times. The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals.” Later as Cardinal and then as Pope, he would express similar sentiments like the Springtime of Christianity being the necessarily preceded by the blood of the martyrs.
Most of us thought that the coming persecutions would be increasingly aggressive secular forces. This is certainly still at work in society, but now many people are realizing that the “upheavels” that would severely damage the Church are coming from within. Clearly there is a refusal in much of the Church hierarchy to acknowledge the systematic cover-up of sexual abuse and the gross immorality among some of its members. In some respects the future of the Church is very uncertain right now.
This uncertainty makes the mission of Holy Family Academy all the more important. Our mission is to help Catholic parents pass our Faith and heritage on to our children. We have to teach our children the truth of Catholic history and tradition so that we know from where we came. We need the lives of the saints and authentic Catholic heroes so we know who to imitate and follow. We need the beauty of virtue forged by the right use of freedom so that we know how to get to our destination. Most importantly, because we are a school, we need the richness of our Catholic intellectual tradition so that we can discern both the events of these confusing times and the mysteries of the Divine Kingdom.
In the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, monasteries preserved & developed the treasures of Catholic culture. We don’t have many monasteries left anymore. In these times it is up to Catholic families to preserve and develop true Catholic culture. Our mission is to help you do this.
Fifty years ago, Fr. Ratzinger also said this:
But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already, but the Church of faith. It may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but it will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man’s home, where he will find life and hope beyond death.
Holy Family Academy 