First of its kind Catholic trade high school debuts in Houston

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 16, 2024 / 09:00 am

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has opened a first of its kind Catholic trade school for high schoolers in Texas’ largest city.

Called St. Peter Catholic, the school officially opened this past fall with an inaugural class of 10 students. Having just completed renovations and moved into its 10-acre campus this spring semester, the faculty at St. Peter’s believe the school’s unique education style positions it to achieve “a high standard of education while focusing on character building and faith formation” to produce “highly qualified and motivated young adults, ready to engage the world.”

Billed as a co-ed “career and technical high school,” St. Peter’s offers students a hands-on, practical curriculum in the fields of information technology, education, architecture, construction, business, marketing, and finance, all rooted “in the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith.” 

St. Peter’s stands on the grounds of a shuttered kindergarten through eighth grade parochial school in southeast Houston, a part of the city that, like the school, is being transformed as Houston’s population continues to grow.

While dioceses across the country close and consolidate parishes and schools, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston decided to try a different approach to attract more students to a Catholic education.

An announcement letter signed by Houston’s archbishop, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, and the archdiocese’s superintendent of Catholic schools, Debra Haney, indicated that the new school will “educate its students in the Catholic intellectual tradition while preparing them for jobs that are in high demand in today’s technology-driven economy.”

“St. Peter Catholic High School will mirror the workplace and post-secondary education environments, equipping students to enter the workforce through opportunities to earn professional certifications,” DiNardo and Haney said.

By allowing students to have “hands-on experience with industry-standard software and technology,” they said that their goal is to help students graduate as professionally competent and virtuous young people “who will bear witness to Jesus Christ in the world.”

This comes amid major skilled labor shortages in the U.S. and a growth of interest in the trades among many families. Several Catholic trade schools have opened across the country in the last several years, including in Orange County, California; Steubenville, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Gallup, New Mexico.

Leaders of these new Catholic trade schools have said they are offering a new path for students who don’t want to take on crippling debt from traditional four-year colleges by training them in a skill, cultivating their faith, and doing it all affordably.

St. Peter’s in Houston, however, is unique in that it offers a professionally focused Catholic education to students at the high school level.

The school’s principal, Dr. Marc Martinez, and other organizers are hoping that by focusing on technical skills, faith formation, and making St. Peter’s education affordable for families, the school will have a positive impact for generations to come.

In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Martinez said he’s hopeful the school will enroll another 50 students in the fall and then continue growing from there. The school is holding an open house for interested parents and students on Saturday, Feb. 17. More information can be found by clicking here.

Though still in an early stage of development, the faculty at St. Peter’s hope they will be part of a new movement in Catholic education.

“Catholic schools are an important source of strength, hope, and opportunity to our families and their children,” St. Peter’s website states. “No institution has been more successful than the Catholic school system in leading generations out of poverty to bright, promising, and fulfilling lives.” 

“In a couple of years,” DiNardo said in a St. Peter’s promotional video, “we will say what we are starting today is an important dimension of Catholic education, educating the whole child no matter what particular career they go in.”