‘Transformational’ Catholic college-prep program serves low-income families

CNA Staff, Oct 20, 2024 / 06:00 am

A network of 40 Jesuit Catholic schools around the U.S. is using a unique model to provide quality Catholic education and professional experience for students from low-income families.

The Cristo Rey Network implements a “Corporate Work Study” program that places students at professional jobs once a week during the school year, giving them job experiences while helping fund their education.

The network fills a gap in low-income neighborhoods where many Catholic schools have closed “because their tuition-based model has become unaffordable for families,” Father Jim Gartland, SJ, Cristo Rey Network’s chief mission and identity officer, told CNA.

“The need for accessible Catholic education is especially urgent in low-income neighborhoods, where the Catholic Church has historically been a pillar of support,” Gartland said. “While there is more funding in wealthier neighborhoods, it’s vital that all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have access to rigorous academics and a safe environment that Catholic schools provide.”

“Catholic, after all, means universal — and we’re committed to educating all people with excellence,” Gartland said.

A transformational education 

Jason Morrison, president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities in Minneapolis, said that being part of Cristo Rey Network means being part of a network that works to ensure “that every young person has access to the best education.”

“We can meet students where they are so they can work to achieve college readiness by the time they graduate, giving them choices in their postsecondary future,” Morrison told CNA. “They can choose their path without being forced into one because of a lack of opportunity.”

Morrison called the environment at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the Twin Cities “transformational.” 

“In addition to transforming the lives of our students and their families, we are transforming the status quo in education,” Morrison said.

With more than 3,000 corporate partners, the network connects students with professional industries, enabling students to get both a quality education and professional experience. Cristo Rey schools also offer college and alumni counseling for students. Cristo Rey Network’s students have an 100% college acceptance rate and average daily attendance rates of 96%, which more than doubles the local districts rates, Morrison noted. 

But the social isolation and remote schooling of the COVID-19 era set many students back, and at Cristo Rey in the Twin Cities, this affected students in both academic life and in the work study program. Gartland noted that the network is facing both a challenge and an opportunity: “adapting to the post-COVID hybrid work environment.” 

Morrison, along with Gartland and other network leaders, have been working to face this challenge. 

“We continue to adapt to new models while maintaining the impactful relationships our students form with employers,” Gartland said. “We’re constantly seeking ways to remain marketable in this changing landscape, ensuring corporate partners can continue to provide hands-on, transformative experiences for our students.”

Morrison said he looks to the founder of Cristo Rey Network, Father John Foley, SJ, for inspiration. 

“Father Foley, the network’s founder, has always challenged us never to be content with doing something small,” Morrison said.

School leaders are “investing in intensive intervention programming,” designed to help struggling students, Morrison noted. For the corporate work study program, school leaders are “looking to new markets for work for our students while rewriting the value proposition for new job types,” he added.

“This is who we are as a school and a network: a community committed to a growth mindset to ensure our students achieve their God-given potential,” Morrison said.

Catholic identity 

Cristo Rey Network has 40 college preparatory schools in 24 different states, totalling more than 12,300 students, Gartland told CNA. The schools work with religious sponsors ranging from the Jesuits to the Dominicans to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, who ensure the schools “are Catholic in identity and mission, true to the religious charism of their respective order,” Gartland said. 

Cristo Rey Network offers an approach that is “rooted in Catholic values, strengthens students’ knowledge and life skills while helping them fully realize their dreams for the future,” Gartland noted. 

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“What started as a single school in 1996 in Chicago has grown to 40 across the country,” Gartland said. “Our founding Midwest Jesuits never thought our first campus — Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, a culturally rich community known for its deep Mexican heritage — would expand nationwide with more schools opening year by year.”

“Our work is inspired by the belief that every student, especially those from low-income backgrounds, deserves a quality education that equips them for both college and the workforce,” Gartland noted. “Cristo Rey Network was founded to support economically disadvantaged families, offering students a path to success through education, professional development through relationships with corporate partners, and supporting our alumni to and through college.”

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is faith-centered and staff incorporate daily prayer, Morrison said. 

“Our Jesuit charism permeates every aspect of Cristo Rey from morning prayer to the daily practice of the examen to grounding each year in an Ignatian theme,” he said. “Our Catholic identity is a lived experience as we commit to ensuring all students graduate with the values of being open to growth, religious, intellectually competent, loving, committed to justice, and work-experienced.”

“For me, faith is what called me to this ministry,” Morrison continued. “A quote often attributed to St. Ignatius and St. Augustine is my guiding force: ‘Pray as though everything depends upon God, and act as though everything depends upon you.’” 

When asked what inspires him at Cristo Rey, Morrison said he “is inspired daily by our students, who dedicate themselves to achieving their dreams,” as well as the faculty and staff who “devote countless hours to creating an environment where all students are seen, valued, and heard.” He also takes inspiration from the corporate partners “who mentor our students and provide meaningful work model leadership,” as well as the generosity of the network’s donors.

“While each school certainly has its own unique environment, the network creates an opportunity for us to implement what might be working at another school and apply it locally,” Morrison said. “We truly can create a space where education is the great equalizer because of our ability to implement the network model within our local context.”

“Cristo Rey is a place where prayers of hope and love are realized, and where each community member owns their role in taking action to achieve greatness,” Morrison added.

Cristo Rey Network recently opened a Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle High School this school year, while a new Cristo Rey school in Orlando, Florida, is set to open in fall 2025. Plans for another possible Cristo Rey school in Charleston, South Carolina, are underway.