Blog: The Timeless Value of a Catholic Education

By Francisco M. Espinosa, Jr., Principal

For Advent season, Francisco M. Espinosa, Jr., Principal of Father Ryan High School, shares his reflections on the role Father Ryan’s Catholic traditions and mission play in the education and character formation of each student.

Many parents ask me about the value of a Catholic education. My answer has not changed in the 30-plus years I have been an educator at Catholic high schools. The true value of a Catholic education is it is a gift for a lifetime, not only for the student but for humanity.

Our goal as a Catholic school is to educate and develop young people who understand the responsibility to contribute to the greater good of this world and share the good news. I truly believe Father Ryan offers this gift and has been for 100 years.

Developing the Whole Child: The Heart of the Father Ryan Mission

The core of a Catholic education is to develop the whole child, including their moral formation. We want students to understand they are made in the image and likeness of God and are responsible for sharing their God-given talents with others.

Every Monday, I lead a reflection of the Gospel for the whole school, and as children of God, our gifts are not ours to keep. The underlying purpose of my reflection is to help our students understand that everything we do—academics, extracurriculars, arts, athletics, service learning—is for students to grow and develop so they may bestow their gifts upon others.

When students join us in ninth grade, we are developing the adults waiting within them. Educating and developing the whole child to live a life of purpose and service is our goal for students of every faith. For a century, Father Ryan has fulfilled its mission, as well as the educational mission of the Catholic Church. We stand on the shoulders of those giants who came before us, but it is more than just the development of young people.

Faith formation and the creation of a moral character empower young people to understand they now have a voice. They have competence in who they are. They are confident in their abilities to serve this world, whether sharing the good news or taking care of the marginalized. A Catholic education gives them the skills, talents, and competence to embrace challenges and become the change they wish to see in this world.

The Father Ryan Difference: How Faith Shapes Our Students' Success

The benefit of a Catholic education is that it is a value-based education. When families invest in a private school, they want to know if there are value-adds to what they are spending on tuition. What are the benefits beyond the curriculum for students now, in college, and for the larger community?

At Father Ryan, the value-add is through our faith-based curriculum, our students become the next leaders, the next decision-makers, and the next good people of this world. Their contributions are limitless.

We intentionally connect students to their faith in our classrooms and labs, on our playing fields, through our House System, in our studios, and on our performing stages. Our robust faith program with daily Mass, spiritual retreats, programs, and events deepen their knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith. But it does not stop there.

Part of our faith tradition as an outreach of the Catholic Church is to meet the needs of every student. If students have academic challenges, we have personalized programming to help them succeed. For top-performing students, we have enrichment programs, AP classes, the new Dual Enrollment Program, and the Hayes Scholars Program to help them achieve their very best.

We expect excellence from every student, and our faith focus inspires them to embrace their potential. Our students have a chance to pray at the start of every school day and every class. They pray on athletic fields and before the opening night of the school play. Our faith is at the center of all we do at Father Ryan.

From Service Projects to Student-Led Initiatives: Shaping Future Leaders

Our faith traditions inspire us to be leaders in our communities, and a Catholic education is one of the best ways to prepare students to serve the world with purpose and empathy.

When students participate in community service, they understand the relevance of their formation and all the intangibles they are learning along the way. During my Monday reflections, I often challenge students that for us to truly understand what it means to be loved, we have to be willing to love each other. When our students are kind to others, help people, listen to, and are present for each other, they are showing their love for each other and for Christ and God.

These are differentiating faith-formation experiences. Because we are called to fall in love with God through the service of his people, our students view their faith through service and fellowship. The Catholic Church has not always mixed fun with fellowship, but we do now, and we certainly do at Father Ryan. We take service learning and helping our Nashville neighbors very seriously, and we genuinely enjoy serving the community.

Our service-learning requirements for graduation give intention and context for serving others. Students lead service projects, from within the House System to our successful Relay For Life annual event to benefit the American Cancer Society. Father Ryan is the world’s largest student-led Relay For Life event. In November, a committee of 40 students helped raise $142,000-plus to push our total dollars raised to $2 million. The Class of 2024 gave 13,855 service hours to our region and nation.

Students may think they are small in our world, but their commitment to service makes a tremendous impact on the lives of the people they serve. Our students embrace each other and welcome kids who are on the margins. In my first job at Saint Xavier High School, I remember a priest who would say to me, “Frank, today you will see Jesus.” As a 22-year-old new teacher, I wondered if he knew something I did not.

I quickly learned he meant that you never know when you will experience Jesus. There are days when our formation might not be so great, but the true mystery of our faith is we can see the eyes of Christ in our friends, co-workers, and people we are serving through their kindness. I experienced this watching our students open up to a young freshman girl who had challenges trusting and letting people in when she came to us this fall. Her classmates continued to be present for her, to open their arms to her at a time when she needed them the most, and now she is fully engaged in our community.

How Father Ryan Supports Students of All Faiths

A Father Ryan Catholic education is for students of every religious background. We welcome people of all faiths. An essential part of our formation is learning about other cultures and respecting differences, understanding we are all people of God who are called to be present and to serve.

We are a place where all people can belong. Our students belong to their graduating class, they belong to a House and Mentor Group, they belong to extracurricular groups and teams, and they belong to the Father Ryan community. Here they find a wholesome menu of opportunities to belong to something bigger than themselves.

Students outside the Catholic faith still come forward for communion at Mass but cross their arms to indicate they want a blessing, not the sacrament. They are not treated any differently if they are not Catholic. We go the extra mile to make sure every student understands that they matter.

It is interesting for me to see kids who are not of any faith tradition, but who, because of their Father Ryan experience, want to become Catholic. When they ask me about it, I encourage them to continue to be curious about this faith, to continue to learn more, and to talk to our teachers and parents to make sure this is really what they want to do.

Our Unique Approach to Spirituality: Diverse Faith Practices at Father Ryan

We are expanding opportunities for our community to deepen their faith, to listen and learn. This Advent season, we have a new Advent daily reflection book written by both students and adults at our school.

In October, we held our first-ever Spanish Mass. We struggled a bit with balancing the combination of Spanish and English, but students were interested to hear the priest speak in Spanish. Our students played instruments and sang in Spanish, and when they finished, they received an ovation I have not seen in the 15 months I have been at Father Ryan.

Some of our students have written prayers, and I hope to create a prayer book to be used in our classrooms. Teachers take students to different locations on campus to pray, such as the Grotto or St. Joseph statue. The focus becomes less about being Catholic and more about engaging in prayer and knowing your prayer is heard. I recently explained to a few students about the Trappist monks in Kentucky, who, as part of their responsibility, pray for balance in the world. How wonderful it is to know that people from different places in this country and world are praying for us!

We take every opportunity to offer our students the chance to know their value and remove these blind spots about church, faith, and formation. They are important. We value them. They are part of the links in the chain connecting us all together. This is what makes a Catholic education innovative: providing opportunities for students to experience faith and opportunities that allow them to ask questions and seek greater understanding.

The Importance of Faith-Based Education in Today's World

Catholic schools equip students for success in a complex, often cynical world. My faith gives me hope. Medicine, STEM, and technology were all created by individuals who were people of God using their strengths and talents. Sometimes those strengths and talents may not always be used appropriately, but I do believe that the original intent was designed to create a better life and world for the human race. We must continue to improve the world through our faith and formation.

The Father Ryan promise—You Will Be Known. You Will Be Loved—helps students understand they belong to something bigger than themselves. A faith-centered school with over 40 clubs and four levels of learning screams “Share your gifts and talents with this community to make us better.”

I also believe a solid faith foundation in Christ lifts you during difficult times. Having faith offers a greater perspective. Resiliency and a hope-filled certainty come out of life’s harder moments to become successful—another continual gift of a Catholic education.

About Mr. Espinosa

Mr. Espinosa joined Father Ryan in 2023, bringing over three decades of experience as an educator and administrator at Catholic schools. His most recent role was as Principal of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior, he was the Principal and Senior Vice President of Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Known for his innovation and collaboration, he has experience revitalizing purposeful and rigorous curriculum, developing faith and spiritual formation opportunities, and creating more diverse and inclusive school climates. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Louisville, M.Ed. in Secondary Education and Administration, and a Certification in School Leadership-Principalship, both from Spalding University, in Louisville.