Building a Stronger Future for Catholic Education: A Call for Collaboration with Homeschooling Families

Take the survey here

The Saint John Henry Newman Institute exists to accelerate the renaissance of Catholic education. Founded just over three years ago, our journey began by strengthening long-standing relationships forged during the decade-long renewal of Sacred Heart Academy and parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Recently, we've turned our focus to building new relationships to foster collaboration with the worldwide movements of Catholic education renewal flourishing over the past two decades. One of our core strategies is to retrieve practical wisdom from the Catholic Intellectual Tradition while promoting innovation that responds to our current circumstances. We are always looking for opportunities to make a disproportionately positive impact on the formation of souls—one of the most vital missions of the Church. From our collective experience working alongside dozens of communities and institutions, we have seen firsthand that faithful Catholic homeschooling organizations and families are among the most fruitful sources of authentic renewal in Catholic education. A model that honors the role of parents as the primary educators of their children naturally leads to vibrant Catholic communities and an abundance of vocations. Over the past year, Church leaders have increasingly reached out to us to learn from our experience of running a parish and school that intentionally ministers to homeschooling families as a central part of its mission. Despite some recent headlines suggesting otherwise, there is a growing interest among priests, bishops, and lay leaders in understanding and supporting homeschooling within the context of Catholic education. This is a hopeful sign for the future of Catholic education, and it strengthens our conviction that there is real value in working with Church leaders to develop effective ways to engage homeschooling families. At the heart of this work is our goal to help Church leaders gain a broader vision of education—one that equips them with practical tools to support Catholic families as they discern the formation of their children. This approach will empower leaders to engage meaningfully with homeschooling families and help foster greater collaboration between the Church and the vibrant homeschooling communities that are so vital to the future of Catholic education. To assist in this effort, we are gathering insights from homeschooling families, homeschooling organizations, priests, bishops, and lay educational leaders to better understand the experiences and attitudes surrounding Catholic homeschooling and the Church. To that end, we’ve created a brief survey (linked to this email) and would be grateful for your thoughtful responses. Your input will help us paint an accurate picture of the relationship between homeschooling families and the Church, and it will guide our efforts to build a more fruitful relationship in the years to come.  

Take the survey here