Mission, Vision & Core Values

MISSION

In accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church and in the Dominican tradition of prayer, study, community, and service, Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School is a college preparatory school committed to the ethical formation of youth in the pursuit of Veritas (Truth).

Philosophy:

In order to carry out our Mission and pursue Veritas (Truth), we:

Center all we do on Jesus Christ, “the way the Truth and the Life”(John 14:6).
Pray together as a school community and deepen our personal relationship to Jesus Christ and his Church.
Study with academic rigor, preparing our students for college and life, discovering the beauty, goodness, and truth in God’s creation. In particular, through the study of Bioethics, we teach the implications of the fundamental truth of the dignity of each human person, created in the image and likeness of God.
Based on these truths, we build community and serve one another in imitation of Christ.

VISION

The John Paul faculty and staff are committed to:

Providing an environment in which every student's profound dignity is affirmed, thus enabling them to grow in the knowledge of their worth as creatures made in God's image and invited to share divine life with Him.
Providing an environment in which the Catholic faith is vibrant so that students can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and are motivated to take an ever more active role in his Church.
Cooperating with our students' parents and families, recognizing them as the primary educators of their children.

Saint John Paul the Great is a high school of the Diocese of Arlington, founded under the leadership of now-retired Bishop Paul S. Loverde. As a Diocesan School, we prepare each student for a life of faith, service, and integrity.

To learn more about the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, and Bishop Michael Burbidge, please visit http://www.arlingtondiocese.org/.

CORE VALUES

Prayer

Jesus taught us to “pray always” (Luke 18:1). As a Catholic faith community, Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School strives to participate fully in the spiritual life of the Church in the Sacraments and devotions. Sacramentally, the school attends Mass as a community weekly with the opportunity for Mass daily. Confessions are frequently offered and always available through the Chaplain. Daily, we join together in prayers, both as a school and in individual classes. On Fridays, we have all-day Adoration. Individual clubs participate in other types of prayer, such as Scriptural study, the rosary, and novenas. Through prayer, our students have the opportunity to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Study

Study is not just an academic endeavor, but is the place where we live out the axiom: Fides quaerens intellectum (Faith seeking understanding). God created us with an intellect that is deepened through study so that we might come to know God better in revelation and through the world that He has created. We cultivate self-discipline and a desire to know the truth in all subjects of study. We value a strong academic program that enables students to expand their ability to think clearly in and outside of the classroom. As a student searches for Veritas (Truth), God, the Source of all Truth, will be found.

Community

At Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, sharing faith and life is part of the overall program of formation. Just as the early Christians lived their faith in union with one another, the Saint John Paul the Great community strives to provide a welcoming place where students, teachers, parents, staff, and administrators can grow in truth and love by sharing a life of faith and culture, especially in our House System. Our House System provides the opportunity for each student, teacher, and staff member of the school community to belong to a smaller group within the broader community. Relationships are the foundation to building community as is essential to the Dominican tradition.

Service

One of the chief principles of the Dominican order: Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere (To contemplate and to give to others the fruits of contemplation) is not simply an exercise of prayer, but action that stems from encountering the God of Love. Charity is essential to sharing the truth of the Gospel by living out the perfection of grace given to us by God. In this Truth (VERITAS), we are encouraged to see all talents as gifts given to us by God for the service of others. Our goal is to develop a true sense of service within each student so that each will put his gifts at the service of others. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10) Our goal is to encourage students to participate in person-to-person service by one’s own volition. The forms of service vary, but they cover the whole range of works of mercy lived and preached by Jesus Christ.