ABOUT

A Message from the Pastor
 

Our goal is to work together with our parents to help our students learn, grow and develop to their full potential spiritually, academically, morally, physically and emotionally.

We do this by forming the student in freedom for excellence and guiding their transformation in Christ through grace and virtue.

- Msgr. John Cihak, S.T.D.

“First and foremost, every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who, in Jesus Christ, reveals his transforming love and truth.”

Pope Benedict XVI

We are thrilled to be partnering with the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE) at the direction of Archbishop Sample, in order to bring the Catholic intellectual tradition to life at Christ the King Parish School. So much great work has happened over the last 3-4 years to deepen the Catholic Identity of our school and to bring students and families to a personal encounter with Christ. The next step in that work is to shift our philosophy of education at Christ the King from one of following the typical secular standards to that of Catholic Liberal Education, where God is the center of all knowledge.

Educating the whole child is the purpose of Catholic Education. A liberally educated student will know how to think and reason and will have the freedom to grasp the truth of things and to order his or her life to that Truth. By experiencing the Catholic intellectual tradition of Liberal Education, our students will become precise thinkers with nimble minds. They will have a greater mastery of language and mathematics because they will learn them in an ordered and comprehensive way where faith and learning are united.

We are excited to answer the call of Archbishop Sample and offer a Catholic Liberal Education to our students, so they will know and value what is true and good and beautiful. This three-year philosophy shift at CTK will begin next year (23-24) with a focus on History and Language, with teachers using story and literature in a more prominent and intentional way. 

Our governance, as of now, comes directly from Archbishop Sample, with the Department of Catholic Schools in a supporting role. Our School Advisory Council will be replaced by a Principal's Advisory Team, following the Amazing Parish model.

Although we are the first school in the Archdiocese of Portland to make this shift, we will not be the last. We are blessed to have the opportunity to educate your children with God truly at the center of it all.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Monsignor Cihak Homilies:
  • Catholic Schools' Week 1/29/23
  • Our Catholic Faith and Education 5/7/23
• Institute for Catholic Liberal Education:
  • Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE) Website
  • "Renewing Catholic Schools: How to Regain a Catholic Vision in a Secular Age" 
  • "Renewing Catholic Education: A Guide for Parents" 
  • "The Joy of Education Report" 
  • "What is Catholic Liberal Education?"
  • "Good News Handout" 
• The Joy and Wonder of Catholic Education: The Meaning of Things "In addition to boatloads of grace, it was a liberal arts education based in the 'Great Books' that made me a Catholic." Bishop James D. Conley
• The Holy See's Teaching on Catholic Schools by Archbishop J. Michael Miller
• Bishop Robert Barron Videos:
  • "The Future of Catholic Schools"
  • "Why the Liberal Arts"
• "Veteran Educator Outlines Her Vision for Reinvigorating US Catholic Schools" National Catholic Register
• "Our Hidden Treasure: The Catholic Vision of History" Timothy T. O'Donnell

Twice Weekly Mass, the Sacraments, and spiritual formation help to develop our students into faithful Catholics who love the Lord and know how to think. We strive for sainthood!