PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES BEGINS NEW MODEL FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND FUNDING
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC | BY MEG WATERS
BISHOP KEVIN VANN VISITS WITH ST. ANNE CATHOLIC SCHOOL (SANTA ANA) STUDENTS DURING MUSIC CLASS. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES
IT’S A NATIONAL TREND that has many U.S. Catholic educators concerned: declining Catholic school enrollment.
In the past 10 years, Catholic school (PK-12) enrollment in the U.S. has fallen 14 percent, losing more than 281,000 students, according to the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA).
LA PURÍSIMA CATHOLIC SCHOOL (ORANGE) STUDENTS SHOW THEIR LOVE FOR OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES
In the Diocese of Orange, a new network of Catholic K-8 schools, Pax Christi Academies, is working to buck that trend.
“We are in an age and a time where we have to take a look at things in a different way,” said Bishop Kevin Vann. “Pax Christi Academies allows a network of our Catholic schools to work together, share resources and support each other to serve our students.”
Pax Christi Academies began after an analysis of the financial health of diocesan schools, which found that in the past 20 years eight schools in the Diocese were closed, and many of the schools in North and Central Orange County were only 60 percent full.
YOUNG STUDENTS FROM ST. BARBARA CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA SMILE FOR THE CAMERA.
“We didn’t view these schools as liabilities but as assets and opportunities for growth,” said Fr. Angelos Sebastian, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Diocese of Orange. “We’re grateful that Bishop Vann had the vision to dream big and support the creation of Pax Christi Academies.”
While many diocesan schools were working well under the current governing structure, it became clear that certain schools needed a new governance model to turn the situation around, said Steve Cameron, chairman of the Pax Christi Academies board of directors. Thus, Pax Christi Academies was born.
“Pax Christi Academies will focus heavily on excellence and accountability while supporting teachers and students to reignite their faith and love of Catholic education,” Cameron said. “We think of it as a new way to form saints.”
Pax Christi Academies includes five schools under a stand-alone nonprofit created to support and promote Catholic education in the Diocese of Orange. It has its own governing board of directors and management and raises funds independently.
The Pax Christi Academies schools include La Purísima, Orange; St. Justin Martyr, Anaheim; and in Santa Ana, St. Anne, St. Barbara and St. Joseph.
When the board first met in late 2022, the first order of business was to establish four foundational pillars of faith, intellect, character and citizenship, which drives curriculum and aims to serve children with a broad spectrum of needs, from those with learning challenges to the exceptionally gifted. Most importantly, the board of directors focused on fundraising so that any student, regardless of his or her family situation, can obtain a top-quality Catholic education.
In fact, under the Pax Christi Academies model, the board is evaluating the eight closed diocesan schools with the aim to reopen them, a goal contrary to the national trend of Catholic school closures.
“From my research, the model we have developed is unique among Catholic schools in the U.S.,” Cameron said. “I think this can be the way forward for many dioceses that struggle to provide Catholic education to any family who desires the blessings of Catholic teaching for their children.”
Early this year, Cameron and the board also initiated a national search for an accomplished educational leader to serve as president, implement the Pax Christi vision and lead the management team. The board found their ideal leader in Dr. Christina Arellano, who took the helm of Pax Christi schools on July 1. She is unusual in Catholic education as she has both significant educational accomplishments and solid business acumen. Dr. Arellano is entrepreneurial and had a successful career in business before she went into education.
She has a master’s degree in Catholic School Administration, holds an MBA in finance and a doctorate in Educational Leadership.
“Pax Christi Academies’ promise is to form saints,” Dr. Arellano said. “Our commitment to blend strong academics with our Catholic faith fosters intellectual and spiritual growth, while nurturing a virtuous life.”
Unique in the Pax Christi approach is using data to establish measurable metrics. By analyzing data that is constantly collected, Dr. Arellano said she, her team and the board can make data driven decisions swiftly to support program success, improve student performance, analyze enrollment patterns and evaluate faculty effectiveness.
So far, the reaction from the five school principals has been very positive. Elva Pelayo, principal at St. Justin Martyr, said recently, “Pax Christi is a huge blessing. Since I first heard about it, I knew it would work. God answered all my prayers, and everything I wanted for the kids is happening.”
Bishop Vann is also enthusiastic about the prospects that lie ahead: “Pax Christi Academies strengthens and continues the mission we’ve had for years: to provide excellent Catholic education so students may live out their faith and share it with the world.”
For more information about Pax Christi Academies, please visit www.paxchristiacademies. org.
