By Brendan D. Towell • Posted April 23, 2026

There was a moment during a recent visit to SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School that has stayed with me. A senior named Anthony, speaking plainly and without pretense, said something I have not been able to shake: “Our school has become so familiar that people can sometimes forget it’s even an option.”

He wasn’t criticizing. He wasn’t complaining. He was naming something (quite honestly) that many of us have felt but perhaps never put into words. And he’s right.

Not just about Neumann Goretti, but about Catholic education more broadly. For generations, Catholic schools have been woven into the fabric of our neighborhoods. They were never distant or exclusive — they were right there! They were on the corner or affiliated with a feeder parish. They were known, trusted, steady. So steady, in fact, that they risked becoming invisible.

Familiarity, over time, can dull our sense of wonder. What is always present can begin to feel optional. What has always been available can be mistaken as something we have already fully understood. But we haven’t.

It would be easy to hear that student’s observation and feel a certain frustration. After all, for so many (teachers, administrators, pastors, families) this has never been forgotten. They have dedicated their lives to these schools. They have sacrificed for them. They have believed in them, even when others seemed to look elsewhere.

There is a temptation, then, to respond with annoyance or even a slight sense of “we’ve been here all along!” But that’s not what I’ve seen when I visit our schools.

What I have seen, again and again, is not resentment but invitation — a quiet confidence, a readiness to welcome,  a willingness to begin again with each new family, each new student, as if for the first time.

Because at its heart Catholic education is not simply offering a product, it is extending an invitation into something deeper and much more human. Something, ultimately, rooted in a relationship with Jesus.

We believe that this call to relationship is universal. It belongs to every student, every family, every human heart. And while many educational systems do extraordinary work, they are often limited (either by design or by hesitation) from naming that deeper purpose directly. Catholic schools are not.

We can speak it. We can live it. And, at our best, we can accompany young people toward it. That is the adventure!

Not just education for success, but formation for meaning. Not just preparation for a college or a career, but preparation for a life rightly ordered — one mind and heart intent on the will of God.

In many ways, Catholic education is like a classic work of literature. It’s the kind everyone references and everyone assumes they know. It’s the kind that sits on the shelf, not because it lacks value but because its value is so widely acknowledged that it is rarely rediscovered firsthand.

Until someone finally picks it up! It is then that one realizes it is far richer than expected. That is where I believe the Church of Philadelphia is right now.

Across our schools, something is shifting. Families (Catholic and not) are beginning to look again, some for the first time and others with new eyes.

They are walking into our classrooms and discovering communities marked by joy, belonging, discipline, and purpose. They are encountering teachers who see their work not merely as a profession, but as a vocation. They are finding spaces where young people are not only educated, but known.

In short, they are rediscovering what was never lost, only overlooked. This moment is not about reinvention. It is about reintroduction. We do not need to become something entirely new. We need to become visible again, to tell our story clearly and to invite families not to assume, but to experience.

Because the truth is this: Catholic education has always been here. Steady. Faithful. Formative. A gift in plain sight. The question now is whether we will see it again, and whether we will help others to do the same.

Start by taking a fresh look. Visit the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Schools website and explore what is available. Better yet, stop by your local school (or your own alma mater). Call ahead and schedule a tour. If you have a middle school student, consider a shadow day.

So let’s really listen to Anthony at Neumann Goretti and encourage a family you know, regardless of their known religious affiliation, to take a closer look at our schools once more. Offer support where you can, whether through time, advocacy, or a financial gift.

Most importantly, do something all of us can do: pray. Pray for our students. Pray for our teachers and leaders. Pray for the continued strength and renewal of our schools.

Because what has always been here is still here. And it is worth discovering again.

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Brendan D. Towell serves as the Director of Spirituality and Mission for the Secondary Schools and Schools of Special Education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.