Instilling Catholic Values
The ACSS practices its mission by instilling Catholic values. At Roncalli, faith is central to everything we do. We can discuss it in any class. We practice it in our activities. It’s part of the air we breathe.
Our students form their faith through work in class as well as through the models they see in their teachers and classmates. Every K-12 student takes religion class every day. Students participate in the Mass as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, musicians, and gift bearers.
Our students, Catholic or not, have many opportunities to practice their faith. We pray in class, at weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and in weekly Mass. One of the most moving moments is when our athletic events end with our students in prayer-win or lose-often joined by fans from the crowd. Non-Catholic parents have told us that Roncalli religion classes have helped their children's relationship with Christ grow.
Volunteerism
Service to God and community puts faith into action, and Christian service is expected of students at all ages. Our students go over and above in their service to the Aberdeen community and have received several awards and recognitions for their service.
Every student, appropriate to their grade, is asked to spend a minimum number of hours volunteering. Half of these hours are spent in service to the church, the other half in the community at large. These include working at a food pantry, the school owned second hand store, shoveling snow, raking leaves, and other jobs.
Retreats
Starting at 7th grade and continuing through senior year, retreats are a big part of spiritual development at Roncalli. Each class has their own focused time together, either at a local home or one of the two local parishes. This is a special, beloved time for students, when they can grow closer to God.
