Spiritual Life | St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School
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Spiritual Life

The Dominican Community of Schools is a dynamic community of believers. As a Catholic school, faith is our cornerstone. With Jesus at the center, our goal is to instill Catholic moral values, to encourage the practice of ethical behavior, and to support the spiritual growth of all students.

Part of the Dominican spirit means accepting and welcoming faculty and students of other denominations. Everyone is felt to be a part of the whole. Every child brings something from the experience of faith in his/her life, and every child has a gift to give.

While religion and theology are part of the curriculum, the teachings of faith cross into other areas, infusing discussion of ethical issues in science and points of view in literature. Faith fosters the feeling of community on campus and motivates service to others.

The Dominican Pillars

The spirit of the Dominican Sisters has formed and guided the students, faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees since the school’s foundation. The Dominican  Pillars provide a foundation for students, sustaining the unique St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School experience.

Prayer

Students attend Mass and participate in class retreats, reconciliation services, and prayer services. Even our youngest ECC students participate in weekly chapel time. The full-time Director of Dominican Catholic Identity is involved in every facet of student and faculty life, and the school has a wonderful partnership with the Dominican priests at St. Peter Catholic Church who serve as our chaplains.

Study

Our students study and excel in their classrooms with the goal of becoming people who will influence the world for good through their love of knowledge. Our vision is that the graduate of St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School will pursue excellence and life-long learning in order to provide the leadership necessary to make the world a better place.

Community

We build community in our classrooms, on our sports teams, in our student organizations, and through social events sponsored by the school. We recognize that the community continually shapes, supports, and challenges each individual.

Service

Community service is a guiding principle for all our students. We want our students to recognize they are called by faith to service – that means giving their talents and time - their personal commitment. From our youngest students to our Upper School, our students lead and participate in a wide variety of service projects.

 
Catechesis of the Good Shepard

At St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School, we embrace the fact that an individual’s faith formation journey starts at a very young age.  A child’s relationship with God begins as a natural curiosity and is fostered by the adults around them. Our religious program for grades PK2-2ndgrade, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), makes Christ visible to our students through exploration and discovery. 

 

St. Agnes and St. Dominic students in grades K-8 gather every Friday morning to celebrate Mass, and our Upper School students celebrate a Dominican Hour every Wednesday that includes a focus on our Dominican Pillars.  Our students in PK2-Kindergarten share weekly time in the Chapel. All St. Agnes and St. Dominic students celebrate Mass as a community several times each year including all Holy Days of Obligation, as well as Feasts that celebrate our Dominican Heritage. Parents, grandparents, and alumni are welcome to join us for our weekly Mass celebrations.

The spiritual heart of our campus is found in our beautiful St. Catherine Chapel located in Siena Hall. The chapel features 13 historic stained glass windows depicting Dominican saints. The windows, which were designed in 1911, hung in the chapel at the school’s original location on Vance in downtown Memphis. The windows were brought out of storage and carefully restored when the new chapel was built in 1998. The windows are a visual communication of the Dominican spirit of truth exemplified in the lives of the Dominican saints.

The Four Pillars of the Dominican Charism - Study, Prayer, Community, and Service - provide a foundation for all students, sustaining the unique St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School experience.

To highlight the importance of the pillars in daily life, the school established the Dominican Torch Awards to recognize those students who exhibit, by their example, the four pillars of the Dominican charism: Prayer, Study, Community, and Service. Twice a year, students in grades K-12 are nominated for this honor by their classmates and teachers, and the awards are presented to the students during two all-school Mass celebrations. Click  to read more about our Torch Award recipients

Find out more about St. Agnes Academy

Find out more about St. Dominic School

Spiritual Resources

School Prayer

Loving God, let thy blessings be upon St. Agnes Academy St. Dominic School. Help us to seek the truth, to stand up for the rights of others, and to promote justice, respect, and peace in our school and world communities. Inspire with love and goodness both those who teach and those who learn. Give us the grace to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, loving and forgiving of others. We ask these gifts in Jesus’ name through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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