The Educational Front Line
One transformed heart can tilt the world toward wonder.
I’ve labored in the field of Catholic education for almost twenty years, teaching both adults and young people. I’ve worked in amazing schools with faithful, competent, and supportive administrators, dedicated and collegial faculty, and incredible families. Yet, I can attest to this fact: so many of the professional development programs aimed at spiritual formation have fallen short, not for lack of desire on the part of both admin. and teachers, but because most programs are of necessity generic, and often prioritize pedagogy over personal growth.
Traditional professional development often misses the mark. Well-intentioned sessions on classroom strategies or curriculum updates focus on teaching as a technical skill, but often neglect the teacher's inner life. Even when formation is aimed specifically at the spiritual life, these cookie-cutter approaches deliver theoretical content, often to large groups, with little personalization or follow-up. Teachers leave inspired momentarily but soon revert to old habits, as the programs generally ignore the holistic demands of their vocation and the kind of tailored, individualized support and accountability required to enable sustainable growth.
Alongside parents, teachers stand on the front line of education. In addition to delivering academic content of the highest quality and maintaining engaged and well-ordered classrooms, Catholic educators are called upon to shape the minds, hearts, and souls of their students, guiding them along the path of holiness in the midst of the wildness of the world. Each day brings new challenges, and each day, teachers rise to meet students where they are and lead them where they should go (cf. Prov. 22:6). Educators exist in a highly dynamic and stressful environment – no two “work” days are the same because education, by its nature, is relational rather than transactional. Their calling transcends mere labor. And while the Church calls every man and woman universally to holiness, She expects from educators a level of heightened spiritual maturity and personal integrity necessary to be the kind of disciples students recognize as models and feel drawn to follow.
This high calling presents both a challenge and an opportunity to individual teachers and administrative leadership. To what extent are educators given the time, resources, and support to become those disciples, those living witnesses of the Gospel their teaching role demands? If Paul VI was correct in saying that we moderns are readier to listen to witnesses than we are to teachers, to what extent are educational leaders at school and diocesan levels helping their teacher corps become those witnesses? And if they are, how effective have those programs and protocols been? Have they borne fruit in the lives of teachers and, in turn, in the lives of their students and educational communities? How is their success being measured? Are they making saints?
Frontline Catholic Formation (FCF) emerges as a vital alternative, focusing on individualized formation to help teachers become authentic witnesses and disciples. By addressing each educator's unique journey to wholeness and holiness, FCF equips them to model integrated lives of faith for their students. In contrast to current offerings, FCF recognizes that effective Catholic education requires teachers who are formed as whole persons—spiritually, emotionally, and professionally. As Leo XIV noted in his recent apostolic letter Drawing New Maps of Hope, educators must always be open to a renewal of their pedagogical and methodological foundations, but “technical updates are not enough: it is necessary to cultivate a heart that listens, a gaze that encourages, and an intelligence that discerns” (§5.2). Teachers cannot give what they do not have, and what they are called to give beyond mere instruction is the powerful and transformative witness of their own lives.
Sacred Scripture underscores this need for teachers who are intentionally living the faith, inside the classroom and out. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is often cited in reference to education in the faith by parents, but applies equally to teachers: "These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (emphasis mine). A teacher walking in holiness draws others along that same path, where the faith is modeled in a tangible, lived-out way.
Every principal, pastor, and school leader understands the importance of faculty vitality, knowing that thriving teachers create thriving environments where the word of Christ dwells richly in hearts of the faithful (cf: Col 3:16). FCF integrates these principles, helping teachers cultivate the kind of holy and healthy habits that serve as the foundation for an integrated life of peace, joy, and fulfillment.
The Church’s documents on education reinforce this vision. Gravissimum Educationis declares that true education forms the whole person toward their ultimate end in God. It stresses the teachers' role in noting that the Catholic school depends upon teachers “almost entirely” for the accomplishment of its goals (§8), that teachers need "special qualities of mind and heart" to foster students' apostolic vocations (§5). The letter then goes on to exhort teachers to live in such a way that they “by their life as much as by their instruction bear witness to Christ, the unique Teacher”(§8). Only a disciple can disciple.
So how do we do it? The FCF protocol begins with each teacher taking an honest spiritual and wellness assessment. The CEPHAS (Catholic Educator Pathway to Holiness Assessment System) — developed by Jim Owens, a Catholic behavioral scientist with 20+ years of clinical experience and who is currently earning a PhD in Christian Counseling, and informed by a team of seasoned teachers and experienced school administrators — provides educators, coaches, and other leaders in Catholic schools with individualized feedback in three domain-specific areas, founded upon the Great Commandment: Love of God, Love of Neighbor, and Love of Self. The assessment and subsequent individualized report highlight areas of strength and potential growth. From there, FCF provides each teacher with a toolkit of specific habits, measures, and spiritual practices that align with their current place on the path to holiness.
Aggregate data from the reports (anonymized for privacy) is also provided to principals, administrators, and superintendents to allow for a more targeted selection of professional development programs, school-specific health and holiness initiatives, and modified institutional protocols and practices. For example, if a school’s aggregate data points to the need for teachers to cultivate a healthier work-life balance, principals might focus PD on the importance of physical and psychological wellness prior to or in concert with explicit spiritual formation or classroom management. Or, the aggregate report might indicate strong knowledge of the faith among faculty, but also indicates that teachers aren’t necessarily feeling fed by the sacraments, which could diminish their participation in the sacramental life of the Church.
Again, Paul VI, this time in Evangelii Nuntiandi (§76) notes: "The witness of life has become more than ever an essential condition for real effectiveness” in both teaching and preaching. “Educating Together in Catholic Schools” (2007) calls for "serious and credible witnesses" in educational communities (§22). Catholic teachers themselves need “a formation of the heart” and that “it is only in this way that they can make their teaching a school of faith, that is to say, a transmission of the Gospel, as required by the educational project of the Catholic school” (§25).
The mission of FCF isn't primarily pedagogical. Instead, it fosters the development of integrated lives: balancing prayer, work, and rest, so educators model discipleship for students. This approach yields transformative results. Teachers report deeper prayer lives, reduced burnout, and stronger classroom witness. Students benefit from authentic role models, leading to vibrant faith communities. Schools see higher retention and evangelization, with graduates living faith boldly.
Implementing FCF is straightforward for principals and administrative leadership. The program offers flexible customizable tools to respond to individual school needs. No extensive training required; principals can launch it with minimal setup, integrating it into existing schedules. Diocesan alignment ensures compliance, and ongoing feedback loops provide support. Costs are scalable, with grants available for smaller institutions.
In an era marked by a crisis of meaning and identity across every demographic, Catholic schools need formation that works. FCF delivers, turning teachers into beacons of hope and powerful role models, witnessing what it means to live lives of discipleship in response to God’s grace. Schools adopting it report renewed vitality: classrooms where Scripture comes alive, hearts are formed, and faith thrives. For any diocese or school seeking authentic growth, FCF is the answer—proven, practical, and profoundly Catholic. Explore it today; the future of faith formation depends on it.
