The rest falls along beautifully. We are first a Catholic school, then an academic school. Faith is the reason the Catholic schools were brought into existence in the first place, said Mary Anne Butler, principal at Blessed Sacrament. Catholic schools were started to teach religion to immigrants who had moved to this country. Faith should be a lived experience.
Religion is expressed by study and participation at Catholic schools.
For example, it's the norm to have prayer before classes, said Sister Mary Assunta Desposito, principal of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School on Wilmington Island. In the formative grades, education consists of a simple message. By third-grade, students learn about their responsibilities in the church, that they are people of God. Family values are emphasized in the fifth grade. Students focus on all the sacraments, such as baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, marriage.