Ten Standards of Catholic Identity for High Schools

April 1, 2011

Dear High School Principal and President:

This last fall, on September 7, 2010, I issued the Ten Standards of Catholic Identity to which all the Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese shaped and developed last academic year. Several high schools have already engaged these standards as part of their sponsorship or accreditation process.

Besides the Ten Standards, for a school to be recognized as Catholic, the Archdiocese of Seattle requires, by policy, that all schools undergo a nationally-recognized accreditation and/or sponsorship process.

Now that this process has been successfully articulated and engaged, I write you to detail the follow-up steps following the school accreditation or sponsorship process:

1. Following the Visiting Team’s final report, the superintendent will review the findings of the Visiting Team, including observations from the Office of Catholic Faith Formation, regarding the schools’ Catholic Identity.
2. The superintendent reviews the self-study document as well as the observations of the Visiting Team and sends a letter with any comment(s) to those responsible for local oversight of the school. The recipient of this letter will vary based on ownership and sponsorship of the local Catholic school. In the case of Level I schools (those owned by the Archdiocese of Seattle), the superintendent will communicate directly with the school’s advisory board, principal and/or president on behalf of the Archbishop. In the case of Level II schools (those sponsored by lay boards or religious communities), the superintendent will send a letter to the religious order’s provincial or local board leadership.
3. A certificate of affirmation under Canon 803 will be issued by the Archbishop and presented to the school leadership at the May principal gathering at the same time we uplift and acknowledge the schools that successfully completed their accreditation process.

Again, I thank our high school leadership who have been working with our Ten Standards of Catholic Identity. This work lays the foundation for deepening our students and their families in becoming more engaged in the faith of the Church and the person of Jesus Christ.

With every best wish and blessing,

Yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Joseph J. Tyson
Auxiliary Bishop/Vicar General
Superintendent of Catholic Schools