Our Mission
St. Francis de Sales School, serving families of preschoolers through 8th grade, is an authentically Catholic school. We are a dynamic crossroad where spiritual virtue meets scholastic excellence. We are a strong and loving community within which Jesus is encountered daily, discipleship is fostered, critical-thinking is celebrated and joy abounds.
We believe:
- Students should be provided with knowledge and an appreciation of the Catholic religion and an opportunity to live according to its principles.
- All children can learn. Perhaps they learn in different ways and we should provide them with a variety of instructional approaches to support their learning.
- Each student is a valued individual with unique physical, social, emotional, spiritual and intellectual needs.
- A student’s self-esteem is enhanced by positive relationships and mutual respect among and between students and staff.
- Teachers, administrators, parents, students, and the community share in the responsibility for advancing our mission and for creating a positive impact on the greater community.
- That the commitment to continuous improvement is imperative if our school is going to enable students to become confident, self-directed, lifelong learners.
Our Parish
St. Francis de Sales is a Roman Catholic Parish in the Diocese of Columbus. Our aim is to be an open and inviting parish that shares what we believe as Catholics and invites others to join us on this journey of faith. We are inspired by St. Francis de Sales and his book, Introduction to the Devout Life. St. Francis has an ability to speak in a relational way the fullness of God’s Truth with compassion and accessibility. In the same way, we are called to the basic mission statement of Christ’s Catholic Church: To make disciples and disciple makers.
We encounter the Jesus in Word and Sacrament, most especially in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We encourage faith in our Lord through prayer, community interaction, education, and the spiritual formation of both children and adults. The love of God enlivens our hearts and we bear witness to the Gospel with lives of worship, evangelism and service.
Our Catholic Faith
St. Francis has always been committed to providing an authentic Catholic education. We are proud to be a Catholic school.
- Religion is taught daily. The “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” program is offered to preschool and kindergarten students.
- All-School Mass is celebrated every Thursday morning. Our Upper and Lower School alternates a celebration of Mass on Friday mornings. Parents are always encouraged to attend.
- All students participate in rotating weekly spiritual exercises on Wednesday afternoons including Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, Lectio Divina meditation and open-forum faith Q&A with Fr. Dave.
- Every morning and afternoon, students and faculty pray together.
- Christian service projects are undertaken and completed quarterly, in each grade and as a whole school.
- Missionaries from Damascus Mission Camp visit with our students monthly and we schedule an annual NET Ministries visit.
- We are proud of our robust Youth Ministry programming including both evening and school-day activities.
- We create ongoing retreat opportunities including offsite retreats for students in grades 6 - 8 and Vacation Bible School for our elementary students.
- We foster practical application of behaviors borne of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit through monthly recognition of students who portray the monthly theme of charity, generosity, joy, gentleness, peace, faithfulness, kindness, self-control, and chastity.