Dominican spirituality centers on four pillars of Christian life: prayer, study, community, and service. These 4 pillars are woven throughout daily life at St. Cecilila.
Prayer
One of the key elements in forming the bond of unity between the members of the St. Cecilia community is the union we share with God that is nurtured by prayer. Every school day begins with and is punctuated by prayer, including reflection on the Scriptures, prayer to open classes, the noon Angelus, and the availability of our chapel as a special place for a personal encounter with God at any time of the day. Monthly we come together for the celebration of Mass and for First Friday Adoration. Opportunities for class Masses in the chapel during the week and for Masses before school enrich the faith life of students and of the broader community of family and friends.
The school community participates in an annual All-School Retreat day, as well as retreats designed for individual classes. The Rosary and Stations of the Cross enable students to contemplate more deeply the events of the life of Christ, Who is at the heart of our life of prayer.
Study
In the rich Dominican tradition, study is embraced as a pursuit of truth that ultimately leads us to God, the Source of all Truth. All academic learning is, therefore, both enriching and ennobling of the mind and heart. The Religion Department works in harmony with the other departments to maintain an environment that allows students to discover and cherish the fundamental complementarities of faith and reason.
Community
From its beginning eight centuries ago, the Dominican Order has lived out its charism in community. At St. Cecilia Academy, opportunities abound to deepen one’s life of faith by sharing it with others, from discussions within the classroom to pilgrimages across the country. St. Cecilia’s students come from a variety of faith backgrounds and find in the classroom a forum for open exchange of ideas and mutual enrichment, as well as a thorough presentation of the teachings of Jesus Christ as handed down by the Catholic Church. The deepening of the students’ faith within St. Cecilia enables them to more fully give of themselves to the broader communities to which they belong.
Service
Encouraged to see all of their talents as gifts given to them by God for the service of others, the students of St. Cecilia Academy actively reach out to others. Each class, club, and organization plans service projects related to its goals as an organization. Every student completes a service project each quarter. The forms of service vary widely, but they cover the whole range of works of mercy lived and preached by Jesus Christ. St. Cecilia students serve at such agencies as Room in the Inn, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities, House of Mercy, and many others. While their outreach benefits those they serve, the students themselves benefit profoundly from their lived experience of the Catholic social teaching that we only find ourselves through a sincere gift of ourselves.
