Sacred Heart Academy Grand Rapids, MI

The present crisis in education hinges on two questions: “Who is responsible for education?” and “What is education for?” At Sacred Heart Academy we believe, in faithfulness to the teaching of the Church, that parents are the first educators of their children and that schools are to minister to the needs of families.

We also believe the best education is that which prepares students to fulfill not only their particular vocations, but also the universal vocation to sanctity - the call God gives to each of us to become saints, loving and serving him both here and hereafter. Such an education, centered on renewed devotion to the sacraments and the richness of the classical tradition, will bring about a lasting renewal of Catholic culture in Grand Rapids and beyond.

In the face of national policies and plans, which advocate, as C.S. Lewis prophetically describes it, a “vast, overall movement towards...the elimination of every kind of human excellence - moral, cultural, social,” we recognize that the time is ripe for a return to an academically excellent, morally grounded education. Join us in this mission by learning more about our vision and considering full-time or part-time enrollment at Sacred Heart Academy.

May God bless you and your family in your discernment process.

Sean Nolan

Headmaster

snolan@shgr.org

Mission

Sacred Heart Academy is a Parish Apostolate of Sacred Heart of Jesus dedicated to assisting families, forming Catholics, and cultivating culture.

Academics

Our pre-K-12 Catholic classical academy is defined primarily by one thing: Love. The love of truth, beauty and goodness is our aim. The love of learning is our method. The love of Christ is our motivation. Love is what drives us because we believe man was created by love and for love.

Both our full time and part time programs study the greatest works of the Western Tradition. Our curriculum begins, as children do, with memory and habits. We cultivate the student’s natural curiosity with meaningful content and excellent instruction. Eventually our students grapple with high ideas of philosophy and grand theories of scientific discovery. We even study Latin as the key to understanding our heritage. We do all this in an orderly atmosphere of compassion and goodwill, and we do all this with a smile and a song. Our aims are not progressive, overly-rigorous or purely utilitarian. We are building culture and we are training future saints. To learn more about our educational philosophy please visit our website.

Faith

The Catholic faith is celebrated and lived at Sacred Heart Academy. Students are led to and presented with the sacraments frequently, as each day begins with holy Mass. Students adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament weekly and have the opportunity for reconciliation monthly. Christ remains at the center of every class and activity as beauty, goodness, and truth point to him. From rays in geometry pointing to His rays of infinite brightness to studying scripture in theology classes, discussion begins and ends with the Alpha and Omega.

Extracurriculars

The familial nature of our Academy extends beyond the school day. Students have opportunities to participate in music and theatre productions; a variety of fall, winter and spring sports; parish ministry; and community service. Select students can grow in Christian leadership with our Living Stones program. All upper school students exercise community-building and foster responsibility in the regular activities of our Households. Younger students are connected with mentors and learn together with peers on class retreats. All of these extracurricular activities intentionally contribute to the formation of our students.

As the primary educators of their children, parents have their own opportunities to stay involved at Sacred Heart through regular Partners in Formation presentations and a fully active Parent Teacher Committee. We join in a partnership with parents so that our carefully curated instruction at school is a natural extension of the culture and morals at home.