Catholic bishops, higher education leaders, scholars, superintendents, and educational partners from across the United States gathered at Christendom College on May 27-28 for the inaugural Front Royal Education Summit, a major collaborative effort dedicated to the renewal of Catholic elementary and secondary education.
For sixty years, our schools have been in steady decline, with an average of 100 schools closing annually. Today, only 6,000 Catholic schools remain, serving fewer than 1.7 million students, despite significant growth in the overall Catholic population. If this trend continues for another sixty years, parochial schools will largely disappear, and Catholic education will survive primarily in homeschools and small co-ops.
This new “Front Royal Statement” by Catholic educators, bishops, and practitioners envisions “seven cardinal principles” for Catholic K-12 schools.
The summit culminated in the drafting of the Front Royal Statement: Seven Cardinal Principles of Catholic Elementary and Secondary Education, a substantive document that articulates the fundamental principles of authentic Catholic education as the philosophical, theological, pedagogical, and methodological pillars of the renewal of Catholic schools.
Grounded in the Church’s two-millennia tradition, the Front Royal Statement reaffirms that the true purpose of Catholic education is supernatural: the integral formation of the whole child, mind, body, and soul. The statement integrates these timeless principles with the practical realities of school life, including the rights and duties of parents, priests, and bishops; teacher formation and retention; curriculum development; and the cultivation of a vibrant, authentically Catholic school culture.
Designed to meet the unique challenges of our time, the statement serves as a unifying touchstone to orient and strengthen the Catholic education renewal movement.
“The Front Royal Statement represents more than a single event or discussion,” said Shawn Peterson, President of Catholic Education Partners. “It is an effort to provide clarity, direction, and unity for educators and institutions committed to renewing Catholic education in fidelity to the Church and in service to the human person.”
“An authentic vision of education is often lost in our day, overshadowed by a merely practical and outcomes-driven approach,” said Elisabeth Sullivan, Vice President of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education. “True Christian education, as the statement affirms, is ordered to God and concerned with the supernatural formation of the whole child.”
The Front Royal Education Summit
Held over two days on Christendom’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia, the summit brought together leaders from dioceses, colleges, and apostolates for focused discussions on theological foundations, teacher formation, curriculum development, institutional mission, and the integration of faith and reason.
Organizers emphasized that the summit was designed not as a typical academic conference, but as a working meeting to foster long-term cooperation and concrete renewal.
“At a time of significant cultural and educational confusion, this summit represented an important opportunity for Catholic leaders to come together in pursuit of truth and authentic human formation,” said Christendom College President George A. Harne, Ph.D. “The renewal of Catholic education requires not only strong individual institutions, but also a shared vision rooted in the Church’s intellectual, spiritual, and educational tradition.”
“We were pleased to welcome such a distinguished group of leaders in Catholic school reform and pray that these days of discussion and reflection bear lasting fruit,” said Dr. Jon Kirwan, director of Christendom College’s Center for Educational Philosophy & Leadership. “Gatherings such as this have long marked serious educational movements, providing a setting to exchange ideas and clarify a shared vision, both essential for strengthening the bonds necessary for collaboration.”
Participants included Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, along with diocesan superintendents and administrators from multiple dioceses. Scholars and leaders from The Catholic University of America, Benedictine College, Belmont Abbey College, the Augustine Institute, the University of Dallas, Christendom College, and numerous educational organizations also participated, including the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, Chesterton Schools Network, Catholic Education Partners, and others.
The summit occurs nearly six decades after the 1967 Land O’ Lakes Statement and amid growing national conversations about the future of Catholic education.
For more information or to read the full Front Royal Statement, visit here.
Source: https://www.christendom.edu/2026/06/12/catholic-education-leaders-release-front-royal-statement-following-inaugural-summit-at-christendom-college/
https://www.christendom.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Front-Royal-Statement.pdf
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