Through a spontaneous decision, I found myself in California a few weeks ago. I work as a consultant for Mother of Divine Grace School (MODG), and it was time for annual training. In past years, I’ve done the sessions from home, alone on my couch, hoping my earbuds will work. This year I thought it would be nice to actually meet some of the amazing women (and the few men) I’ve been working with without ever really knowing.
Airfare was affordable, especially since I only brought one “personal item”: a book bag stuffed with clothes and toiletries. I spent the whole flight praying my deodorant and toothpaste wouldn’t roll out of the bag. I was able to stay at my son Andrew’s college, which made the decision to go much easier. It meant spending some time with my firstborn. We were able to go on a short hike, have a few meals together, and attend Mass in the mornings.
I had hoped to spend some time warming myself in California’s sun, but ironically, it was colder and damper than home. The sun only came out, as it is prone to do, on the day I left. But it was a lovely time, inspiring and motivating, even as I shivered in the cold.
The school’s founder, Laura Berquist gave a talk on the difference between a mission statement, and the core values of an organization. While a mission statement encapsulates the purpose of a movement, the core values are the personality, or oxygen to the mission. They are the three or four things that make an organization what it essentially is. So, as Laura put it, without these core values, MODG would simply cease being what it is.
The mission statement of MODG is “to help Catholic families raise their children in a living Catholic culture in their homes, mentoring them in using the MODG Catholic classical curriculum to lead their children to good judgment concerning the good, true and beautiful.” Beautiful. It’s what I believe should be the mission statement of the Church regarding the education of children. But the core values of the school are that: we are Catholic, we are devoted to Catholic classical intellectual formation, and we are relational.
Laura described core values as being the few things that, without, your organization would cease to be. Which things are the absolutes, the essentials that make it what it is? If these things, for some reason or other, were removed, it must either shut down or continue as a fraud.
So, as I was listening to this talk I began to think about the ways this concept applies to us as Catholic families, and as individuals. How would I express the core values of my family? What would I list as essential for myself as a human? What things, if removed, would mean that the mission of my family was no longer being served? Which things would I, as a human with free-will and a conscience, rather die than give up?
It sort of presses a pause button. I wouldn’t die before giving up my home or beehives because with their loss I wouldn’t cease to be who I am, right? I would die before renouncing my faith (and I think the word faith is much fuller than it sounds at first), or at least I hope I would. I would die before giving up my children into the hands of people set for their physical or spiritual destruction, however nuanced their tactics. Would I risk death for the sacraments? I know from experience that we, as a family, would risk legal issues for them. Saints have died for the sacraments, so I know I should be willing to.
The question of core values for the entire Roy family is also a work in progress. Scott and I thought it would be interesting to ask the kids what they believed made our family our family. What were the essential parts that, if removed, would mean we just were not quite the same unit of people. For myself, with the small time I’ve had to ponder, I would again say that the primary core value is that we are Catholic. There is no separating that from us without us “ceasing to be.” Unconditional love and forgiveness are somethings I hope we live for; the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty, and a purpose of sharing what we find with those God places before us. Following the example given to me at training, I might say, “We are Catholic, we are devoted to the pursuit of truth and sanctity, and we are committed to unconditionally loving one another into heaven.” I still have to work with Scott and the kids here, but I think there might be room in there for honeybees and dandelions.
Have you ever thought about the mission statement and core values of your family, or of yourself? What are the essentials you are willing to live and die for?
