Faith is at the heart of everything we do at St. John Paul II Catholic Schools. Our mission is to teach the total person by inspiring virtue and excellence through a Catholic education rooted in Jesus Christ. Through prayer, the sacraments, service, and faith-integrated learning, students are encouraged to deepen their relationship with God while developing the knowledge, character, and compassion needed to serve others.
Faith & Student Formation
FAITH
Catholic Identity
As a Catholic school network, we seek to form students who know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. Faith is woven throughout the educational experience—from daily prayer and religious instruction to weekly Mass, service opportunities, and the example of our faculty and staff.
Through the teachings of the Catholic Church, students learn to recognize the dignity of every person, grow in virtue, and embrace their call to serve God, their families, their communities, and the world.
Service Learning
Service learning is an essential part of student formation at St. John Paul II Catholic Schools. By serving in our schools, parishes, and communities, students learn to live out the Gospel and put their faith into action.
Inspired by Christ, who “did not come to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28), students discover the value of compassion, leadership, and selfless service. Through these experiences, they develop a deeper understanding of their responsibility to care for others and contribute positively to the world around them.
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry supports students as they grow in faith, friendship, and discipleship. Through prayer opportunities, retreats, small groups, sacramental life, and personal mentorship, students are encouraged to build a lasting relationship with Christ.
At Shanley High School and Sacred Heart Middle School, students have access to the Wojtyla Room, a dedicated Campus Ministry space named after St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła). The space serves as a welcoming environment where students can gather, pray, meet with the chaplain, and deepen their faith alongside their peers.
As followers of Christ, the mission of St. John Paul II Catholic Schools is to teach the total person by inspiring virtue and excellence, as taught by the Catholic Church.
Rome Pilgrimage 2025We Foster the Following of Christ by Forming Students Who:
- Encounter Christ through engagement in prayer and the sacramental life
- Develop lives of virtue based on Scripture and tradition
- Treat each human person with dignity
- Recognize the vocation of living lives in community: faith, church, school, civic, global
- Share the joy of the Gospel with others
We Inspire Excellence by Developing Students Who:
- Demonstrate academic excellence
- Participate in co-curricular activities
- Integrate knowledge of the Catholic faith
- Engage in service learning
- Identify and develop their gifts, talents, and abilities
- Are lifelong learners who seek truth, wisdom, and knowledge
We Teach the Total Person
- Religious & Spiritual
- Intellectual
- Physical
- Emotional
- Social
- Moral
CAMPUS MINISTRY
Welcome to our Campus Ministry information! My name is Fr. William Slattery, and as of May 2019, I have been assigned as the Chaplain of Shanley and Sacred Heart Middle Schools! Our school community is proud to offer this new Campus Ministry initiative as a way to reach students and give them the support and encouragement they need to live their faith today and build strong foundations for their bright futures. This initiative has been a few years in the making, and this year we have made some positive steps to make it a reality. An important part of this initiative was to move the Chaplain’s office from the administrative wing so that he would be more accessible and visible to the students. This idea was the start of the Wojtyla Room, a hybrid office/campus ministry room that would be used as the Chaplain’s office and includes some comfy furniture for students to use during their breaks or for small group meetings. The Wojtyla Room, which is named after our Patron, St. John Paul II (born Karol Wojtyla), is dedicated to fostering friendship and holiness in our students. Friendship was an important part of John Paul’s life, and during his pontificate he consistently emphasized the importance of friendship for the Christian life. Being holy is all about having strong relationships, the deepest and most important being our relationship to God, but equally important as the friendships that help our students grow and understand their potentials. So whenever you are in the building, come in, sit down, and say hello!
In addition to the Campus Ministry Room (Wojtyla Room), we have made some changes to the daily schedule so that prayer and the Sacraments could be made more available to our students. Please check out our times for Daily Mass, Adoration, and Confessions.
By living our faith, we become fully alive! Please join me in praying for our community, that all who come through our doors may experience Jesus Christ, love him, and discover their call to live as sons and daughters of God!
— Father Slattery
By living our faith, we become fully alive! Please join me in praying for our community, that all who come through our doors may experience Jesus Christ, love Him, and discover their call to live as sons and daughters of God!
Our Parishes
Faith formation extends beyond the classroom. St. John Paul II Catholic Schools is supported by eight sponsoring parishes that help strengthen our Catholic identity and connect students and families to vibrant faith communities throughout the Fargo-West Fargo area.
