Campus Ministry

How do your students celebrate the sacraments?

We work closely with our local parish Notre Dame Catholic Church, and it’s the mission of our faithful priests to keep us connected. Every other week Parochial Vicar Father Duda comes to campus to provide the Sacrament of Reconciliation, holding sacred space for confession twice a month. On alternating weeks, our students attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where they are able to receive the precious Body of Christ for their personal union with their Lord. In addition to Father Duda, our local priests are invited to join us to celebrate Mass as a student body in the sacred spaces of our campus.

 

What is the availability of the clergy and religious brothers at Our Lady of the Hills?

Despite the challenges of safely congregating due to space, our students are very connected to the clergy and priests at our school. Our Mass schedule is shared with priests in our deanery including the surrounding areas of Comfort, Bandera, and Fredericksburg so our students can have access to a variety of dedicated followers of the Catholic faith. Specifically, they have access to Reverend Wagner and Father Duda, our Campus Minister. Though he is in residence at Notre Dame School, Father Duda is available to our students, faculty, and staff for consultation and is often seen supporting our events.

 

Do you have a campus high school ministry?

Our campus ministry team includes Principal Collins, Deacon Robertson, and our theology teachers who work alongside the student body. This team works in providing guidance to our students, teaching them the ways of the Catholic faith, guiding them in Mass leadership roles, and leading our student body in weekly and daily prayer. Additionally, they work closely with Father Duda to provide spiritual guidance to our faculty and staff including the blessing of the school.

 

Together our campus ministry team coordinates all liturgies and school Masses; oversees service work and community outreach projects (required end eagerly participated by every OLH student), and manages student and faculty retreats. Our school growth plan includes employing a full-time Campus Minister to oversee all of these efforts and provide even more access to students for the entirety of their learning experience.

 

How does OLH express its Catholic identity?

In the early planning years of Our Lady of the Hills, our founders had a passionate belief from Luke 1:39- that “Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country.” They took it as a sign that providing a Catholic high school to students in the Texas Hill Country was an incredible extension of the Catholic church- an opportunity to grow the faith. As an institution we are unapologetically Catholic, passionately led by a Catholic principal, and supported by a primarily Catholic Board of Directors, faculty and staff, and philanthropic network.

We are known as a welcoming community to all students who have a love for the Lord and wish to grow in their spiritual relationship. We maintain a strong connection with the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s Archbishop and Bishop. We are governed and accredited by- thus mandated to follow- the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department (specifically the Texas branch, TCCB ED).

 

Our college preparatory curriculum and extra-curricular activities are rooted in the traditions of the Jesuit and Dominican orders and based on their philosophies of education and service to others. We actively assist students in becoming mature in their faith and critical thinking and challenge each student to develop his or her talents to the fullest while fostering a lifelong commitment to serve others. Our school slogan, featured proudly on campus as well as on our spirit and athletic wear, is Veritas Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: Truth For the Greater Glory of God.

 

This motto is deeply rooted in our Jesuit and Dominican background which informs our educational philosophy to develop in the student an attitude of openness to growth and an acceptance of personal responsibility; to prepare the student to be intellectually competent; to help students to become mature in their faith; to guide students to grow as loving people; and to foster in the student a commitment to support justice. This is truly the heart of our academically renowned curriculum and contributes to our student success of 100% graduation rate and 100% acceptance into our students’ college of choice.

 

Lastly, and most importantly, our Catholic identity is expressed every day through the life of our collective student body. Our beautiful chapel, built right in the heart of the school, is a sacred space that anchors our campus and is the first thing a student sees upon entering the building. Our students pray before every class, take turns leading each Mass, and grow in their spirituality alongside each other throughout their four years at Our Lady of the Hills. Our athletes are led in devotional by our Athletics Director Coach Ramirez before every game and end all contests in a prayer of gratitude.

 

Through acceptance into Our Lady of the Hill College Prep and being reminded daily in guidance, our students have a strong expectation of behavior to treat each other with love, compassion, and respect. We have a diverse student body with a 60% Catholic majority and through their relationships with one other we see time and again examples of tolerance, acceptance, and authenticity.