Cistercian High School vs. Jesuit

[Samiam100]

We are in the process selecting a new Catholic high school for our rising 9th grader. In Dallas, it appears we have three mainstream choices: Jesuit, John Paul II, and Cistercian. Although Jesuit has a nice campus/sports/etc, we are concerned about providing an authentic Catholic education for our boys, and the liberal Jesuit attitudes (Fr Martin, etc.) has us very, very concerned. We are also considering Cistercian, but know little about this order that runs the school, and have had difficulty discerning whether they can provide the orthodox (conservative/traditional) Catholic education we are seeking. Does anyone know anything about the Cistercians and/or this school in Dallas to help us learn more about them? TIA!

 

[commenter]

A good source of info is
cardinalnewmansociety.org
They were originally founded for restoring Catholic identity in colleges, but they also have lists of reputable Catholic high schools, and data about what to look for, in general. If a school near you is on their “honor roll” take it. But if not, look at data they provide, this will inform you about which schools are less good or less bad than others. “Bad” or weak Catholic schools vary in their Catholicity. Look for positives as well as negatives.

Try to find a parent and student who are involved there now, or at least recently. Questions to ask them, and to look for on a visit, are:
Do they pray before classes, or just once at beginning of day?
How often is Confession offered? Is it offered in a way that “this is very important” or is it just mentioned as available, and nobody ever goes.
Look up the last few speakers, at commencement or at other times. Any pro-abortion politicians ever come to that school?
What religion texts are used? Go online, who endorses these texts, good guys or bad guys?
See if you can find any reviews.
Are there crucifixes in prominent locations? I mean actual crucifixes, not stylized ones, or actual stations.
You ask about religious orders, but it depends on who from that religious order is there, and how many. Most Jesuits are liberal, but many are not. But even if they are not, they may have little impact on the current school if they are few.

 

[LordParrott]

At one time the Jesuits as a whole could be counted on to be solid, faithful, dedicated to the magisterium’s teaching, loyal priests. Not any more. Send your son to those that will encourage proper education in all topics including education on Christianity. That is my reply.

 

[LoyalViews]

The Cistercians are known for good education actually, and are quite under-rated. In Ireland, the Cistercians run a high school with record grades in final exams.

I’d be wary of the Jesuit school, and I’m praying for your decision. The St John Paul II one - is it diocesan?

Call up the Cistercians - do they have open days?

 

[BamaBelle2012]

Fellow Dallasite here! Any reason not to consider BL? I’m an alum and can say it was a great prep for college and really did provide great Catholic education. I’d like to say it’s the reason why I converted to Catholicism a few years ago.