Parent Letter of Invitation

To:        Parents of 8^th grade sons

From:    Judy Davis, Quigley Class of 2006 Parent

Date:     December 2004

With the high school entrance exam coming up next month, I know many of you are facing an important decision — where to send your son to high school. You may be shocked, as I was, to realize that in Chicago, the process is almost as difficult as selecting a college. Many schools have absolute requirements or special interests, which do not apply to your particular child. However, if you are a strong Catholic, then Quigley is a perfect fit, offering a top quality education.

I remember a homily given at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where we attend mass and my son attended grammar school.  The message of this homily hit hard, even though I was years away from thinking about high school. Fr. Peter said that lots of wonderful parents let their children make all kinds of career choices on their own, but will discourage them from even considering the priesthood. He told us to think about the fact that some of them are incredibly dangerous like firemen, police officers, or the armed forces, yet let some kid suggest the priesthood and everyone acts like it is crazy. Why do we act this way? The priesthood is certainly as noble as the other three professions, isn't it?

However, sending your son to Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary doesn't mean that your son has chosen to become a priest. It simply means that you would be happy to allow your son to make that choice when or if the proper time in his life comes along. In the meantime, your son gets a superior education and Catholic values. Most interesting is that Quigley welcomes a variety of test level scores from average to exceptional and feels it is their job to bring everyone up to the top standards through individual attention.

Quigley has daily prayer and a Christian Formation Program, which will help your son develop his spiritual life and direction during the difficult teen years, when all of their decisions are tested. What time period could be more important?

Finally, let me conclude by saying something that appeals to the boys—sports! Quigley offers all sports except football. While making the team is very exclusive in most high schools, Quigley offers every boy the opportunity to join a sport, even if they have never played before. Just like they do with education, Quigley brings everyone up to a higher level than when they entered the school.

Fr. Zi, 12-15-05