Collars in the Classroom

Father Matthew Tatyrek chats with a seventh grader on Nov. 14, 2024 at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Denton. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

Father Matthew Tatyrek clearly remembers the first time he stepped into a Catholic school. He was 23 years old, beginning his seminary studies.

Now the pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish and School in Denton, hardly a day goes by when he’s not in a Catholic school.

Father Samuel Maul recalls that he never spoke to a priest until late in his high school years. Despite attending Mass regularly with his family, he explained, “I never really remember seeing a priest smile. I never had any connection with any of them.”

Fr. Maul makes certain the students of St. Maria Goretti Catholic School won’t have a similar experience.

Four days each week, the pastor of the Arlington school can be found greeting children as they enter. 

He said, “They know who I am. They know what I’m about. They know I’m there to support them, to share the love of Christ with them. And I think that helps in a lot of ways.”

Priests in their clerical garb stand out amid the plaid uniforms of Catholic schools. In addition to celebrating Mass, they frequently assist with drop-off and pickup, visit classrooms, and attend athletic practices, theater productions, and choir performances — all the while sharing joy and forming faithful Catholics.

Normal People

Mary Burns, interim principal of St. John the Apostle Catholic School, appreciates having two priests and two religious sisters active in the North Richland Hills school. Each week students attend Mass and have the opportunity for confession. 

The clergy and Dominican sisters at the school serve as a reminder for students and staff to “look at everything we do with that vision toward heaven,” she said.

Father Jack McKone, pastor of the parish, usually starts the school day helping students with backpacks and vehicle doors during the morning drop-off. 

Burns said, “It’s always a joyful greeting. They [Fr. McKone and Parochial Vicar Father Eric Flores] laugh with the kids and welcome them, so they have a wonderful start to their day — seeing them as real human beings, up front and personal, spreading the joy of Christ.”

Sharing joy is one objective to having a visible role at the school. Fr. McKone said he wants students to know “priesthood is a joy-filled vocation. Yeah, there are certain things we give up, but there’s not a vocation that doesn’t involve sacrifice.” The sacrifice heightens the joy, he said, “knowing you’re doing something that matters.”

When students see Fr. Tatyrek at Immaculate Conception Catholic School, they greet him with a cheery “Good morning, Fr. Tatyrek. God bless you.”

He hopes the students learn what they have in common with him — we are all persons called by God. He said by interacting with the students, they see, “We are real people. We have good human interests that help us to foster a good and healthy life, physically and spiritually and mentally. Just being a normal person can show a child that following Christ is not for the elite or the elect. It's for everyone. 

“There's a joy in being a Christian, and there's also work to it obviously, too. Both of those things are present at the same time. I think my example, as well as Father Khiem [Nguyen, parochial vicar], embody the joy of following our Lord and also the reality of it as well,” he continued.

Joy is a two-way street — the priests exhibit the joy of Christ to students, and they experience joy when they’re with the young learners. 

Fr. Maul explained, “The school takes up 60 percent of my brain power, but it also brings me 70 percent of my joy. It’s extremely fulfilling.”   

Future investment

By their presence and their words, priests in Catholic schools inspire students to consider a religious vocation. 

Fr. McKone said, “We talk to the kids regularly, constantly, about vocations. God calls enough people to serve, but the problem is we don't have enough people answering. And we don't have enough people answering probably because we don't have enough adults encouraging.”

Students in Catholic schools have the opportunity to discuss religious vocations with a teacher, priest, or deacon, “but also to their friends and classmates,” added Fr. Tatyrek. “As much as they would potentially talk about it with the clergy, they need, really, the support of their peers to be successful with it at this point in their lives.”

When Fr. Maul observes in some students a seriousness in faith, a sacrificial character, and an aptitude for service, he explicitly asks if they have considered priesthood or religious life. 

“I keep a running list in my head. I pray for them in Mass, and I pray for them on my own time so that they might be able to fulfill the need that we have within our diocese,” Fr. Maul explained.

Regardless of their future vocation, Catholic school students benefit from access to the sacraments and frequent interactions with clergy. 

The active participation of priests helps accomplish the mission of Catholic schools to further the Kingdom of God by the education of children, “aiding in their formation as Christians to then go and serve as ambassadors of Christ to the rest of the world,” said Fr. Maul.