FAITH LIFE
Forming students with a well-informed, freely embraced, life-long faith.
Christ is at the heart of everything we do at Ozark Catholic Academy.
We are developing a lifelong friendship with God. The spiritual formation of students at Ozark Catholic Academy fosters a profound awareness of the universal call to holiness and apostolate in all walks of life. We encourage students to grow in their lifelong friendship with God and to cherish the opportunity to reflect quietly—an important need, especially in our increasingly noisy world. Students have opportunities to put their faith into practice through faculty and parent supervised service projects and other charitable outreach. Students leave OCA convinced of their own call to holiness and more willing to respond to the specific way God is calling them to bring Him to the world.
STUDIES AS A DIVINE CALLING
Our desire to advance in theological knowledge, in sound, firm Christian doctrine is sparked, above all, by the will to know and love God. -St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By #10
Ozark Catholic students, through the witness of the faculty, learn to view their studies as a vocation, a divine calling. Our work is far more than a means to the end of college, graduate school, and wealth, though it may likely result in those fine and noble things. Professional work-study, in the case of our students, is instead a way to glorify God now; to elevate creation to Him by sharpening our minds and bodies in gaining an understanding of reality that allows us to better serve the men and women around us. Our teachers share this view of professional work as an opportunity for personal holiness. As a result, they approach their work with a zeal noticed by new families from day one. We are fully invested—in time, energy, and prayer—for the success of our students as future professionals, but more importantly, for men and women of good character.
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION
Sending graduates into the world ready to live and defend their faith.
Catholic students—and non-Catholic students that so choose—receive instruction in the Catholic Faith from experienced Religion teachers. Our goal is to send graduates into the world prepared not only to live their faith but to defend it as well. Consequently, OCA students learn both the teachings of the Catholic Church along with the logic and rich history that underlies them. Of course, the most effective teacher is the witness of the faculty. The end result is a man or woman that freely embraces the Catholic faith of their own accord with good reason for doing so. Non-Catholic students are welcomed and very much at home at Ozark Catholic Academy; they are welcome to attend Mass and talk to priests when life’s circumstances present challenges, as often happens during one’s youth. Non-Catholic parents find in Ozark Catholic Academy an ally in the quest to raise virtuous men and women. Ultimately, our shared understanding of absolute Truth and the importance of living the virtuous life allows us to effectively cooperate in pursuit of the good of the student despite our theological differences.
SACRAMENTAL LIFE
Developing students who participate in a well-informed, freely embraced, and life-long faith.
Ozark Catholic students have access to a rich Sacramental life. We are firm believers in our students’ freedom, but we also believe in the efficacy of Grace and the importance of the Sacraments. Mass is offered daily at 9:30 am, a time when all students are able to attend, if they choose. Confession is offered often after daily Mass. Students attend Mass once a week as a class, but are always welcome to attend more often. Parents are welcome every day. A visitor during a typical Mass will find about 75% of our students participating in the Liturgy—the majority in attendance of their own accord. We offer freedom while training the will in hopes of developing students who participate in a well-informed, freely embraced, and life-long faith.
PILGRIMAGES
Understanding the importance of the Church today.
Pilgrimages hold a central role in the Faith life of all Catholics. They serve as a journey with a purpose, a journey to honor God. At Ozark Catholic, we engage in pilgrimages so that our students will become witnesses for Christ and understand the importance of the Church in today’s society. We have participated in the March for Life in Washington D.C., and we are looking to participate in one more pilgrimage each school year. Students return energized about their faith and resolute in their call to become agents of change in modern culture.
BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
Encountering Jesus in a place for group prayer and quiet reflection.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is in the heart of our hallways; it is available to students every day. Students use the chapel for group prayer with peers or spending quiet time for reflection. Our students are encouraged to encounter Jesus in the chapel.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Building our faith through Adoration.
Saints, such as St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul the Great, and St. John Henry Newman frequently attended all-night Eucharistic Adoration, cultivating their relationship with the Lord. Through their Religion classes, students have dedicated time this year for Eucharistic Adoration to spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
DAYS OF RECOLLECTION
Building community through time together to experience the love of God.
All students at Ozark Catholic participate in Days of Recollection. These days are designed to build community while creating space to experience the love of God. Our students come back feeling refreshed and ready to live out their call to be men and women of the New Evangelization.
YEAR-ROUND LITURGICAL DEVOTIONS
Celebrating the richness of the Catholic faith.
Throughout the year, the Ozark Catholic community practices liturgical living by celebrating the richness of the Catholic faith. Many of our Masses are dedicated to a particular feast, solemnity, or celebration observing the liturgical calendar, and we have Marian devotions, including the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Guadalupe and May Crowning, to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. During Lent students will pray “The Way of the Cross.”