Finding God In All Things Blog

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  MORE THAN AN EDUCATION

  8/20/2026
  By David Card ‘87, President
  We are delighted to have the 2026-27 school year under way and to begin engaging our students in the whole-person formation that Regis Jesuit offers.  
  
  

  Last spring, I shared with our community a little about an institutional examen our Board of Trustees engaged during the 2025-26 school year, and how the Ignatian Examen is practiced by our students both daily and on their retreats. In simple terms, the Ignatian Examen is a prayerful reflection on our experiences, an effort to recognize how God is present and working within them, and an invitation to consider how we are called to move forward. One of the fruits of our institutional examen, which included seeking feedback from our community, is to present a clearer and more concise articulation of the school’s value proposition.
    

  As we begin the 2026-27 school year, we want to build upon that work by describing how the elements of our value proposition come to life at Regis Jesuit. We begin with the first pillar: our legacy of Jesuit mission and formation. To understand what we mean by formation, I often return to St. Ignatius’ First Principle and Foundation – what I think of as the mission statement of all mission statements. I keep this translation of it posted next to my desk. 
  
  

  The vision it offers helps illuminate the deeper purpose of Jesuit education. Certainly, Jesuit schools prepare young people for higher-level thinking and academic success. But our foundational purpose is broader: to prepare students for lives in which they seek, reverence and serve God; recognize the gifts present in creation; discern the path God is inviting them to follow; and place their gifts in service of a greater purpose. Ultimately, this way of living orients us toward deeper communion with God. 
  
  

  Knowledge, wisdom and practical skills are all essential parts of a Regis Jesuit education, but academic learning is just one important dimension of the broader work of forming young people for lives of faith, purpose and service. 
  
  

  This formational journey also includes a particular emphasis on recognizing and caring for the poor and marginalized, and stewarding the gifts of creation that our common home encompasses. These elements add depth and purpose to the development of critical thinking skills. 
  
  

  I have been particularly struck by testimonials from our seniors as they return from local, national and international immersion experiences in which they have accompanied communities who are living on the margins. We have long understood that service and immersion experiences can be life-changing, but when seniors relate that their experiences and reflections helped them choose the school they want to attend, or the major they want to pursue, we gain a sense of just how meaningful these experiences – and the reflections they prompt – are to their development. In a very real way, this can represent their first experience of a calling, which is inherently rooted in faith. 
  
  

  To be clear, this doesn’t necessarily lead our graduates into nonprofit or human services fields. I had two alums share with me in the recent past that Regis Jesuit was the most formative experience of their lives. One attended the Naval Academy and then became a doctor, the other served the State of Colorado as an economist. Responding to the call to love and to serve takes a variety of forms. 
  
  

  Our students are invited to seek God’s presence in all elements of our formational curriculum. By helping students integrate these experiences rather than viewing them as separate parts of school life, we aim to form the whole person—mind, body and spirit. The richness of this educational tradition is not only a lifelong gift to our students. It also inspires the teachers, coaches, moderators and mentors who accompany them. 
   

  In the months ahead, we look forward to sharing more about how each dimension of this formational process comes to life at Regis Jesuit. This work belongs to all of us. Students, families, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the school each contribute to a community in which young people are invited to discover their gifts, encounter God and discern how they are called to serve.  May we continue to accompany them—and one another—with gratitude, generosity and hope.