Educational Background
Principal Formation Procram, Archdiocese of Galveston Houston
M.A. in Catholic Educational Leadership, University of St. Thomas
B.A. in Theology, Ave Maria University

Biography
Mr. Flaherty was born and raised in Upstate New York, and has received a Catholic education from Early Childhood up into graduate studies. He believes that a Catholic education best sets students up for success, due to the moral formation it provides to students, specially at such an impressionable age. It is Catholic education that best understands the mode of operation of the Holy Spirit in guiding each person, over time, to confirmity with God's plan for him or her. The Holy Spirit stirs the heart of the faithful to grow in greater union with Christ, the exemplar of humankind.

An integral aspect of Catholic education is the instilling within the child a life-long pursuit of Truth, Who is the person of Christ Himself, through his or her studies, not only here at school until Eighth Grade, but also throughout their daily life, including the weekends and breaks. This pursuit, initally driven by curiosity, grows into a mission motivated by Love, Who is the person of the Holy Spirit, welcoming the child to grow in unity with the Father by walking the path of virtue and answering the call of his or her particular vocation. To find the Truth, the child must view the world and the Church, the Bride of Christ, as God sees these realities. To find the Truth, a level of docility is required in order for the child to align his or her understanding of reality with Reality itself. This is the task of the student, before the pursuit of ambitious goals for their adult life, including university studies and their career. This is what we at Saint Clare seek to provide to our students, with the help of the students' parents, and the students themselves.

Philosophy of Education
After the Fall, our Faith teaches that there were four effects that resulted from the decision of Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit: the darkening of the intellect, the weakening of the will, the separation of man's relationship with nature (His creation, including other plants, animals, and other people), and the separation of man's relationship with God (the Trinity), all of which contribute to our concupiscence (our inclination toward evil rather than the Good). 

With this in mind, education seeks to remedy the results of man's Original Sin, particularly not only this darkening of the intellect after the Fall, but also the weakening of our will, as well as our separation between man and nature, and between man and God. Catholic education is the only form of education in existance today that is best equipped with the ability to help each student learn more about God's design in His creation, while also tempering his or her will to seek the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, and, in doing so, restore his or her relationship with nature (the universe, including human kind) and the Lord. Since one cannot love what one doea not know, students must first come to know what is lovable from their parents and their teachers, and only then may they begin to serve the Good.

The prerequisite of a student being disposed well enough for a high-quality Catholic education, though, is virtue. Virtue is the inclination of the student to avoiding sin and seeking the Good, whereas vice is the inclination of the student to pursue sin and avoid the Good. One particular virtue, among the many, is the virtue of docility, as each student must take an active role in assuring their active receptivity to instruction. As it is stated in Proverbs 19:20, "Listen to advice and accept discipline, So that you may be wise the rest of your days." This acceptance to discipline, known as docility, takes the form of the pursuit of focus amidst distractions, and deliberate effort to commit the information to memory as the teacher introduces, reviews, and assesses concepts.

Another prerequisite of a student to be best prepared for their Catholic education would be exemplars in the Faith, living our their vocations and occupations. Parents and the Catholic educators to whom they entrust their child(ren), serve as these examples of how a Catholic adult lives the Faith, since all children are preparing for one day reaching adulthood, and their education serves to prepare them for this. Parents and the employees of Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic School work together to integrate our commonly-held virtues we have received from the Church, and serve our community, with a focus on academic rigor.

We recognize that each child has unique, individual gifts that need to be cultivated through differentiated instruction and flexibility within teaching, and we seek to provide support for all of our students the best we are able. Collaboration and parent involvement, along with patience and understanding, will guarantee the best working relationship in support for the child's education as we work together to form saints and scholars for His greater glory.

Why do you enjoy working at Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic School?
I enjoy serving the students and families of Saint Clare because, in doing so, I may seek to become a saint, and invite as many to join me, as Church Militant, together. As Leon Bloy, the French novelist, wrote, "The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is to not become a saint.” The purpose of Catholic education is not to get into a good high school, in order to get into a good college, in order to get an intership in a competitive program, in order to land a position at a well-known company in a high-paying position so that the young man or woman may live in comfort and not want for anything. The purpose of Catholic education is to help students become the best versions of themself, according to God's opinion, by pursuing excellence in all things. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness,"