“Episcopal schools are populated by a rich variety of human beings, from increasingly diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds. In fact, the intentional pluralism of most Episcopal schools is a hallmark of their missions. It is also a distinguishing characteristic of these schools that they seek to integrate religious and spiritual formation into the overall curriculum and life of each school community. Episcopal schools are clear, yet graceful, about how they articulate and express their basic identities, especially in their religious curricula and traditions. They invite all who attend and work in them—Episcopalians and non-Episcopalians, Christians and non-Christians, people of no faith tradition—both to seek clarity about their own beliefs and religions and to honor those traditions more fully and faithfully in their own lives. Above all, Episcopal schools exist not merely to educate, but to demonstrate and proclaim the unique worth and beauty of all human beings as creations of a loving, empowering God.”
- The National Association of Episcopal Schools.
Every day at St. Luke’s we gather in chapel, every day a portion of each child’s life is set aside so that they may worship and give thanks, may think about what it means to be honorable, to be a good friend, to be dutiful, to know that we must serve the needs of others, and that creation is greater than the desires of our own selves.
St. Luke’s is a learning community in the graceful, inclusive tradition of Episcopal education. That means that our day begins with a moment in which our impressionable, searching, questioning children can think of themselves, not just as math students or football players or artists, but also as children who are deeply loved by God.
As an Episcopal school, St. Luke’s is grounded in the rich history of intellectual inquiry that characterizes Anglican education. Reverend Joseph DiRaddo, a beloved former rector of St. Luke’s Church, when asked what makes an Episcopal school different, would say: “The Episcopal faith is not threatened by ideas.”
The current Rector of St. Luke’s Church, Reverend David Read, speaks of our tradition of Daily Chapel as Breakfast for the Soul:
“In the house in which I grew up breakfast was very important. My mother cooked a hot breakfast each morning before my brothers and I headed to school, and my father to work. Breakfast was one of the traditions that bound my family together as it also fed our bodies. I am told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Daily chapel at St. Luke’s Episcopal School is breakfast for this community’s soul. Through participation in the daily rhythm of morning prayer, singing, and chapel talk a spiritual foundation is formed in the hearts and souls of our students and faculty. Through daily chapel, values, character, and morals are formed which students carry with them throughout their lives. When former students return to St. Luke’s, they usually visit the chapel, and share stories about their chapel buddies, the beautiful stained glass, the friends who sat with them, and the specialness of this space where their souls were nourished.” The Rev. David G. Read
