The National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS) held its ninth National Independent Schools in Service to the Church Conference the weekend of June 22-24 at Ave Maria University (AMU) in Naples, Florida. “The best conference ever” was the unanimous consent of representatives from 37 schools coming together from across the country to pray and to learn; to be reaffirmed and re-energized in their dedication to the advancement of Catholic education, which champions orthodoxy and faithfulness to the Church and the Magisterium. Catholics seeking to start a new school, as well as those already in established schools, found this conference very informative and rewarding.

The theme of this year's conference was “...Let Me only Know Your Will”: Dealing With a School's Most Pressing Concerns & Curriculum Matters. Attendees were welcomed to AMU Friday evening by Mr. Thomas Monaghan, Founder/President of Ave Maria Foundation; Founder/Chancellor of AMU. Listening to Mr. Monaghan's history of dedication and involvement in Catholic education from grade school to university, all were inspired to continue in their efforts, reminded of the ultimate goal of Catholic education - salvation of souls.

Dr. Dominic Aquila, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Professor of History at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas was the keynote speaker and is this year's recipient of the NAPCIS Spes Nostra Award. Dr Aquila's keynote address, “Catholic Education, the Last Best Hope for American Democracy” identified NAPCIS schools as the promise and the model for the reform and future norm of Catholic education. The bold founders of NAPCIS schools all share the tradition of self-sacrifice that successfully built Catholic education in America from the 1830's to its recent history when Catholic schools began to engage the world, becoming corrupted by the world, thereby, losing their Catholic identity. NAPCIS schools stand out in their “radical traditionalism”, that is, in their reconnection to faithful Catholic principles and the Catholic intellectual tradition that seeks truth, certain in the knowledge that the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth, and the formation in the student of the habit of mind that sees with an “integrated vision”, that is, sees the unity of all knowledge, the unity of faith and reason.

The conference brought together international experts in the fields of recruitment marketing and financial planning to assist schools in answering pressing concerns, such as, how do we market our schools and maintain enrollment without compromising the integrity of our identity and mission; how do we decide on an economic model for our school that will insure stability and long-term financial health? Curriculum sessions focused on successful approaches to curriculum development and text selections. A disturbing, yet enlightening session was conducted by Fr. Christopher Crotty of the Fathers of Mercy, NAPCIS conference chaplain for the fourth year, who shared first-hand knowledge and experience with the reality and influence of satanism and the occult in our culture today, and the extreme danger this poses for our 7-12 year-olds.

All sessions were recorded and are available on CDs.