From clip-on ties to navy blue socks, crucifixes over blackboards, First Friday Mass and the May Crowning-every phase of my educational experience has been linked directly to the faith I was brought up in. Starting with the Academy of Our Lady of Peace, ‘10, in suburban New Jersey, moving to Saint Peter’s Prep, ‘14, in downtown Jersey City, and then off to California for college at Santa Clara University, ‘18. I have spent just about my entire life in Catholic schools. Some are serious and some are silly-some theologically sound and others, well, not so much. James Joyce, the godfather of Catholic school storytelling, said of his writing “that in the particular is contained the universal.” Through the specificity of their storytelling, the movies compiled on this list capture the Catholic school experience and convey universal truths about our faith and the world around us. There are preset costumes with uniforms and habits, clear hierarchies and social orders-not to mention characters at the ripe spot in their lives, ready to come of age. Catholic schools are the perfect setting for a film.
