Theology

OUR VIEW OF FAITH EMBRACES ALL RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Our community is comprised of students from a multitude of faiths, from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, indigenous faiths, and Eastern spirituality. They come from a wide array of cultures, socio-economic opportunity or disadvantage, life experiences, identities and viewpoints. In our intimate and supportive environment, we embrace all that our students are and strive to create a truly inclusive and welcoming community for all.

We believe being a woman of faith means that regardless of religion, we all live by the rule of all faiths: love thy neighbor and treat others as you would like to be treated. Our students embody compassion and respect, and work for a future filled with love, equity and justice.

Holy Names High School stands in the strong tradition of education in the faith sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. The Sisters’ primary goals are to foster the full development of the human person and educate people in the faith. We also foster other SNJM values of hospitality, dedication to women and children, dedication to justice, and service to people who are poor and marginalized. A Holy Names religious education also includes engagement in the issues of day, which include access to clean and affordable water, human trafficking and immigration.

Curriculum

Our faculty reviews all curriculum and our source documents, textbooks, literature, and content to ensure that students can see themselves and their experiences reflected in the curriculum. We are committed to improving this practice every year, with the goal of relevant and accessible content in every class, across all disciplines. We are committed to improving the knowledge and awareness of the People of the Global Majority.

Courses

Social Jusitce

In 1868, the Sisters of Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) founded our school to provide access to education for young women to continue the tradition of improving all lives through knowledge and the promotion of justice. From service-learning to immersion days and campus ministry projects, we foster an awareness of and motivation to help those in need or who, based on gender, race, culture, age, or economic disadvantage, lack equitable access to food, health services, education, and more.

The concept of social justice and the practice of building community is encapsulated in our school motto: Noblesse Oblige. Generations of Holy Names graduates have carried this obligation to serve as a calling to promote justice and equality.

Service Learning

Youth Justice Forum

The Youth Justice Forum is a collaborative, international program for SNJM schools in the US, Canada, and Africa. Held every three years, its purpose is to facilitate student-led action that positively impacts communities affected by water access, immigration, and human trafficking, the three pillars of the SNJM social justice platform. The most recent forum, held at Holy Names University in Oakland, resulted in a presentation of the adverse effects of human trafficking in Oakland. Each SNJM school used that knowledge as a model to spread awareness and make an impact in their own communities.