Not long ago, DIA Schools Collaborative’s sole activity was an annual conference for Catholic school leaders, teachers, and campus ministers. In the fall of 2020, DIA shifted to a membership association that provides strong connections and communication among Catholic schools nationwide. The goal was to embolden the network of like-minded Catholic educational collaborators to foster ideas, discuss challenges, and find support. Today, hundreds of children and families throughout the United States are immersed in a rich, formative, and vibrant approach to Catholic education and the New Evangelization.
This mission is rooted in Duc In Altum’s core tenet: to “go out into the deep” and become beacons of light for the ministry of faithfully Catholic education in America. Borrowing the phrase from the Gospel of Luke, one oft-quoted by St. John Paul II, DIA has already proven itself a frontline leader in the charge to awaken the Catholic Church and her children. DIA recognizes that the future of Catholic education and evangelization nationwide depends on the next generation of Church leaders and on thriving schools and parishes.
“As church membership has now dipped below 50% for the first time in U.S. history, how can our Catholic schools serve as ‘fulcra of faith’ for all who come in contact with them?” asks DIA Executive Director Kyle Pietrantonio. “The genesis of DIA sprang from a belief that we need to rethink the paradigm of Catholic schools as vibrant communities of faith. DIA is an intentional, international collaborative that brings together entrepreneurial administrators to bolster the faith formation programming of our schools in new and exciting ways.
Already in its second year as a membership model, DIA school and diocese membership has increased by nearly fifty percent, with new members pending. Member schools and dioceses represent forty-three states and thousands of students. The DIA approach is holistic, meaning it is specifically designed to engage, educate, and evangelize the whole family with the aim of building up the individual, the family, schools and parishes, and the entire Catholic Church in the United States.
To date, DIA reaches thousands of heads of school, presidents, principals, teachers, and campus ministers, as well as all diocesan Superintendents of Education. The mission is to continue connecting, equipping, and enlivening Catholic schools, families, and children everywhere.
To learn more visit www.diaschools.org
Kyle Pietrantonio is the Executive Director of the Duc in Altum (DIA) Schools Collaborative. As an experienced school principal and teacher in Catholic schools, Kyle was a founding board member of Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School and previously served as Head of School at Holy Spirit Preparatory in Atlanta. He is currently Vice Chair of the Ignatian House Board of Directors and works in Executive Search for Partners in Mission. Kyle and his wife Meghan reside in Atlanta with their three children.
