About
Four Pillars
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The Four Pillars
The Dominican Order has existed for 800 years. Our rich spirituality binds us together and distinguishes us from other religious orders.
The most telling attributes are sometimes characterized as the “Four Pillars of Dominican Life”—prayer, Study, Community, and Preaching—inspired by the example of St. Dominic, who is said to always be “talking to God or talking about God.”
Other distinctions include those revealed in the lives of our Dominican saints and the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the history of the Order.
List of 4 items.
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Prayer
The pillar of prayer asks one to be fully rooted in God, who is Unity, Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. One fully embraces this pillar by openness to a relationship with God and by helping others to see the importance of cultivating one’s own spirituality. -
Study
St. Dominic established an Order devoted to the intellectual life. A person devoted to study cultivates the life of the mind and, through scholarship, shares insights that are helpful to the community at large. This pillar calls one to a life-long adventure of learning—a learning that gives glory to God, the Creator of all. -
Community
The pillar of community highlights the fact that the human person is social by nature. We need others and society for our fulfillment. One who fully embraces this pillar works for the betterment of the world and makes personal sacrifices for the common good. -
Preaching
The pillar of preaching calls one to be an outstanding communicator. This communication centers on things that matter deeply: e.g., faith, justice, personal and communal integrity, and respect for personal dignity. Preaching takes place in a myriad of ways: through advocacy, composition, art, poetry, and music.
Our Mission:
Fenwick High School, guided by Dominican Catholic values, inspires excellence and educates each student to lead, achieve and serve.
Fenwick's Vision
Inspired by its Dominican Catholic heritage, Fenwick High School will continue to be a premier college preparatory high school. We empower our students to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, socially, and physically in a disciplined and diverse environment. Through this transformational experience, our graduates continue the Fenwick tradition of excellence and serve as compassionate leaders, committed to justice and peace in a changing global society.
Fenwick Philosophy
Since its founding in 1929, Fenwick HIgh School has stood for the full and harmonious development of its students. Fenwick's philosophy of education is based on four foci: the flourishing of the human person, the Catholic theological tradition, the spirituality of the Dominican Order and the liberal arts.
List of 4 items.
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Human Person
The human person is accorded unique dignity by virtue of being formed in the image and likeness of God. Every human person is willed by God and is an irreplaceable instance of God’s love. Through the acquisition of knowledge, participation in society and various communities, and the living out of one’s vocation, the human person finds meaning and fulfillment. -
Catholic Tradition
The Catholic theological tradition stresses the triumph of grace over sin through the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Along with a doctrinal tradition founded in scripture, Catholics value continual theological development through dialogue with human history. Community and church are especially valued as they are organized for the service of the Gospel. The Catholic tradition esteems principles of sacramentality and mediation and work on behalf of justice and peace. -
Dominican Heritage
St. Dominic valued the intellectual life as essential to a mission of preaching and teaching the truths of Christianity. Consequently, from its founding the Order of Preachers has been associated with centers of learning. This philosophy was further articulated by St. Thomas Aquinas who emphasized the relationship between contemplation and action, faith and reason, study and service. As a community steeped in this heritage, Fenwick upholds:- Belief in God is reasonable.
- Knowledge leads one from false values and misperceptions of reality to freedom and truth.
- Working in concert with others and participating in community leads one to grow in virtue.
- Acting on one’s beliefs while generously serving the common good is the epitome of personal fulfillment.
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Liberal Arts
Fenwick prepares its students through an education in the liberal arts for a lifetime of aesthetic appreciation, assiduous study and critical thinking. The educational program stresses imagination, analysis, interpretation and logical, lucid expression while promoting in its students an appreciation of the wholeness and richness of life. This perspective encourages Fenwick students to explore not only the fields of personal interest but the broad range of the liberal arts core curriculum including humanities, science, history, world language and mathematics. Students embark on this exploration not in solitude but in dialogue with others.
Inclusion Statement
With Saint Dominic as their guide, Dominican friars, sisters, nuns and laity have valued and promoted the diversity found in the one human family, while acknowledging that all people are called to the same eternal destiny in the Kingdom of God. As a Dominican institution, Fenwick High School continues the great Dominican tradition of inclusion and welcome for the common good. This process is rooted in interaction with those of different backgrounds, cultures and ways of life. Experiencing racial, gender, ethnic, religious and socio-economic diversity enriches everyone involved in the educational enterprise. Fenwick commits itself to welcoming every student who would flourish by embracing our Dominican, Catholic, college preparatory curriculum. Fenwick pledges that no one will face discrimination based on race, gender, religion, culture, ethnicity or sexual orientation. A Fenwick education will be marked by respect and inclusion.
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