Who We Are

Mission Statement

The mission of Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School as a Catholic college-preparatory school is to develop leaders with the competence, conscience, compassion, confidence, and courage who, out of love for Christ and others, will radiate Christ in their lives.

Philosophy

The Donovan Community is a college-preparatory school dedicated to providing opportunities for the development of the spiritual, moral, emotional, intellectual, social, and physical growth of each student.

As we strive to nurture within each student the belief that we are all created by a loving God who cares for us and desires that we share with Him His life of happiness, our goal is to work in partnership with parents in developing in their sons and daughters a sense of responsibility to God, to themselves, and to their fellow human beings.

We believe that learning requires a disciplined atmosphere that fosters both personal freedom and responsibility for one’s decisions.

We strive to develop Christian values and to teach our Catholic heritage that all students might become examples of the ideal Christian person: A person who contributes energies and God-given talents for the well-being of self and others.

We welcome students to our school who are from non-Catholic faith traditions unless attendance would cause conflict for them because of the unique Catholic dimension and philosophy of our school. We believe in One God, The Father, The Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and that every person is made in His image, deserving of respect and love.  We foster these values so that our students may “Radiate the Lord” to the world.

Crest & Founding Values

The crest of Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School represents founding values for the school. The following is an explanation, clockwise from the upper left portion of the crest:

 

  1. Family — Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School will be a school that provides a nurturing close-knit environment and will encourage parents to take an active part in their child’s education.
  2. Inclusiveness — Anyone who is qualified, no matter the socio-economic, racial, or religious background, is encouraged to apply and attend Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School.
  3. Jesus Christ — Our central focus as a Catholic school will be to promote a Christian environment and faith-based education in the Catholic tradition.
  4. High Academic Standards and Expectations — Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School is a college-preparatory school that will expect much from its students and will assist them in their academic endeavors so that each student’s talents can be fully realized.

Motto

The motto of Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School is “To Radiate the Lord.” Our hope is that the members of the Monsignor Donovan community love Christ and others so much that they are compelled to share their love for Christ, their learned truths, and their developed talents with others. In so doing, they will radiate Christ in their daily lives for the greater glory of God.

Our Colors

Our Mascot

Donnie the Ram

Namesake

The school is named after Monsignor Walter J. Donovan who founded St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in 1949, just two years after he arrived in Athens as pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. He was born April 14, 1916 and died July 22, 2012. He was ordained a priest on July 1, 1944 after attending school at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. and St. Bernard’s Seminary in Rochester, NY. He served the Catholic community of Georgia for 68 years as a priest. Pope John Paul II appointed Fr. Donovan as Prelate of Honor with the title of Monsignor in 1994. Msgr. Donovan was a proponent of racial integration and justice. He participated in an interracial group of Catholics called the St. Martin’s Human Relations Council, which visited parishes “educating other Catholics” on issues involving civil rights. Msgr. Donovan was instrumental in the growth of Catholic education and served the Athens community strongly for over a decade. Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School was named in his honor when we opened our doors in 2003. His example is one we uphold as the tradition and inspiration for the education of the future leaders of our Church.