A conversation with Chris Fisher

Get to know our new superintendent of Catholic Schools

By Christina Gray

Chris Fisher was interviewed by Catholic San Francisco this summer in the midst of his family’s cross-country move from Rhode Island to San Francisco. The new superintendent of Catholic schools, serving more than 24,000 students, started July 1. Fisher was most recently executive director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture at Portsmouth Abbey and School, a Benedictine monastery and Catholic boarding school in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

CSF: Who is the essential Chris Fisher?

Fisher: I am a Catholic husband, father and educator, a trinity of vocations. I am a native New Englander. My wife Lauren and I have two young boys, Frederick and Felix. I was raised Catholic, but my faith was awakened largely through my study of the Catholic intellectual tradition in a ‘great books’ course in college. I have been called to provide the same kind of transformative education I received and that I’ve witnessed change the lives of so many students.

CSF: How did your vocation as a Catholic educator evolve?

Fisher: Working with Catholic school students and faculty when I was a young teacher gave me the experience of witnessing how in a Catholic school the cultivation of a love of learning can lead students to a desire for God. That teachers and school leaders are able to be instruments of God’s grace in such a profound way was so compelling for me to witness. I knew Catholic education was where I belonged.

CSF: What was it about the opportunity with the Archdiocese of San Francisco that made you decide to come West?

Fisher: The short answer is that God’s providence is full of surprises. As a lifelong New Englander, San Francisco was not on my bingo card! However, several reasons converged to make this a thrilling opportunity. I knew working for Archbishop Cordileone was a very special opportunity. As a vital center for American culture from business and technology to arts and education to its natural splendor and rich Catholic legacy, the Archdiocese is an important and exciting vineyard to work for the Lord.

CSF: How would you articulate your vision and philosophy of Catholic education?

Fisher: Catholic education is an invitation to greatness. The heart of the Church’s vision and mission for education is to liberate each person to flourish and achieve their full potential as a child made in the image and likeness of God. Catholic education is freeing in this full sense; we are only truly free when we become who God made us to be. It is also the primary responsibility of Catholic educators to support parents as primary educators of their children.

CSF: As an educator, what do you view as your greatest accomplishment to this point?

Fisher: Any educator is a teacher at heart. I am most proud of whatever contributions I’ve been able to make to the lives of my students that has helped them achieve their fullest potential as a child created in the image of God. The students (and sometimes whole families) who would convert to the Catholic faith because of an encounter with St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas in the classroom always reminds me of why we Catholic teachers are in this profession in the first place.

CSF: Do you feel Catholic schools in the Bay Area face unique challenges?

Fisher: In my experience, every school faces both unique and universal challenges, and the same is true for Catholic schools here. It is good to remember that every challenge is also an opportunity. Like anywhere else in the country, families crave authenticity, a sense of mission, confidence, joy, charity, dignity and especially meaning — all the hallmark characteristics of an excellent Catholic school. On a cultural level, you see on the West Coast a real desire to pursue a life of meaning. That passion, which has made San Francisco a cultural touchstone, represents a great opportunity for the Catholic Church, and Catholic education in particular, to respond to that innate human desire for meaning.

CSF: What is it that Catholic schools can offer families where high-quality education is an expectation?

Fisher: What is unique about a Catholic school is that it infuses all of its activities with meaning. We know that all that we do points to a higher end outside of ourselves: namely, to know, love and serve God and neighbor. While other schools could also have excellent academic or athletic programs, Catholic schools are centers of meaning and purpose. In an age where young people especially are longing for meaning, our Catholic schools are uniquely capable of filling that need. We also have the unique benefit of a dynamic legacy of education that we can draw from.

CSF: What are the challenges and opportunities of serving both Catholic and non-Catholic students in our schools?

Fisher: I have had a lot of experience working with families from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, including those with very little knowledge of, or experience with, the Catholic faith. In my experience, this has always been an energizing opportunity. Like the apostles, we have the privilege of introducing the fruits of our faith and our tradition to people for the first time. The opportunity for our schools is to create a culture where that experience, whether in the classroom, in the liturgy, or in the witness of students and teachers, is meaningful, vibrant and joyful. We should welcome non-Catholic students and families into our schools and celebrate the opportunity to share with them the “pearl of great price” which we hold in trust.

CSF: What are some of your priorities as you start your first academic year?

Fisher: I believe that as Catholic educators, we need to be creative and courageous in how we accomplish our mission. I look forward to learning more about what our Catholic schools need through conversation with principals, pastors and families. I will work toward cultivating an esprit de corps among all educators in the Archdiocese. That sense of purpose, mission and community will be attractive to other teachers and school leaders who may feel called to join us in our important work. I will leverage resources like the St. Clare Institute for Learning to help train our next generation of teachers and school leaders. I will learn what our school families need and how the Archdiocese can support parents as the primary educators of their children. And finally, I’d like to better showcase the wonderful gifts and talents of our schools to attract even more families.

Visit sfarch.org/archdiocese-of-san-francisco-announces-new-superintendent-of-catholic-schools for a more detailed background on Chris Fisher.

Christina Gray is the lead writer for Catholic San Francisco.