'Humbled to be part of it': Meet Cincinnati's new Catholic schools superintendent

Matthew Daniels didn't grow up Catholic or attend Catholic schools as a kid. His family was Baptist, and he spent his childhood following his football-coaching father from job to job across Ohio and West Virginia.

He thought about following in his father's footsteps but instead found his calling in education, he said. Daniels also turned away from his Baptist roots after studying abroad in Rome and becoming Catholic in college. He hasn't looked back since.

Now, Daniels is superintendent of Cincinnati's Catholic school system – the fifth-largest in the country, overseeing more than 100 Catholic schools that serve nearly 40,000 students across the region. Daniels said he believes Catholic education is the oldest and most successful education system in the world.

"I just feel like I'm a small part of this larger tradition and I'm, frankly, just humbled to be part of it," he said.

Daniels served as a teacher and principal in Catholic school systems across Ohio before finding his new home in Milford this summer. He's not a stranger to Cincinnati. When he was a kid, Daniels' father was an assistant football coach at the University of Cincinnati for four years. Daniels said he "spent more time at Nippert Stadium than probably any middle schooler ought to."

Daniels sat down with The Enquirer recently to talk about his path to Catholicism, his passion for Catholic education and what opportunities he sees in the Cincinnati area.

When did you join the Catholic church and why?

Daniels studied Italian and international studies while he was a student at Ohio State University. While studying abroad in Rome, Daniels said, his father had a heart attack. His family told Daniels to stay in Italy while his father recovered. In Rome, Daniels said, he prayed every day.

One of those days, Daniels said he saw a group of Italian people praying the rosary. He was moved and converted to Catholicism once he was back in Ohio. He was a junior in college.

"I still, sometimes, like, pinch myself that I work for the Catholic church," he said. "It just, it was never part of what I dreamt up or thought I would be doing."

In your own words, what is the Catholic school mission?

Daniels is passionate about Catholic education and its mission. Five of his seven children are school-age and will attend St. Gertrude School in Madeira this fall.

The Catholic school mission, Daniels said, is "making sure that Jesus Christ is known, loved and served."

"College and career readiness are two good and noble things, and they're important things," he said. "But that's not the reason that Catholic schools exist.

"Those might be fruits of what happens in some cases. But the reason Catholic schools exist, really, it's to be evangelical, it's to help young people reach their full potential. And, really, to celebrate the person of Jesus Christ."

What challenges do you see in the Catholic education system?

The two areas Daniels said he's most concerned about are finding great teachers and partnering with parents.

"There are less young people who are deciding to go into the teaching profession. And, I think, on top of what a teacher is maybe trained to do, we ask more of our teachers," Daniels said. "We call our teachers ministers of the church."

These professionals need to find ways to weave Catholic teachings into math, science, English and other classes. That's a big ask, Daniels said. He said he has team members that help guide new teachers in this practice. He plans to focus on teacher recruitment and retention.

As far as parents are concerned, Daniels said he believes the challenges that were unveiled during the pandemic hopefully will prompt parents to be more involved in their kids' education.

"Parents that are involved in their kids' lives have better outcomes," he said.

Cincinnati's Beacons of Light initiative saw a mixed reaction among local parishioners. What's your take?

Daniels admits he's not an expert on the plan to confront dwindling Mass attendance and fewer priests in Cincinnati. Beacons of Light is an archdiocese-wide restructuring that will group more than 200 parishes into 60 "families of parishes" that share priests and resources. Over time, the consolidation could result in the closure of schools and parishes.

Daniels is still learning the details, as he's only been in his new role for less than a month. But he does know Cincinnati's issues are not unique.

"Dioceses across the United States have been trying to think through the right way to pastorally plan for parishes and schools," he said. "So this problem exists in many, many dioceses across the United States."

More: Final plan to consolidate Cincinnati Catholic parishes and schools unveiled. See the maps

In Cincinnati, Daniels said, he's encouraged by the flexibility and collaborative effort of the Beacons of Light plan. He sees opportunities to continue vibrant school communities even where parishes are diminishing.

Do you anticipate Ohio's new school voucher system will have a big impact on Catholic schools in Cincinnati?

Ohio's Republican-dominated Legislature last year ended income requirements in the state's school voucher program , giving all parents of private school students access to hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Daniels said he's excited about what the expansion could mean for Catholic schools, but he said he doesn't have any numerical goals regarding growing enrollment over the next few years.

Despite recent Catholic school closures in Cincinnati − including St. Martin of Tours in Cheviot and St. Joseph in the West End − Daniels said he sees opportunities for growth here, perhaps in neighborhoods that don't already have Catholic schools or where schools have closed. If a group of families wants to start a school, that's a conversation he's willing to have.

"That possibility exists based on the way that EdChoice has allowed families to make choices," Daniels said.

Catholic schools mostly rely on the generosity of their parish, he said. When neighborhood demographics change and Catholics move elsewhere, "parish schools become very, very difficult to operate." But with vouchers, Daniels believes the Archdiocese has an opportunity "to serve families that maybe we weren't serving before."

"What's hopeful is that if EdChoice is something that's sustainable, that changes the game when it comes to how we plan for the future," he said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Humbled to be part of it': Meet Cincinnati's new Catholic schools superintendent