In confronting the challenge of adapting AI into Catholic schools, speaker Leslie Lipovski told a group of school leaders that the challenge must be embraced. “We can’t just hope that it goes away,” she said. “The jobs that we’re preparing our students to do are going to require them to know AI.”
Lipovski, diocesan assistant superintendent of student learning and teaching excellence, spoke for 26 minutes to a rapt audience of superintendents, principals, and school administrators from the dioceses of Arlington, Richmond, and Wilmington, and the archdioceses of Baltimore and Washington The conference, aptly titled, “Leading with Purpose: Catholic School Leadership in a Changing World,” was held Aug. 6 at Marymount University-Ballston Center in Arlington.
“If you look at the secular world and how they’re using AI, it’s a little bit scary,” said Lipovski. “We must talk about it in terms of Catholic principles and Catholic teachings. We can’t just jump into AI the way that the world does.”
As the AI juggernaut kicked into high gear, Joe Vorbach, diocesan schools superintendent, formed a 14–person working group of experienced educators to help shape AI policy for the schools of the diocese. “AI is the next frontier of the computer age and it compels educators to think and act more deeply and clearly than has yet been required in the internet age,” said Vorbach. “The church has spoken very thoughtfully and helpfully on AI, and we need to ensure Catholic school leaders are equipped to support teachers and parents with good pedagogy and good policy that ensures the promotion of human flourishing, without allowing the diminishment of the inherent dignity of every human person.”
The policy was distributed to schools in June, but Lipovski said it will be adapted and updated as needed. “Discernment’s a big piece of this because we don’t want to just begin using AI for everything,” she said. “There’s a way to use AI and that’s what the policy is created to help answer. The policy also forms students as ethical leaders in a tech-driven society.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, who stopped by the conference during lunch to thank all those in attendance, said it was important for the diocese to take the initiative on AI. “We don’t want AI giving us the policy,” he said. “Like any tool, any gift, it should be used in a way that produces good fruit. Why not put some great minds together to say, ‘What are the boundaries with AI? How can we create this in a positive way in a Catholic education setting to use AI as good stewards?’ ”
St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly has its own cyber educator heading up one of the most innovative approaches to integrating AI technology in the country. Michael Hargadon, who also served on the working group, developed a program called LUMA, an intelligent classroom assistant along with his son Finn Hargadon, class of ’26; Brent Barlow class of ’26; Jacob Ramsey, class of ’24 and University of Tennessee student; and Paulo Korowajczuk Nader, class of ’25 and freshman at George Mason University in Fairfax.
“Our faith must guide this technology adoption, we cannot be guided by it,” said Hargadon. “As parents and educators, it is our responsibility to understand it and ensure it serves us, we do not serve it. Our Catholic identity is so important to me and us, and it must remain at the forefront of how we approach and adopt these new tools, guiding every step we take.”
LUMA is designed to integrate seamlessly with Google Classroom to create a responsive, intelligent assistant that supports both students and teachers. “It can answer student questions in real time, provide tailored explanations based on the teacher’s instructional style, and reference course-specific materials, all while staying true to our Catholic identity,” said Hargadon.
The beta version of LUMA was completed before classes began this fall. Hargadon’s Introduction to AI class (approximately 20 students) will be the first to use and test it as part of their curriculum. If the pilot is successful, it will expand to additional teachers and courses at Paul VI.
Principals who attended the conference already have seen problems with AI. “I’ve run into situations where students have been using AI to find out about things that are a little bit on the dangerous side and could really get them into trouble,” said Aránzazu Ascunce, principal of St. Ambrose School in Annandale. “One thing that inspired me about the talk today is that the diocese has come up with this policy, but how can we at the school level, also work together with our communities to do the same thing?”
Debra Eisel, principal of St. Mary’s School in Rockville, Md., said she’s concerned about the potential of AI to damage problem-solving skills of students. “We need to give them more unstructured time and teach them how to do things, how to make things,” she said. “Just give them time to go outside and play and figure things out with their friends because they’re not having that opportunity. They’re used to instant gratification.”
Hargadon acknowledged that AI presents significant challenges, but he’s optimistic that the diocesan strategy is sound. “I look at AI as being like the Wizard of Oz,” he said. “Once you find out what’s behind the curtain, it’s not that scary. We can’t stop it. We’re going to use it for good and not be afraid of it.”
