By David G Bonagura, Jr., The Catholic Thing - “Excellence,” along with its cousin “success,” is the most overused word in education. It adorns mission statements and admission pitches at all levels of both Catholic and secular schools, seeking to convince prospective students to enroll and prospective donors to give. The Catholic elementary school where I was educated, to name but one, had a citation on its outdoor sign: “A National School of Excellence.” The honor was bestowed by some accrediting agency that somehow wielded the majestic power to define what is excellent.