Catholic Schools Week: January 25 - 30

“United in Faith and Community”  Our bishop’s message:

When a child is baptized…his/her parents [and] godparents, promise to help their child grow in the Church’s faith. Parents are their first teachers of the faith and, as a result, the home becomes the “first Catholic school” and a “domestic Church.” Without their involvement in their child’s faith formation, however, faith…won’t happen. Some parents mistakenly suggest that their children will choose to believe or not on their own later in life. What a disservice!…What if parents don’t exercise their faith responsibilities?...What happens to the faith of their child? The answer is simple: nothing.  

Although nothing can substitute for parents’ witness to the faith, Catholic schools should be an extension of the home…Catholic schools are or should be partners with parents engaging their children in Catholic faith, along with other school subjects. The goal is to help children become good Catholics, with knowledge of their faith, exposure to prayer and the sacraments, becoming part of their parish and the experience of living and relating to others.
 
“Catholic Schools Week” provides all Catholics—whether they have children in Catholic schools or not—with the chance to think about the “value” Catholic schools offer to society. Is that “value” worth the sacrifice?...The research has been done and a majority of graduates of Catholic schools have demonstrated greater success across the board…than their public school counterparts. Catholic education is definitely worth it!

We live at a time, however, when many Catholic schools are facing significant challenges…because of steadily declining enrollments and the strain on available financial resources; competition with public schools for higher salaries; demographic shifts in traditionally Catholic population centers; and growing secularization.
 
The key to the future of Catholic schools lies in the hands of parents and families as well as non-Catholics who “value” Catholic education. It comes down to a decision. Catholic schools do the job and do it well. A Catholic environment with its emphasis on caring for the whole person; a unity of purpose provided by Catholic faith, identity and mission; the presence of institutional structure; personal discipline; adherence to codes of conduct; advocacy of social justice and service; a proven record of academic success; religious instruction; the personal commitment of dedicated administration, faculty and staff; a sense of partnership with family, the loyalty of alumni—these characteristics demonstrate the “value” [of] Catholic education.
 
A healthy society needs good public schools. History reveals that good Catholic schools have also made a substantial contribution to society and are, likewise, necessary. “Catholic Schools Week” is an annual reminder that Catholic schools continue to make an incredible, difference in the lives of students with a “value” worth choosing. My mantra has never changed all these years: “Catholic Schools Have it All” … and give it all, in the Lord!