Happy Catholic Schools Week to All

Catholic Schools Week, the national celebration of a treasured ministry of our Church, will be observed from Sunday, January 31st to Saturday, February 6.

Traditionally, Catholic Schools Week is a time to open wide the doors of our schools — inviting parents, grandparents and other visitors into our schools for a first-hand look at the excellent academic programs and the spiritual life our students experience every day. Of course, amid this pandemic, this year is anything but traditional, and the opportunities that bring people close together physically are not possible. Despite that, I believe we have even more to celebrate this year, as our schools have successfully remained open for in-person learning since September.

On that last point, allow me to express my gratitude for the extraordinary efforts and labors that have enabled our schools to persevere and deliver on our collective mission: “to educate and inspire young minds spiritually, academically and in service to others.”

Thank you to our school principals and administrators for your unparalleled leadership. You navigated remote learning and an ever-changing landscape last spring, managed the pain of extracurricular cancellations, orchestrated virtual graduations and liturgies, and immediately turned your attention to the start of a new school year with unprecedented protocols. You have continued to lead every day with grace, faith and an unending commitment to the Catholic education of our students.

Thank you to our teachers, for embracing new technology; being available to parents almost around the clock, and learning how to be present online and in the classroom at the same time. Your passion for teaching and loving commitment to education have given your students and their families a “normal” school year, to the extent possible during a pandemic. This is a gift your students will remember for the rest of their lives.  

A school cannot run without maintenance, administrative and other support staff, and of course, our school nurses. Thanks to all of you for the roles you have played in keeping our schools clean, safe and orderly this year. Many new tasks have fallen to you and you have stepped in without hesitation on behalf of our school children. It would be impossible for our schools to succeed without your contributions.

Thank you to our pastors, parochial vicars and Directors of Catholic Identity who have worked tirelessly to hand on our Catholic faith to our students and the greater school community. Your collaboration with faculty and school administrators and your support of our schools have ensured that our schools are rooted in the Catholic faith and in the unique philosophy of Catholic education.  

Parents, thank you for entrusting your children’s education to a Catholic school whose philosophy is that parents are the first teachers, and that the school and parents are partners in educating children. This year especially you have been exemplary partners — honoring limited access to school buildings and ensuring your children follow required protocols. So many principals and teachers have commented that it has been a joy working with new and returning families to build a strong school community.

Finally, I want to thank our students – for the respect you show by wearing masks, honoring social distancing requirements, and doing everything you are asked to help keep your school a safe environment. There have been many disappointments in the last year, but each day you show up with joy and enthusiasm, ready to learn, remotely or in the classroom. I am proud of the way you represent our Catholic faith.

As 2021 dawns, let us remember those lost to the pandemic over the past year, but let us also remain patient and hopeful that this year brings good news that slowly we will move from the “new normal” of the last 12 months and return to the normalcy we enjoyed in the not too distant past. To quote Saint Paul to the Romans: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit” (Rm 15:13).

Happy Catholic Schools Week to All.