Catholic Schools Week January 29 – February 4, 2017
By: Dr. Nina Beck
Sunday, January 29th, marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week, our annual celebration of Catholic Education. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” and encompasses several concepts that are at the Heart of a Catholic Education. The theme closely parallels the three tasks of Jesus’ Mission: Faith comes from preaching, Knowledge comes from teaching, and Service is how we go about healing.
First of all, Catholic Schools are communities of Faith, where we proudly teach students about God. Catholic School students openly pray and worship God on a daily basis. Classroom prayers and regular Masses form the minds, hearts and souls of students, helping them to love as committed Christian disciples.
The second characteristic from the theme of the National Catholic Schools Week is that Catholic Schools are communities of knowledge. Catholic Schools exist to pass on knowledge, not just the practical knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic and so on, but also knowledge of God and Truth, which is our spiritual heritage as Catholics, who believe there is no conflict between faith and knowledge. The Catholic intellectual tradition shows us that faith and knowledge each illuminate the other and allow us to pursue truth and reason without fear, because God is the source of all knowledge and truth.
Students in Catholic Schools are held to high academic standards. Catholic Schools educate the whole child…mind, spirit, and body. We work to ensure every child is well-rounded with courses in art, literature, music, science, math, physical education and technology.
Catholic Schools are communities of faith, knowledge and most importantly, service. Service is the Key to the Christian Life, because when Jesus called his disciples, he immediately gave them work to do…fishing for people…and an example to follow. He went about Galilee teaching, preaching and healing. At its root, is service not a form of healing? When we help shovel snow for a neighbor, are we not healing a bit of loneliness as we remove the snow? When we collect gloves and hats for children in need, are we not healing a bit of the anxiety and fear felt by parents who are experiencing a hard time? Service is an expression of love and care; it is an integral part of the life of Catholic Schools, which are committed communities of service, places where helping one another and aiding the needy are the modus operandi…it is the normal way of living life.
When families enroll their children in Catholic Schools, they are certain their children will receive an excellent education steeped in the Catholic Faith and focused on the needs of each student. During Catholic Schools Week, schools celebrate students, parents, and families, Priests, Sisters, Teacher and Staff. Special and meaningful activities are planned for them to express appreciation to all that have contributed and for all that is accomplished.
Our Catholic Schools provide a safe and disciplined environment where each student is expected to reach his or her potential. We do everything possible to make certain that students become everything they can within our Catholic communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.
