Catholic schools have a rich legacy in our diocese and a bright future. The importance of their presence is highlighted every year during Catholic Schools Week. This national celebration brings children, teachers, parents and priests together at the local level to remind them of their common faith and the sense of community it brings about.
This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” The week is a chance for students to build community with each other and give visitors a sense of the importance of Catholic education.
“Catholic Schools Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the gift of Catholic education and to reveal to others what a gift it is,” said Brenda Mitzel, director of Catholic schools for the diocese. “Catholic school students have the opportunity to celebrate the sacraments regularly, to study Sacred Scripture and apply it to their lives, to pray, and to learn from the lives of saints what it means to be called to holiness. Students learn the truth of the Catholic faith through their studies.”
An integral part of building community is understanding relationships.
“Students also come to understand that they are beloved sons and daughters of God, and he is loving them through their relationships with family and friends,” said Brenda. “In these relationships, students are able to grow in virtues such as patience, kindness, honesty, self-control, prudence and many more cardinal and theological virtues.”
The importance of restoring a strong foundation of faith among young Catholics is needed now more than ever. Children at formative ages are constantly influenced and bombarded by the enticements of secularism and apathy. Building a sense of community based on our common Catholic faith during the school years will lead to a future of flourishing Catholic faith in our diocese.
