National Catholic Schools Week 2017 will showcase the very best of what Catholic Schools across the nation have to offer – both in quality of education and prominence of faith. From outstanding graduation rates to saving the country billions of dollars per year, they are an integral part of educating children and youth that the United States would be hard-put to replace.
There’s a reason these schools have celebrated their existence for a week each year since 1974. In fact, according to the National Catholic Educational Association, there are at least 12 of them. The NCEA website cites that Catholic schools:
• Offer an education that combines Catholic faith and teachings with academic excellence.
• Partner with parents in the faith formation of their children.
• Set high standards for student achievement and help them succeed.
• Provide a balanced academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture and life
• Use technology effectively to enhance education
• Instill in students the value of service to others
• Teach children respect of self and others
• Emphasize moral development and self-discipline
• Prepare students to be productive citizens and future leaders
• Have a 99 percent high school graduation rate; 85 percent of graduates go to college
• Cultivate a faculty and staff of people who are dedicated, caring and effective
• Provide a safe and welcoming environment for all
Daily themes, in addition to the 2017 theme “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service,” are suggested by the NCEA for recognizing Catholic Schools’ many elements and support systems, without which the schools could not thrive. Beginning with Sunday, Jan. 29, the proposed daily themes celebrate parishes; communities; students; the nation; vocations; faculty, staff and volunteers; and families.
Masses, open houses and other activities are planned for each school community, many of which are open to the public. These events allow not only current school families to celebrate the value of their Catholic education, but also to invite prospective families and the larger community to witness the school in action, and how it contributes to the country as well as to the Church.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a 2005 letter about their commitment to Catholic education, noted that young people are a “valued treasure and the future leaders of our Church.”
“It is the responsibility of the entire Catholic community – bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laity – to continue to strive towards the goal of making our Catholic elementary and secondary schools available, accessible, and affordable to all Catholic parents and their children, including those who are poor and middle class,” the letter continued. “All Catholics must join together in efforts to ensure that Catholic schools have administrators and teachers who are prepared to provide an exceptional educational experience for young people – one that is both truly Catholic and of the highest academic quality.”
On its website, the USCCB cited the Vatican Congregation on Catholic Education, noting that Catholic schools’ unique identity of faith makes them “schools for the human person,” filling a critical role in the future life of all society.
“Young people of the third millennium must be a source of energy and leadership in our Church and our nation,” the bishops’ letter stated. “Therefore, we must provide young people with an academically rigorous and doctrinally sound program of education and faith formation designed to strengthen their union with Christ and his Church … By equipping our young people with a sound education, rooted in the Gospel message, the Person of Jesus Christ, and rich in the cherished traditions and liturgical practices of our faith, we ensure that they have the foundation to live morally and uprightly in our complex modern world.”