Pastors are honored guests at Day of Thanks for their support of Catholic schools
April 28, 2023 at 4:17 p.m.
The diocesan Department of Catholic Schools hosted a Day of Thanks April 26 in the parish hall of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, to express gratitude to the pastors with parish schools and pastors without a school, who co-sponsor and provide support to the elementary and secondary schools in the Diocese of Trenton.
School administrators and student representatives shared their appreciation in messages and performances as they highlighted some of the achievements made by their schools this past year.
Both St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, and St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, performed acts from their spring musicals; Disney’s Newsies Jr. and Cinderella respectively. The bell choir from St. Paul School, Burlington, expressed their gratitude by showcasing their musical talents while the children in St. Paul School, Princeton, made thank you cards for the clergy.
Students from St. Benedict School, Holmdel, joined their principal Kevin Donahue, for a presentation on the school’s mobile classrooms and new playground area for the PreK3 class.
All schools were invited to share updates. While some schools were unable to attend, they shared video presentations on new programs, building expansions, or projects.
“The students appreciated being asked to attend and the priests were moved by the event and the skills and talents of the students’ presentations,” said Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools.
This is the second year the Department of Catholic Schools has hosted this event in recognition of the critical role that pastors, and parish communities, have in preserving the value and impact of parish and diocesan schools across the four counties of the Diocese.
Dr. Schmidt acknowledged with gratitude the assistance received from the priests.
“The Department of Catholic Schools stressed the importance of the support from the pastors within our schools. We’ve said, time and again, that our programs would not exist without the support of all pastors and our co-sponsors within our programming. The priest stepping up in the past made us great, and their willingness to continue to support will lead our schools to become outstanding,” Dr. Schmidt said.
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The diocesan Department of Catholic Schools hosted a Day of Thanks April 26 in the parish hall of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, to express gratitude to the pastors with parish schools and pastors without a school, who co-sponsor and provide support to the elementary and secondary schools in the Diocese of Trenton.
School administrators and student representatives shared their appreciation in messages and performances as they highlighted some of the achievements made by their schools this past year.
Both St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, and St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, performed acts from their spring musicals; Disney’s Newsies Jr. and Cinderella respectively. The bell choir from St. Paul School, Burlington, expressed their gratitude by showcasing their musical talents while the children in St. Paul School, Princeton, made thank you cards for the clergy.
Students from St. Benedict School, Holmdel, joined their principal Kevin Donahue, for a presentation on the school’s mobile classrooms and new playground area for the PreK3 class.
All schools were invited to share updates. While some schools were unable to attend, they shared video presentations on new programs, building expansions, or projects.
“The students appreciated being asked to attend and the priests were moved by the event and the skills and talents of the students’ presentations,” said Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools.
This is the second year the Department of Catholic Schools has hosted this event in recognition of the critical role that pastors, and parish communities, have in preserving the value and impact of parish and diocesan schools across the four counties of the Diocese.
Dr. Schmidt acknowledged with gratitude the assistance received from the priests.
“The Department of Catholic Schools stressed the importance of the support from the pastors within our schools. We’ve said, time and again, that our programs would not exist without the support of all pastors and our co-sponsors within our programming. The priest stepping up in the past made us great, and their willingness to continue to support will lead our schools to become outstanding,” Dr. Schmidt said.