DIOCESAN NEWS
01/25/08
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Catholic schools ‘light the way’
By the National Catholic Educational Association, Mississippi Catholic staff
      WASHINGTON, D. C. — Catholic Schools Week, the annual celebration of Catholic schools and their contribution to their communities and the nation, is next week, Sunday - Saturday, Jan. 27 — Feb. 2, 2008.
      For more than three decades, the nation’s Catholic schools have spent the last week of January recalling what makes Catholic education special.
      The 2008 theme is “Catholic Schools Light the Way,” which highlights the mission of Catholic schools to provide a faith-based education that supports the whole child academically and spiritually and prepares students for future success.
      Catholic schools in the Diocese of Jackson, along with schools across the country, will observe the week with special Masses, community service projects, academic and artistic showcases, and athletic and family events.
      Many schools will hold open houses so community members can learn more about the value of Catholic education.
      In the Jackson diocese, 4, 496 students are enrolled in 19 schools — 15 elementary, four high schools — and three early childhood centers.
      “If you look in the Catholic Schools Week insert in this paper, you will see how the ads from our schools really reflect one of the key components of Catholic education — service,” said Sister Deborah Hughes, superintendent of Catholic schools and early childhood centers in the Jackson diocese.
      “Many of these ads depict outreach and service, one of the earmarks of our schools. They reflect student service projects that have made impacts in their communities, in places like the Mississippi Delta and as far away as Nicaragua,” she said.
      “We see our students developing their talents and contributing to their communities as they grow into adulthood, lighting the way.”
      Another earmark of Catholic education, Sister Hughes said, is excellence in providing a quality education to students.
      “It is an education grounded in faith, self-discipline and values the students can use for their entire lives.
      “While the ads show various perspectives of our Catholic schools, the Gospel-based foundation and the development of a child’s faith relationship with God is always going to be present.
      “One of the ads emphasizes the fostering of respect, responsibility and reverence in students as they develop to their fullest potential,” Sister Hughes said. “Those are the key components of every relationship a child has, with themselves, their families, their communities and the broader global world.”
      On Wednesday, Jan. 30, National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools, delegations of students, faculty and parents will visit Washington, D.C., and many state capitals to promote awareness among government leaders of the contributions of Catholic education.
      “As a result of the excellent, multifaceted education they are receiving today, our students will ‘light the way’ to a brighter future through their leadership in our communities, government, businesses and families,” said Dr. Karen Ristau, president of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA).
      Nearly 2.4 million students attend the nation’s 7,800 elementary, middle and secondary Catholic schools.
      “With their emphasis on academic excellence and moral values, Catholic schools enjoy high satisfaction among students and parents and high achievement rates, including high school graduation rates of more than 99 percent,” said Marie Powell, executive director of Catholic Education at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
      “This is a message we want to share with our nation’s leaders.”
      Catholic Schools Week is a joint project of the NCEA, the world’s largest private, professional education association, and the USCCB, the national public policy organization of U.S. bishops.
      For more information, go to www.jacksondiocese.org/schools, and www.ncea.org/news/CatholicSchoolsWeek.asp.
      Established in 1904, the NCEA is the largest private professional education organization in the world, representing 200,000 Catholic educators serving 7.6 million students in Catholic elementary and secondary schools, in religious education programs, in seminaries and in colleges and universities.

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