Celebrate Catholic Schools Week 2021

Dear St. Patrick Families:

On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff at St. Patrick Catholic High School, we sincerely appreciate your continuous support of our school and of Catholic education. 

National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which this year is January 31 – February 6. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2021 is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

Catholic schools offer academic excellence and faith-filled education for students nationwide.  National test scores, high school graduation rates, college attendance and other data show that Catholic schools consistently outperform schools in both the public and private sectors.

Pope St. John Paul II quotes on Catholic education: 

“Not only are the attitudes of teachers crucial for the success of Catholic education but also the attitudes of Catholic parents. Parents must set themselves very definite priorities, such as the determination to have schools in which their children’s faith will be respected, fostered and enriched; schools in which their children learn the value and beauty of the Church’s teaching. They must also see to it that their own homes are places in which these values are first fostered and lived. Parents’ own practice of the faith, their own love for Christ, is of course fundamental.”

“The mission of the Catholic school is the integral formation of students, so that they may be true to their condition as Christ’s disciples and as such work effectively for the evangelization of culture and for the common good of society.”

“Catholic education aims not only to communicate facts, but also to transmit a coherent, comprehensive vision of life, in the conviction that the truths contained in that vision liberate students in the most profound meaning of human freedom.”

Detailed information about the events and schedules for next week will be in your Monday morning This Week at St. Patrick email; however, here are a few of the events and activities we have planned for the week! 

• Monday, February 1
  • Blessing of our school cross created by the Campus Ministry team with prayer intentions.  The cross will hang in the foyer.
  • Catholic Schools Week Trivia Game – during second period, students will compete in a school-wide Catholic trivia game with the winning students receiving gift cards. 

• Tuesday, February 2
  • The Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary will be prayed during second period for all the intentions of our St. Patrick family.  The rosary service will be lived-streamed from the school chapel.

• Wednesday, February 3
  • Catholic Schools Week Family Movie Night – in celebration of Catholic Schools Week 2021, we have rented out the entire Grand Theatre in D’Iberville on Wednesday, February 3.  Showtime begins at 7:00 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m.  There is no charge for admission to this event, and this event is open to St. Patrick students and family members of St. Patrick students.  Look for an email later this week to reserve your tickets.

• Thursday, February 4
  • Our Catholic Schools Week Junior Ring Mass will begin at 9:40 a.m.  Mass will be live-streamed to Facebook and YouTube, and I will present each member of the Class of 2022 with his or her class ring.  Each junior will be permitted to invite up to two guests to join us in the gym for the Junior Ring Mass – students and parents of the Class of 2022 should look for an email later this week with more details and instructions to reserve your tickets. 

• ​​​​​​​Friday, February 5
  • Friday is a Free Dress Day.  Each class will also have a pizza party lunch with a popcorn and movie afternoon.

We sincerely thank you for investing in Catholic education and choosing St. Patrick Catholic High School for your child.  If you have any questions or need any more information about Catholic Schools Week, please reach out or reply to this email.  Thank you again for your support of our school where we educate scholars, train disciples, and support champions!

Go Irish! 

Dr. Matt Buckley
Principal