St. Patrick celebrates Catholic Schools Week

The theme for St. Patrick’s upcoming Catholic Schools Week is “Thirst for Change.” 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 in 2016 is January 31 – February 6. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2016 is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.”

The theme encompasses Jesus as “The Living Water” come down from heaven. During the week we will focus on different aspects of water. With two-thirds of the earth’s surface covered by water and the human body consisting of seventy-five percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth.

In his encyclical letter, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis urges us to be aware of the environment and some of the problems faced by humans on our common home, the earth. Numerous challenges are raised in the encyclical, and finding workable solutions can seem difficult to achieve. Yet there are many practical things that can be done to raise awareness of the problems and begin to work on solutions. During this second semester students will learn about ways they can respond to Pope Francis’ encyclical. Beginning next week with “Thirst for Change,” the areas of study will be water, recycling, endangered animals, and the dignity of all human people. The lessons will not be limited to religious studies classes; they will cross over into different subject areas, and there will be home activities so that all St. Patrick family members can be involved.

At St. Patrick this week, the school will be participating in a few activities to celebrate this special week!

• On Monday, religious studies teachers will introduce the theme for the week and discuss the importance of water in the Bible and the Church.
• Tuesday afternoon, we will have a living rosary service in the gym. Many St. Patrick parents are graciously providing lunch for our teachers on Tuesday. Parents may contact Ms. Ward for more information about the faculty luncheon.
• Students will create and design a water drop display of individual intentions to be presented at Mass on Thursday. Our junior class will have their spiritual retreat on Wednesday at Paul B. Johnson Park.
• Thursday morning, Fr. Ryan will be on campus for Mass. Juniors will be presented their class rings as part of the annual Junior Ring Ceremony.
• Friday afternoon, students and faculty will spend time at the stadium for a school-wide field day celebrating the success of Catholic schools.

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 frequently outperform schools in both the public and private sectors.

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.