Catholic Schools Week marks the end of January each year and is the annual celebration of Catholic Schools education in the United States. This week is meant to focus on the commitment of Catholic Schools to provide education and faith to young people. They celebrate this week with a different focus on each day to celebrate Catholic Schools. I sat down with Fr. Johnson to learn more about this week, and he described the importance of the week as being able “to celebrate Catholic Schools and rejoice in them.”
The week starts with the last Sunday in January to celebrate your Parish. Catholic Schools Week honors the parish first because of how they benefit the community. Sunday usually starts with a mass devoted to Catholic education. The next day is Monday which celebrates the community. This day is meant to be used to participate in service and reflect on the role of community in Catholic Schools. At Fenwick, we celebrated this by wearing clothes from our grade schools. Tuesday is meant to celebrate the students and the hard work they put in. So at Fenwick, our spirit wear was of Fenwick attire. Wednesday was celebrating the nation. This day emphasizes and communicates the value of Catholic schools to the nation and government. Thursday is celebrating your vocation. This day prepares students to use their natural talents from God fully in their lives. Friday is used to celebrate the teachers and other faculty members who cultivate the experience inside Catholic Schools. Finally, on Saturday we celebrate the families who spend time supporting their students and instilling in them Catholic values. All these days help give us direction when reflecting on the value of a Catholic Education and how it helps us.
The history of Catholic Schools Week started in 1974 and was founded by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). During this past week make sure to reflect on the strong tradition that we have in the Catholic Church and Education. During this week we have two Saints feast days: Saint Thomas Aquinas on January 28th, and Saint John Bosco on January 31st. Saint Thomas Aquinas was the patron saint of universities and scholars, and Saint John Bosco was the patron saint of Catholic publishers and youth. Both of these saints are famous for their academic contributions to the Church which is an important theme of this week.
During this week, spend time reflecting on the importance of the Catholic Schools in your life and how they have helped shape you into the scholar you are today. Each of these days has a meaningful background and objective. Also spend time this week rejoicing in the privilege of a Catholic Education, especially at Fenwick.
