"Bishops: Catholic Schools Serve the New Evangelization"

http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/3696/Bishops-Catholic-Schools-Serve-the-New-Evangelization.aspx

"Archbishop George Lucas of the Archdiocese of Omaha and Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville recently spoke to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) about the mission of Catholic schools and their connection to the New Evangelization, according to a news release from the USCCB. The U.S. bishops are currently meeting in Baltimore for their Fall General Assembly.

Archbishop Lucas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education, said that “The New Evangelization calls us to open up an inviting space where God’s grace can take hold and bear fruit, to welcome the Spirit in ways that support conversion, touch the heart, and inspire, “according to the release. Catholic schools are an important part of that calling, as their community spirit results in “higher levels of student engagement and achievement,” Archbishop Lucas explained."

"Why Catholic school is worth it"

http://www.statepress.com/2014/11/19/why-catholic-school-is-worth-it/

"For years, the concept of public school terrified me. As I had attended a private, uniformed, Catholic institution from preschool through high-school, the chaos I associated with public school was pretentious to say the least.

owever, my personal history in Catholic schooling has allowed me a unique perspective on what constitutes education when religious culture is injected into the curriculum. I was raised with lines of plaid skirts, polos, navy and white filing into rectangles in a grassy courtyard every morning for prayer and assembly. Mass was an undisputed part of Friday’s schedule and religion class was as demanding as math and literature.

Looking back, this amount of structure seemed imperative to a scholastic environment and prepared me for the future. This column is not meant to hold one type of schooling over another; instead, it’s meant to examine the extensive benefits gained from the educational and social features of private, religious institutes, and why they are worth the trouble.

Although Catholic school teachers employed by the Diocese often make less than public school educators, they define commitment and tenacity, especially in an environment where the relationships formed in kindergarten exist for decades due to the Diocesan emphasis on community. These instructors go above and beyond to provide a quality education and a personal mentorship for their students. I was lucky to have these teachers throughout grade school."

"Catholic School Students Cheer Installation Of Archbishop Cupich"

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/11/18/catholic-school-students-cheer-installation-of-archbishop-cupich/

"CHICAGO (CBS) – Students and teachers at St. Columbanus school in the Park Manor neighborhood watched the ceremony at Holy Name Cathedral as Blase Cupich was installed as the Archbishop of Chicago."

"Teen admits to perjury when he testified he forced Catholic school tutor, 33, to have sex"

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/11/teen_admits_to_perjury_when_he.html

"GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A 17-year-old boy, allegedly the victim of a sexual assault by a Catholic school tutor, has spent four days on the witness stand being asked about the most intimate details of his life."

"Archbishop Chaput:The Goal of Catholic Education is to ‘Equip Saints’"

http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/3665/Archbishop-Chaput-The-Goal-of-Catholic-Education-is-to-‘Equip-Saints’.aspx

"The goal of Catholic education is “to equip saints for life in this world and the next,” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia stated in a pastoral letter released by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on November 3. The letter, titled “Equipping Saints: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Education and Faith Formation,” details the roles of teachers, catechists, leaders, parents, and the Church in educating young people.

Archbishop Chaput read the full letter to more than 3,500 Catholic educators gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the first“ Archbishop’s Day for Teachers and Administrators.”

“Catholic schools and faith formation programs are vital to the Catholic teaching mission and the well-being of the whole believing community,” the Archbishop noted.

Archbishop Chaput emphasized the importance of having teachers, catechists and administrators “who are not merely professionally skilled… but also deeply committed to Christian virtue and Catholic faith.” It is imperative that lay educators, he said, “live honestly and visibly as disciples of Jesus Christ.”"

"Why we choose Catholic High School"

Read all about it @: http://www.valleycatholiconline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=5411&id=15


"My husband and I have been thinking about our children’s education since they were in the womb; but not about Berkeley or Harvard or even their future degrees. We just wanted them to become knowledgeable, so they become good people; compassionate above competitive.

After all, it is History that teaches us social injustice, and Language Arts gives us the voice to speak persuasively against it. Science wields the power to enhance lives or to destroy them. And we need to know Math to grasp income inequality. Education doesn’t just secure our own American Dream. It enlarges that dream to include everyone.

We wanted our kids’ best teacher to be Christ. It just took months of research and prayerful discernment to realize it.

We agonized over the choice of high school for our daughter. We looked closely at many public, charter and private schools, both religious and independent. Our homework was reading websites, attending open houses, and arranging shadow visits. Beyond just academics, we considered athletics, extracurricular activities, size, location, and demographics.

The process felt much like dating. Public schools cannot compete with sleek marketing collateral and giveaway iPads. But they rate well on diversity, proximity and cost. Some strengths were more important to us than others; an immersion program more so than a robotics one, or an emphasis on leadership versus drama. Above all, we wanted our daughter to have a say in the decision. God does his best work through the young." 

"Schools foster patriotism in students"

http://catholicherald.com/stories/Schools-foster-patriotism-in-students,27480

"There are many holidays that Americans reserve to celebrate their numerous freedoms. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor Day all provide opportunities to remind us of the sacrifices made by brave men and women over the past 240 years. But just as often, opportunities not directly associated with a holiday avail themselves.

Arlington diocesan schools encourage students to remember sacrifices made and celebrate our country.

The year began with a ceremony Jan. 18 at the John Lyon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3150 in Arlington. Bishop O’Connell High School students Virginia Schilder, Ryan Robles and John Durel won first, second and third place respectively for their five-minute recorded essays of “Why am I optimistic about America’s future?” in a Voice of Democracy contest. At the same ceremony, O’Connell math department Chairman Michael Bernhard received the local and district level VFW Teacher of the Year award for promoting patriotism and good citizenship in students."

"Ebola Watch: Teacher resigns after Catholic school freaks out about her trip to Kenya"

http://medcitynews.com/2014/11/ebola-watch-catholic-school-teacher-resigns-trip-kenya-made-threat/


"Unreasonable fear of the virus is now costing people their jobs.


Susan Sherman, a teacher at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School in Louisville, Ky., has resigned after being asked to take a 21-day leave of absence following a missionary trip to Kenya. Parents were worried, so they thought it would be better if she wasn’t at the school.


But Kenya is in Eastern Africa and has had no reports of Ebola.


Sherman (also a registered nurse) and her husband Paul, a retired orthopedic surgeon, were on a medical mission trip to Kenya in a small village called Migori. It was the fourth trip that she and her husband had taken with faith-based organization Kenya Relief."

"Affordable, Faithful Catholic Education: Online Catholic Schools?"

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jenniferfitz/2014/11/affordable-faithful-catholic-education-online-catholic-schools/#ixzz3IIlKnEmq


"One of the challenges in rearing our children is giving them an education that is faithful to Catholic teaching and is also physically and financially feasible.  In many areas there are excellent Catholic schools; a few dioceses have taken brilliant initiatives to make it possible for all parishioners to attend, regardless of financial need.  That said, we can hardly describe America in 2014 as a wonderland of orthodox parochial education."


Commentary: Honestly, I think I can agree with the last sentence on the first paragraph.