Important efforts are…being made to preserve the great patrimony of America’s Catholic elementary and high schools, which have been deeply affected by changing demographics and increased costs, while at the same time ensuring that the education they provide remains within the reach of all families, whatever their financial status. As has often been mentioned in our meetings, these schools remain an essential resource for the new evangelization, and the significant contribution that they make to American society as a whole ought to be better appreciated and more generously supported.

* * *

It is no exaggeration to say that providing young people with a sound education in the faith represents the most urgent internal challenge facing the Catholic community in your country. The deposit of faith is a priceless treasure which each generation must pass on to the next by winning hearts to Jesus Christ and shaping minds in the knowledge, understanding and love of his Church. It is gratifying to realize that, in our day too, the Christian vision, presented in its breadth and integrity, proves immensely appealing to the imagination, idealism and aspirations of the young, who have a right to encounter the faith in all its beauty, its intellectual richness and its radical demands.

* * *

First, as we know, the essential task of authentic education at every level is not simply that of passing on knowledge, essential as this is, but also of shaping hearts. There is a constant need to balance intellectual rigor in communicating effectively, attractively and integrally, the richness of the Church’s faith with forming the young in the love of God, the praxis of the Christian moral and sacramental life and, not least, the cultivation of personal and liturgical prayer.

* * *

The Christian commitment to learning, which gave birth to the medieval universities, was based upon this conviction that the one God, as the source of all truth and goodness, is likewise the source of the intellect’s passionate desire to know and the will’s yearning for fulfilment in love.

Only in this light can we appreciate the distinctive contribution of Catholic education, which engages in a “diakonia of truth” inspired by an intellectual charity which knows that leading others to the truth is ultimately an act of love (cf. Address to Catholic Educators, Washington, 17 April 2008). Faith’s recognition of the essential unity of all knowledge provides a bulwark against the alienation and fragmentation which occurs when the use of reason is detached from the pursuit of truth and virtue; in this sense, Catholic institutions have a specific role to play in helping to overcome the crisis of universities today. Firmly grounded in this vision of the intrinsic interplay of faith, reason and the pursuit of human excellence, every Christian intellectual and all the Church’s educational institutions must be convinced, and desirous of convincing others, that no aspect of reality remains alien to, or untouched by, the mystery of the redemption and the Risen Lord’s dominion over all creation.

* * *

In concluding these brief reflections, I wish to express once more my gratitude, and that of the whole Church, for the generous commitment, often accompanied by personal sacrifice, shown by so many teachers and administrators who work in the vast network of Catholic schools in your country.

Read the full text of the speech at Vatican Radio.

Bishop Blase Cupich has made Catholic education one of his highest priorities since coming to the Diocese of Spokane in September of 2010. First, he invited every Catholic school student to his installation Mass in what must have been the largest gathering of Catholic schools in diocesan history. Second, he takes every opportunity he can to write and speak about the value of a Catholic education.

Now, through a 501(c)(3) corporation he calls The Nazareth Guild, Bishop Cupich is taking a proactive role in shaping and safeguarding Catholic education in the Diocese of Spokane:

As Bishop Cupich himself puts it:

This past month a major archdiocese announced the recommendations of a Blue Ribbon Committee to close 48 of its Catholic schools. While the results of the committee’s study were based on solid research and study, the announcement nonetheless sent shock waves through parishes, schools and families. While students, teachers and parents complained that they did not see this coming, committee members noted that the problems leading to the closures were longstanding and systemic. “Ten years ago, one member stated, ‘ if we had looked around the corner, we might have been able to do something to save them, but now it is too late. We have hit the point of no return.”

Dioceses around the country are facing similar challenges as parishes have shrunk with changing demographics, as dioceses have suffered financial setbacks and rising education costs have put the choice of a Catholic school out of reach for many families.

The Catholic schools in Eastern Washington are not immune to these trends, but happily the situation has not developed to ”the point of no return.“ We are blessed by many supportive parishioners, pastors and parents. There is a strong legacy in the diocese predisposed to Catholic schools. That is why I have decided to gather a group of leaders together to help strengthen and stabilize the viability of our Catholic schools. To that end we have formed The Nazareth Guild, a separate 501(c)(3) corporation, which will have a multi-pronged purpose aimed at keeping our schools financially healthy, academically excellent and accessible and safe centers of learning. One of the initial goals is to build an endowment to ensure that our exceptional educational programs will be available to students in all income groups, by providing tuition assistance for students who may otherwise be unable to afford this educational opportunity.

Taking its name for the town where the child Jesus was educated, the Nazareth Guild, will promote a professional, strategic and high quality development plan for our schools.

It’s this kind of hope, vision, and foresight that will strengthen Catholic schools for the future.

The new deadline is May 15, 2012, so you have just under a month. Check out the competition and vote at FindingGod.com.

In the Spring of 1990, I got a phone call from God. I wasn’t home to get the call, but my answering machine picked it up. It’s a good thing, too. Brenda and I were about to be married, we were moving to Boise, Idaho, and I had no job. God had called to offer me a teaching position at Sacred Heart Catholic School. (Click here to find out what God sounds like.)

Ok, so the call was from Marge Ransley, the principal at Sacred Heart; but one of the most important things my Catholic education has taught me is that God speaks to us through other people. That answering machine message may have sounded like Marge, but it was really God calling me to begin my vocation as a Catholic educator.

Catholic schools are in a unique position to help students hear the voice of God in their lives. Today’s young Catholics are bombarded with hundreds if not thousands of different messages each day. From tweets to text messages, from TV shows to YouTube videos, God’s call can get lost in a cacophony of misleading and distracting noise. Kids need help discerning God’s invitation to wholeness and holiness, and that’s where Catholic schools come in.

Catholic schools nourish and strengthen the gift of faith present in each student so that he or she can trust that God’s call will lead them to fullness of life.

Catholic schools provide the academic background students need to pursue their call and respond to God’s invitation.

Catholic schools show students how to place their vocation at the service of the world to care for the least among us and help build up the Kingdom of God.

Faith. Academics. Service. These have always been the hallmark of a Catholic education. Catholic school students don’t learn how to make a living, but how to make a difference.

This summer, God willing, I will be ordained a deacon, and the prospect is both exciting and frightening. It has been the same with all my vocational calls. Before Brenda and I got married, before our first child was born, and before I first stepped into that classroom in Boise twenty-two years ago, I wondered if I knew what I was getting myself into. Of course the answer was no, I didn’t really know. How could I? How can anyone? But the faith, academics, and service I received from St. Pius X Elementary School, Billings Central Catholic High School, and Gonzaga University prepared me for each of those vocations in ways that are impossible to measure.

Every child has a vocation, a particular call from God. The Holy Spirit whispers the call deep in their hearts, quietly beckoning them to a way of life that will lead them to ultimate holiness, happiness, and eternal life. Perhaps they are called to marriage, perhaps to the priesthood; maybe the whisper leads them to consecrated religious life or to serve the poorest of the poor.

How sad it would be to miss that call. With all the noise and confusion in the world, isn’t it comforting to know there is a sacred place kids can go to learn how to hear God’s invitation, trust it, and act on it? This is the mission of Catholic schools: Faith. Academics. Service.

Several bishops have taken to YouTube this year to promote Catholic education during Catholic Schools Week 2012. Here are six different bishops, along with a great American Catholic interview of a diocesan superintendent (if you know of more bishops talking about Catholic Schools Week on YouTube, leave a link in the comments and I’ll update the post):

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr

Dr. Jim Rigg, Superintendent of Schools, Archdiocese of Cincinnati:

Bishop Michael Burbidge:

Bishop Robert Finn:

Bishop Joseph McFadden:

Bishop John Barres

Bishop Walter Hurley

Happy Catholic Schools Week! To celebrate, I’ve put together a list of 101 resources that no Catholic educator should be without. From Twitter users to bloggers, from social networks to teaching tools, it’s all here in one convenient spot. Share the love, spread the news, and tell the world about Catholic Schools!

Catholic School Organizations and Resources:

1. The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA)
2. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice
3. Today’s Catholic Teacher
4. Catholic Education Resources Wiki
5. Resources for Catholic Educators
6. Edocere.org
7. CSK12 – Catholic Schools Virtual
8. Catholic Coalition for Special Education

Social Networks and Catholic School Connections:

9. The Catholic School Chronicle List of Blogs by Catholic Teachers, Principals, and Catechists
10. ACE Advocates
11. I Love Catholic Schools – Facebook
12. Teaching Catholic Kids from OSV – Facebook
13. NCEA Social Media Mashup
14. Digital Catechesis Global Network on Ning
15. Catholic School Connect

Catholic News, Podcasts, and Multimedia:

28. Catholic News Service
29. Catechetical Leader Podcast
30. Sunday Sunday Sunday from Lifeteen
31. Catholic Movie Reviews from Lifteen
32. Catholic Newsbreak from CatholicTV
33. Redemptorist Television
34. Whispers in the Loggia

Members of the University Consortium for Catholic Education:

39. The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at University of Notre Dame
40. The Alliance for Catholic Education at St. John’s University
41. Magis Catholic Teacher Corps at Creighton University
42. The Educational Partners in Catholic Schools (EPICS) Program at Seton Hall University
43. The Gulf Region Academy for Catholic Educators (GRACE) at University of St. Thomas
44. The Lalanne Program at University of Dayton
45. The Lasallian Association of New Catholic Educators (LANCE) Program at Christian Brothers University
46. The Lutheran Education Alliance with Parochial Schools (LEAPS) Program at Valparaiso University
47. The Loyola University Chicago Opportunities in Catholic Education (LU-CHOICE) Program
48. operation TEACH from Notre Dame of Maryland University
49. The Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education (PACE) at the University of Portland
50. The Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT) Program at Providence College
51. Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education (PLACE) Program at Loyola Marymount University
52. Remick Fellowship at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
53. Urban Catholic Teacher Corps (UCTC) at Boston College

A Sample of Some of the Best Blogs in Catholic Education: (click here for a comprehensive list)

54. Barb in Nebraska on Posterous
55. Catholic Educator
56. Catholic Teacher Musings
57. Notes from McTeach
58. Soul of a Nation
59. Work with Hope

A Small Selection of Catholic Educators, Organizations, and Catechists on Twitter:

Milwaukee Catholic School Graduate Laura Kaeppler

A few months ago, one of our Catholic Herald reporters was assigned to a story looking into the effects of the Milwaukee Parental Choice program on our archdiocesan schools. Legislation passed late last summer allowing the program to expand into Milwaukee and Racine counties, and we were curious as to the effect it was having on the Catholic schools involved.

In researching the story, Ricardo Torres not only learned that five archdiocesan schools had embraced the opportunity to welcome Choice students, but he learned that for the first time in 13 years, Catholic school enrollment is on the rise in our archdiocese!

And interestingly, that’s not solely due to the increase in the number of schools accepting Choice students. Of the 50 Catholic schools that saw enrollment increases, 27 of the schools are suburban and rural schools that do not participate in the Choice program!

Catholic school enrollment in our archdiocese is 32,193, a 1 percent increase over last year.

For those of us who believe in the value of a Catholic education, that’s certainly something to celebrate. Actually, for anyone, that’s reason to celebrate. Even if you choose a public education for a child, a strong Catholic school system benefits all of us. Catholic school graduates will likely have a positive impact on our community with their sound educational background, rooted in Christian values.

Read the full story here.

Update: The live broadcast is over, but you can watch the entire ceremony below, courtesy of the White House YouTube channel:

In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught his disciples that God’s word must be nurtured to yield a fruitful harvest, words that four members of the Briant family — sisters — have taken to heart.

Alison Briant Burley, Ellen Briant Reilly, and Susan and Katelyn Briant are Catholic educators.

Their parents, Doris and Thomas Briant, made sure they all had 12 years of Catholic education, despite the prospect of all that tuition.

“My motivation was to show (our) commitment to Catholic education,” Doris said. “We didn’t have family vacations, we went to Cape May for the day. You can give up all those trips to Disney World. The benefits you get (from Catholic education) are better than all those trips to wherever.”

Read all about their daughters and their teaching careers here.

Murray, 50, is one of 12 current National Catholic Educators of the Year, recognition given by the National Catholic Education Association, and she represents five Western states. She has been a teacher for 12 years and currently teaches an eighth-grade class at All Saints Catholic High School in Spokane, Wash.

And it began, she said, with somewhat of a miracle.

Murray was hired in May 2000, and in June, she wrecked on a bike, sustaining a traumatic brain injury that landed her in the hospital for two weeks and in rehabilitation for months. During that time, teachers brought food and cleaned her house. Kathy Hicks, her principal, came to walk with her arm in arm.

“I told her that she needed to hire someone else,” Murray said. “But she told me that she would teach my classes, and her colleagues would teach my classes, until I got better. That is the miracle of this ministry, that Kathy would not hire someone else. I came to this ministry with a very grateful heart. Can you imagine so much support and so much love? It was beautiful.”

Murray could teach for only two hours each morning when classes resumed, and by October, her strength returned.

“The students knew from Day One that I had a brain injury, and that it would be we as a community, we as the body of Christ, that would facilitate the learning,” she said.

Read more about Kolleen and Catholic schools, including an interview with our superintendent Duane Schafer, at Our Sunday Visitor.