Blog

Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week has been the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. This year, the celebration will go from Sunday, January 28th, til Friday, February 2nd, and will encompass lots of activities under the theme: Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community. This theme will be our banner as we celebrate our students, our parents, and our larger community.

I have heard many times in my life that young people don’t want to be close to God and that “religious stuff” doesn’t make sense to them. At the end of the 2021/2022 academic year, I left my role as the Assistant Principal to take a new position as the Director of Faith Formation. This position takes the responsibilities of what was previously known as the Campus Minister and expands them to assist every member of our school community in putting faith at the center of what they do, along with leading the Religion department from an academic and sacramental perspective. Judging by what I have seen these past two years, the assertion that students are disinterested in religion is a gross misstatement. Seeing our students grow in their faith both from a theoretical/academic perspective but also from a personal and spiritual standpoint is amazing. Students do want to make sense of things; they do have the highest expectations and the most meaningful dreams. They just need the opportunity to realize that only God can satisfy our desire for infinity. Once they have discovered that with their studies, religious practices, and through our testimony of what we say and what we do, they open their hearts to God in a moving way. Sacred Heart School catalyzes this encounter with God.

The unique opportunity of the Catholic school to provide such opportunities has made them a long-lasting, critical component of the Christian education parents want for their children. Parents are the first educators of their children since they are the structural spine of the institution of family, and they constitute the primary witnesses and role models of Christian values to their children. In our Catholic school, we come alongside parents with the immense responsibility to help students share their beliefs, grow as a Christian community, learn about the immense love that God has for all mankind, and live out their faith. Having the opportunity to be a member of a community like this is reason enough to be exceedingly joyful and thankful. Consequently, we want to acknowledge and celebrate this immense privilege and the parents who love their children so much that they seek this out for them. We want God and everybody in our community to see how thankful we are. We want to bring to our hearts and souls the happiness that naturally flows from being close to Him.

Beyond our students and parents, we are blessed to have an even larger Sacred Heart family. All these shining qualities of our Catholic school, made possible by the prayers and support of this family, will be on full display during Catholic Schools Week as we create opportunities to celebrate our faith, have fun, worship our Lord Jesus, receive Him at the Holy Mass, pray for ourselves and our community, help our local community with food and a blood drive, and come together in fellowship. We act on the love of God, and the love of His people, that overflows from our souls. We also take advantage of this opportunity to express how thankful we are to all those who help us make Sacred Heart School the amazing community it is. Lots of people live out their stewardship and bring their time, talent, and treasure to support Sacred Heart, and we truly appreciate that. It does not matter if someone says that your help is big or small, we deeply appreciate what you do and encourage you to keep supporting us. You make a difference! If you want to join the amazing group of people who make Sacred Heart possible and help us in any shape or form, please reach out to our main office, and they will guide you.

One mural at the heart of our school prays as follows: Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this school. He is the unseen but ever-present teacher in its classes. He is the model for its faculty and the inspiration of its students. Our faith is at the center of everything we do, and the main goal for our students is to develop a personal relationship with Jesus that will mark their lives forever and help guide their steps into adulthood. We do not want to take this privilege for granted but want to celebrate it and express our gratitude to God. To Him be all praise and glory forever and ever!