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Most Rev. Robert J. CarlsonMessage for Catholic Schools Week 2007I'm Bishop Robert Carlson and it's my priviledge to be able to speak to you today about Catholic schools in the Diocese of Saginaw and the celebration of Catholic Schools Week 2007.Our theme this year is "Come and Hear the Good News of Catholic Schools" and good news it is in our local Church. Our 23 Catholic grade schools and three Catholic high schools are outstanding examples of fine learning institutions. Places where faith is taught boldly, Catholic identity is something at the core and curriculum is cohesive from the very beginning through the 12th grade. If you have to ask what is the key of success at our Catholic schools it has to be the wonderful support of our parents who are so generous in helping maintain our Catholic Schools at the parish level and our teachers who could teach anywhere but they choose to teach in a place which has strong Christian and Catholic values. Our parishes support Catholic education because they know it's through the Catholic schools that the Catholic faith is going to be handed on and where the next generation of volunteers are going to come. Our schools are also known for all kinds of extracurriculars: competitive athletics, performance, the visual arts, academic clubs, recreation clubs that are taking place at our Catholic schools. But we do have things that we have to work on for the future. We must make sure that we recruit and form a new generation of effective Catholic school teachers for the future; that we have the Catholic school leaders we need so that our schools remain strong. At the local level we help parents and teachers work together to provide the kind of Apostolic movement that is necessary so that our schools can continue to be affordable and everyone has access to a Catholic education. We also know that we need to improve our Catholic schools. In some places it's facilities, in others it's new textbooks. In some places perhaps it's the addition of the fine arts or some other activity. And this is the important work of our Catholic Education office. And finally, and it's key for me, Catholic identity must be at the heart of every one of our Catholic Schools. Without that, it's just another educational experience. I am proud of the fact that Catholic identity has been a focus in this diocese for a long time and I know that one of the things that make our schools special is you can talk about Jesus Christ any time you want to as you relate academics to Catholic faith, as you relate the world around us with all of its many problems to Catholic teaching, as you help young people understand that they received a tremendous gift; their Catholic faith. And there’s a strong expectation that they will live it as disciples not only for the future but as the young church now serving in God's name. Thank you for making Catholic education possible. I hope that you will support Catholic Schools Week in your parish. Take the time to thank our teachers, our generous parents, our pastors, and all of those in administration who every day make sure that we have the finest Catholic schools, I think everywhere. | ||||||
