News

When I sat down to write this back-to-school message, the words of St. Paul in his Letter to the Colossians echoed across the page. “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him” (Col 2:7), he wrote. These words are a beautiful spiritual summation of what we do in our Catholic schools across the Diocese. Inspired by this Scripture passage, we have decided that “Rooted in Faith, Growing in Hope” will serve as our 2025-26 school year theme. It all starts with Christ, who is not just the center of the formation in faith we provide but the foundation of everything we do day in and day out.

In a rapidly changing and often-chaotic world, the Gospel values that form the bedrock of Catholic education provide our students with a strong and stable vision of what life as a Christian can and should be. These teachings also promote a future-oriented view of the world grounded in faith, love and hope, and always with an eye toward serving others with kindness. It is something that is sorely needed in our world today, and we are so grateful that we are able to be the ones — along with our Catholic school parents and the larger faith community — to provide this to every student who enters through the doors of one of our Catholic schools.

Everything else we offer our students grows directly from this rootedness in the teachings of Jesus, from the highest quality academic programs, to an array of extracurricular activities and clubs, to special events and opportunities throughout the year, and, of course, spiritual development that includes regular attendance at Mass and ongoing prayer that is woven into daily life. Faith is not an add-on in our schools but a reality that is part of every subject, every event, every moment. This is how our schools educate the whole child — body, mind and spirit — and it is what makes our schools so special.

As we welcome back our students and their families, I continue to come back to St. Paul’s image of being rooted in faith and growing in hope. In our region, we are blessed to have many tall and mighty oaks around us, a visual reminder of this concept. The crown of the oak tree, reaching up and out toward the sky is mirrored by the unseen network of roots that reach down and out under the soil. If we could see the hidden portion, we would understand how this tree can grow so tall and remain so steady. And so, it is with our faith life and the life of our Catholic school students.

We help our students and their families water and nourish the roots of faith that will spread and grow within them, unseen to the naked eye but there just the same. Those roots will keep them steady, allow them to grow and climb and spread their branches always toward the light because they know at their core they are held fast by a God who loves them without conditions. To get to be a small part of this reality is a gift and a blessing. Every day I am grateful for your trust in and commitment to our Catholic schools. Together we will give our students everything they so richly deserve and more than they can ever imagine.