By Bernadette Sugrue | The Michigan Catholic

Almost a hundred years ago all four of my grandparents, at the time strangers to each other, immigrated to the United States from Poland.  They settled in the old Delray section of Detroit, and as has long been the case in this country, the local parish served as the anchor to help ground them in a strange new culture.  At St. John Cantius they attended Mass, learned how to blend-in, made important social connections, and met and eventually married their future spouses.  As immigrant families they were poor and struggled to put food on the table, but there was no question where their children would attend school.  My grandparents by passed free public education and made the sacrifice to send their children to a Catholic school. Both my mother and my father attended St. John Cantius, as did I and my sister decades later. 

Why did my grandparents, parents, and countless other families before and after them make such a sacrifice?  The reason then and the reason today are the same — Faith, Academics, and Service.  These three words, this year’s theme for Catholic Schools’ Week, capture the mission of Catholic schools, which has been rooted in a long history and tradition in this Archdiocese and throughout the nation.

From the very first, Catholic schools were founded to be an extension of the parish community.  They were charged with the duty to spread the Faith and ensure that future generations of children had the opportunity to be educated in a Christ-centered environment that taught and fostered our Catholic faith and provided regularly scheduled opportunities to pray together and celebrate the Liturgy.  Today pastors, principals, faculty, and staff in our Catholic schools continue this critical work of fostering faith in a world focused on secularism, materialism, self-indulgence, and immediate gratification. 

Historically, Catholic schools have had a long and proven track record of providing strong academic programs.  Regardless of classroom size, whether the legendary 60 students per classroom in the past or the current trend of 15 to 30 students, Catholic schools have and continue to provide a superior education for our students.  Principals and teachers work hard to engage their students and meet their needs through dialogue, inquiry, and the appropriate use of technology.  They take time throughout the school year and over the summer months to strategize innovations in teaching methods and to develop and map a curriculum that continues to meet core standards of excellence.  One marker of the success of these efforts is the results of standardized achievement testing.  2011 IOWA test results showed our students averaging twelve (12) percentile points higher than the national norms across all grade levels.  This trend held when comparing our scores to scores of other private schools across the country.  Another marker of our success is that ninety eight percent (98%) of our high school seniors this past year went on to colleges and universities across the country and around the globe.  

Service has long been part of the fabric of Catholic schools.  Our parishes and schools are led and guided by Servant Leaders—pastors, principals, and teachers who have devoted their lives to Catholic education and model dedication, sacrifice, and service.  Through their example and guidance students experience the value of service to others.  Special projects ranging from a simple food collection to visiting the elderly to making a mission trip, teach students the importance of serving those less fortunate and giving thanks for the blessings God has bestowed upon them. 

We recognize that during these very difficult economic times marked by unemployment, bankruptcy, and foreclosures, there are families unable to afford a Catholic education for their children.  The Archdiocese has a tuition-assistance program to help families in need and each school strives to keep costs down without compromising the quality of education.  But despite these efforts, the reality remains that there are many families who wish to send their children to a Catholic school but cannot.  Perhaps you can help.  Our schools are always looking for Catholic school alumni and other generous benefactors willing to sponsor a student’s tuition.  As a Church we all share in this most important ministry of Catholic education.

I want to thank all pastors, principals, teachers, staff members, students and their families, alumni, and generous benefactors for your commitment to Catholic schools.  I pray for you daily and ask each of you to pray for the continued support and success of our Catholic schools so that they may remain the standard bearers of Faith, Academics, and Service for generations to come.  

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Bernadette Sugrue is Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit.