Catholic Schools Week Supplement

Catholic schools prepare students as citizens of Earth, heaven

Dear Friends in Christ,

Catholic Schools Week is a wonderful means of highlighting the incredible impact of our Catholic schools on the lives, families and communities throughout the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, encompassing 39 counties in central and southern Indiana. In addition to two Catholic seminaries and two Catholic universities, we are blessed in the archdiocese with 68 Catholic grade and high schools.

Catholic schools have a specific mission. The holistic focus of our Catholic schools includes formation and education. Amid all the curricular and extracurricular activities, our schools seek to form character as well as educate the mind. The intent is to prepare each student for the two-fold citizenship of Earth and heaven.

We want our students to grow in their moral and faith development as both contributing members of society and saints in heaven. Thus, at the heart of the mission of any Catholic school is the transmission of Catholic teaching in transforming individuals and communities. The ultimate task of any Catholic ministry or service is salvation of souls.

I invite you to join me in acknowledging and thanking all those whose dedication and sacrifice make our schools so successful in enabling the Church to carry out its mandate to proclaim the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Special thanks go to our school administrators (presidents and principals), faculty members (teachers, counselors, librarians), coaches and staffs.

Of course, we are also grateful for the wonderful team in our archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools. It is ultimately about the witness of living rather than mere words that has the greatest influence on those entrusted to one’s care.

Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude and admiration for our students and their families. Both on and off campus, you serve as the most effective ambassadors of our Catholic schools.

Indeed, there is much to celebrate in Catholic Schools Week. All for the glory of God!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Charles C. Thompson
Archbishop of Indianapolis

 

See more from our 2021 Catholic Schools Week Supplement