Schools within the Diocese of Owensboro will be celebrating national Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4.
With this year’s theme “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.,” it’s meant to highlight the mission of Catholic schools to provide a faith-based education that supports the whole child, academically and spiritually.
In all 17 schools within the Diocese, students will have the opportunity to participate in themed days centered around the parish, community, students, nation, vocation and faculty.
“We are deeply grateful for everyone that contributes in any way to our Catholic schools,” said David Kessler, superintendent of all diocesan Catholic schools. “We want to remember in a special way our pastors, parishioners, parents, school council members and most importantly our teachers and administrators who sacrifice so much for the children served.”
Kessler said OCS has been participating in the national celebration week for over 25 years.
“The mission of the entire week is to reflect and celebrate what makes this school special,” he said. “That is broken down each day of the week.”
Students who participate are doing so as a “thank you” to all aspects of the Catholic school system.
“Sometimes we don’t realize how special it is because we get caught up in the day-to-day grind,” Kessler said. “We want to be able to take a moment to reflect on all of the people who make this so special and recognize their role and how important they are.”
Kessler said OCS students enjoy participating in this week because it’s different from their typical school days.
“They get to dress up and take part in fun activities,” he said.
The National Catholic Educational Association is the official sponsor of National Catholic Schools Week. During the week, nearly 6,000 Catholic schools across the country will celebrate.
