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Students, educators, families gear up for Catholic Schools Week
By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
January 17, 2008
Even though class just resumed, many students are already looking forward to their weeklong spring break. But Catholic school students are different.
Instead, they are looking forward to a weeklong celebration of being in school. In the closing days of January, they’ll honor their faith-based education duirng Catholic Schools Week.
“It’s really our opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments,” said MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent of Catholic schools in the Phoenix Diocese.
The week features festivities calling attention to the important role of Catholic schools in building a faith-filled education.
This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools Light the Way.” It’s meant to remind the nation that Catholic school graduates often become community leaders who remain steadfast in their faith.
The nation’s 7,800 Catholic schools help nearly 2.4 million students embrace the Gospel in their daily lives.
Schools throughout the diocese have arranged special days and projects Jan. 27-Feb. 2 for students to recognize parents, grandparents, teachers and the community for their support of Catholic education.
Support for tax credits
This year, in addition to the annual diocesan spelling bee, cathedral Mass and rally at the state Capitol, students are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the tuition tax credit. The salute will be part of the rally on the Capitol lawn Jan. 30.
The Catholic Parent Advocacy Network and the diocesan school board are planning the event.
They invited Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson to speak. The Senate president, speaker of the House and members of various education committees will also address the crowd of Catholics from the dioceses of Phoenix, Tucson and Gallup, N.M.
Organizers expect at least 1,200 students from more than 30 elementary and high schools with parents, teachers and the community rounding out the crowd.
The day serves as an opportunity to thank the legislature for passing the Arizona Tuition Tax Credit Act in 1998. The act offers a credit against state income tax for donating to a cause — such as the Catholic Tuition Organization of the Diocese of Phoenix — that provides scholarships to private schools.
Half of the diocese’s students received scholarship support this school year thanks to more than 14,000 Arizona taxpayers who redirected $10.2 million in taxes to the Catholic Tuition Organization.
Some students will tour the Capitol buildings and meet with legislators following the rally. Eileen Molzen, co-chair of the Catholic Parent Advocacy Network, called the rally an “upfront and personal opportunity to learn to mobilize and contact the legislature.”
“We really want to maintain that focus around what it means to be an advocate,” Molzen said.
The rally also serves as a reminder to current legislators of the value of Catholic schooling and to consider its impact on the community when discussing and voting on pending education issues.
But the rally won’t be all business. High school students from Phoenix and Tucson will showcase their fine art talents at the event to show legislators the effect of their Catholic education.
Up to 30 students per school will gather for Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral before the rally. The liturgy is in celebration of National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools.
In addition to honoring students and employee milestones for years of service, the Mass will also name the next recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, which honors a leader who makes Catholic education possible.
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