"The education of children and young people is such an important task in forming them as free and responsible human beings. It affirms their dignity as an inalienable gift that flows from our original creation as children made in the image and likeness of God. And because education truly forms human beings, it is especially the duty and responsibility of the Church, who is called to serve mankind from the heart of God and in such a way that no other institution can." Cardinal Jorge Gergoglio (Pope Francis).
Catholic schools across the state and nation are once again recognizing their mission and importance to the Church. Our schools are a very important element of the New Evangelization of the Church. Pope Francis reminds us that education of children and young people is essential to our Faith.
For decades many Catholic schools have suffered through significant financial hardship, making necessary cuts and sacrifices to survive. However, it is time for us to move beyond “surviving” and be bold once again. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, writes on the subject, “I believe our Catholic schools are a ‘pearl of great price’ worth every drop of sweat and ounce of effort that we are making on their behalf. At a time when even public schools across the country are struggling, we Catholic educators need to be bold in our thinking and daring in our actions as we look to the future.”
The Lafayette Catholic School System is responding to this call, and we are being bold. We are here to support our Church, and serve our community. Your support has helped us make significant progress on our strategic initiatives as we seek Greatness, but we still have much to do. We must continue to reach for excellence while ensuring that we are striving to provide a Catholic education to all who desire it. This means we must all continue to contribute our time, talent and treasure to the effort.
The New Evangelization in this Third Millenium needs the support of all Catholics to embrace the role of our Catholic schools. We thank you for your continued commitment and support.
