January 26, 2018

2018 Catholic Schools Week Supplement

Research reveals the lasting influence of Catholic education

By Gina Kuntz Fleming (Archdiocesan superintendent of Catholic schools)

Gina Kuntz FlemingDid you know that graduates of Catholic schools are more likely to vote, earn higher wages, be civically engaged, be more committed to service as adults, and even demonstrate more tolerance of diverse views than their peers?

Research over the past two decades continues to illustrate the favorable results produced through Catholic education and formation.

Catholic schools build communities that live and act the fundamental conviction stated so beautifully by Pope Francis: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free.”

This is our first and most important task in Catholic education in central and southern Indiana: evangelization. That is, proclaiming the love, mercy and grace of God.

Pope Francis teaches us what this means: “Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendor and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties. There is an inseparable bond, our Holy Father teaches, between truth, goodness and beauty” (“The Joy of the Gospel,” #167).

Logo for Catholic Schools Week 2018 This is why we need Catholic schools.

We need schools of the Gospel, schools of truth, goodness and beauty.

With exceptional Catholic school leaders and teachers, dedicated staff and volunteers, committed families and supportive pastors and religious, our Catholic schools continue to thrive and have room to grow further across the more than 13,000 square miles of our archdiocese!

Many thanks go to Archbishop Charles C. Thompson and all of you who support our Catholic schools as an essential ministry of our Church.

Through your prayer, leadership, volunteerism and financial support, our young people are grounded in the very principles of our faith that will aid them in proclaiming their love for God, and all that is good, right and just.

May God bless each of you and all those who serve in Catholic education today and in the future. †

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