Catholic Schools Week is weeklong celebration of faith, education

Among the many blessings of living in Southeast Missouri is the choice parents have to send their children to parochial schools.

Prevalent among them are the area's many fine Catholic-based schools.

Educational environments cocooned in faith provide opportunities for young people to develop academically and spiritually in close-knit communities. These educational programs focus heavily on family as well, with parents and grandparents playing important roles in the young people's growth.

From Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, these schools marked national Catholic Schools Week. Daily activities allowed the students to celebrate their education and their faith with special services and events. Many of the schools included a focus on vocations.

Among those sponsoring special events were Guardian Angel School in Oran, Immaculate Conception Grade School in Jackson, St. Ambrose Catholic School in Chaffee, Notre Dame Regional High School, St. Augustine Grade School in Kelso, St. Denis Catholic School in Benton, St. Joseph School in Scott City, St. Mary Cathedral School in Cape Girardeau and St. Vincent De Paul Parish School in Cape Girardeau.

The annual weeklong celebration is an important one to these students and their families and the faculty and staff of the schools. The week showcases why their faith and high-quality education are important to them now and will play a key role as they develop.

We join them in celebrating Catholic Schools Week.