Last weekend, at the end of each Mass, we heard short testimonies from students and parents of Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic School. It was the beginning of a whole week of annual celebration, what we call Catholic Schools Week, and this year the theme of the week was “Catholic Schools – Dividends for Life”, drawing attention to the fact that the education of a child is not money spent for a momentary result, like money spent on a meal, but is an investment in the future. For that reason it’s a wonderful gift, opening up extra possibilities for a child.

According to Karen Ristau, president of the National Catholic Educational Association, “Catholic schools provide good things for students and families – high expectations and daily experience of faith. In these challenging times, the theme also reminds parents that the dividends of a Catholic school education – students prepared in faith, knowledge, morals and discipline – last a lifetime. There is no better way to invest in a child’s future – or the future of our world.” The logo designed for the week features a cross superimposed on an out stretched hand and highlights the beneficial aspects of a Catholic education.

Obviously parents look for a development of knowledge in any school, and Catholic schools have long been famous for their high academic standards. Whether Saint Charles pupils go on to Bishop Moore or to public high schools, they find themselves well prepared and often able to go straight into honors and advanced placement classes. We believe that education is more than academics, however. Catholic schools provide an atmosphere of discipline where students can feel secure, while sports and other activities try to teach the self-discipline which we all need. Morals are also important because they provide a guide for the fulfilled life. If we ignore our Maker’s instructions, things go wrong; when we follow the generous example of Jesus Christ we find our true selves and discover happiness. Finally faith is the raison d’être of the Catholic school. We want to foster a deep relationship with God in the community of the Church which will give our students strength for this life but will also lead them to everlasting life.

Why is it, then, that Catholic students in public school can turn out to be better practicing Catholics than those who have been through specifically Catholic schools like Saint Charles? The reason is, of course, because family is more important than school. We learn our faith in the family first of all, and the family also hands on morality and discipline. So let this Catholic Schools Week remind us to pray for parents as well: school parents, those who so faithfully bring their children to Faith Formation on Wednesdays, and those who home-school. Having a Mass-going, praying family lies in your hands. As we say in the blessing of parents at the end of the rite of baptism: “May they be the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do”. Catholic schools are there to help you, but it is your own living of the faith which will pay the greatest dividends for your children.