Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
We hope that you are enjoying the special coverage of our Catholic schools in this month’s Catholic Courier, showcasing a school system that, for more than 150 years, has successfully combined our Catholic faith with Christian values and academic excellence.
Just this past week, Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Rochester celebrated Catholic Schools Week, a week filled with special events in which our teachers, parents, staff and our students celebrated the national theme, “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” And how inspiring and joyful it will be to see Sacred Heart Cathedral once again filled with young people at our special Catholic Schools Week Mass on Feb. 27 (rescheduled from Jan. 30 due to weather), reverently worshipping our Savior, Jesus Christ, and proudly displaying their school spirit.
We continue to express our gratitude to all those who help make our schools such treasured places, especially our wonderful and dedicated administrators, teachers and staff. As well, we offer our heartfelt appreciation to the parents and guardians who continue to make countless sacrifices to give their children the gift of a Catholic education — a gift that truly lasts a lifetime.
Not only are our students learning and applying their faith in an increasingly challenging world where such faith will guide and sustain them, they are excelling academically. Recently, we released statistics that show that most of our 18 diocesan Catholic schools are performing at a higher level than other schools in their respective geographic locations, according to the results of recent New York state assessments. In fact, the number of students proficient in English Language Arts and Math at diocesan schools, as measured by the assessments, has increased each year since 2015 and consistently has been significantly higher than state averages.
If your children are not already enrolled in a Catholic school, please consider giving them this invaluable gift of a Catholic-school education. You can find a listing of our schools online at www.dorschools.org. May God continue to bless our Catholic Schools!
Invoking the intercession of our patron, St. John Fisher, who sacrificed his life to teach the Truth, we remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of Rochester
Dr. Anthony S. Cook III
Superintendent of Catholic Schools
Tags: Catholic Schools
