In John 6:51, Jesus tells us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
As our church begins the Eucharistic Revival, our Catholic Schools are making special preparations for our communities to grow closer to Christ through the Blessed Sacrament. In the coming year, our schools will work with their parishes to refocus our attention on the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Our Diocesan Schools Office is offering resources for teachers and students to grow in their love of Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, through resource guides for eucharistic adoration and participation in the Mass.
Catholic education begins and ends with a focus on Christ. As we work to re-energize this focus in the coming year, our schools will continue to build on our successes to keep our school communities safe, welcoming and faith-filled communities of joy. As we work to advance our mission, we know that all that we do is to inspire a lifelong love of God in our students that they will take forth into the world.
In 2022-23, our schools will continue to focus on providing a high-quality academic learning experience for all students. We have updated to a new Student Information System and worked with our teachers to develop an updated and aligned report card for all grade levels. All DOR schools will continue the use of iReady math and reading programs for grades K-8 to provide personalized, targeted feedback on every child’s academic growth. Most importantly, we recognize the positive impact our teachers and school staff have on keeping our programs strong. We continue to focus on empowering our teachers through opportunities to collaborate with one another throughout the diocese using virtual-meeting platforms and to provide professional-development opportunities based on their feedback.
As we celebrate Christ with us in the Blessed Sacrament, we also remember that as a church and school community, we are the body of Christ. As we look forward, we are thankful for the return of many in-person events across the diocese, including the beloved traditions of our Catholic schools. As we look forward to the coming year, we are excited to reunite our students, parents, staff and friends in celebrating our Catholic-school family. Service projects, prayer services, holiday celebrations and more will return to remind us that when two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, he is in our midst.
The future for our Diocese of Rochester Catholic schools remains bright. This is because our focus must always remain on growing a love for Christ through our everyday lessons, actions and experiences. For the first time in many years, diocesan Catholic-school enrollment increased in 2021-22, and we hope that this trend continues as our communities work to instill faith, knowledge and service in every child we serve.
If you or someone you know is interested in enrolling or learning more about one of our Catholic schools, please email schools@dor.org or visit https://dorschools.org to join our Catholic-school family! With prayers for a successful and faith-filled school year in 2022-23,
James Tauzel
Superintendent of
Catholic Schools
Tags: Catholic Schools
