Dear Parishioners,

      Every year, during the last week of January, we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. This year as we begin Catholic Schools Week, I am mindful of a number of things.

      Particularly I am mindful that both St. Peter and St. Francis at one point had parish schools which closed. That of course was cause for great disappointment in both communities and I know for some that there is still sadness about those closures.

      It also should be noted that over the past few years there has been a considerable amount of fear about what might happen to our Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, even to large, thriving schools like we have at St. Charles Borromeo.  All of this fear and sadness about the fate of our parish schools is certainly understandable and appropriate and indicates two important points to me.

      First, our Catholic schools matter so much because we love our children, and second, because we want to hand our faith on to them. That is why Catholic schools exist.  We are called by God to hand on the treasure of our faith to the treasure of our children so that they might become the saints God has created them to be.

      As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week this week, I want to thank the parents in our parishes. Whether you send your children to one of our parish schools, a public school, a PSR program, a private school, or homeschool, I want to thank you for your hard work in trying to hand on the faith to your beloved children.   I know it is certainly not easy, but it is worth it and because it is your role to be their first teachers in the faith, God will abundantly bless your efforts to hand on the faith.  Our parishes are dedicated to assisting you in this great mission of forming your children into the saints of the next generation.

      Finally,  I would like to say a thank you to all those dedicated to Catholic education, especially Dr. Mullenschlader and the faculty and staff at St. Charles Borromeo School.

Have a blessed week,

Fr. Jim Theby