School Appeal 2024

September 19, 2024

Dear friends in Christ,

Why support Catholic Schools?

Allow me to offer three reasons to you out of many answers to that question.

First, Catholic schools are the only option available to families today who want their child to be formed in an environment which includes faith. For so many of us who grew up in Catholic parishes with schools, we could not imagine learning in an environment that was separate and distinct from learning about God, our gift of faith and the love that Jesus had for each of us.

Second, the Church in her wisdom has called us to be particularly mindful of our brothers and sisters in need. For many families today who struggle to make ends meet, paying for Catholic school tuition, no matter how affordable we try to keep it, is just not possible. Your gift shows them that you care. Catholic education cannot be an option if financial factors make that simply impossible.

Lastly, Catholic schools are a foundation for a legacy of faith. The signs which proclaim “Christ is the reason for this school” are not hollow words. You cannot love what you do not know. Schools offer a place to teach and to practice the Catholic faith every school day. As I visit our schools, I meet students who are developing a deeper relationship with Jesus and His Church, and who inspire others by their witness to their faith. They are not the future of our Church. They are signs of hope in the present.

Your financial support, as well as your voice of support to family and friends, will make a difference in the lives of families who value a Catholic education for their children. Finally, I ask that you join your prayers of spiritual support with mine every day for teachers, administrators and staff in their ministry of Catholic school education.

Thank you for considering prayerfully how you can make the dream of a Catholic school education a reality.

With every prayerful best wish, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,
  
 Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
 Bishop of Worcester