The Clarion Herald posed the following three questions to students attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans:  1. What teacher has had an impact on your life, and how did that happen?  2. What blessings have you received from your Catholic school education? Was there a challenging situation that your school (teachers or fellow students) helped you overcome?  3. How inspired have you been by the example of your parent(s) who have had to sacrifice in order to send you to Catholic school? The response was overwhelming. The Clarion Herald received about 150 submissions from across the archdiocese.  The next few pages speak of the beauty of Catholic education more simply and poignantly than just about anything else we could dream of. Thank you teachers, parents and students!

How can you directly help make Catholic schools more affordable to a family that desires to provide that for their children? The Archdiocese of New Orleans will take up a special collection at all weekend Masses (Jan. 26-27) to provide tuition assistance to as many families as possible. Please be generous. Out of town this weekend and not at your parish church? Visit http://nolacatholic.org/donate to make a gift.

This week we join the nation in celebrating Catholic Schools Week, a celebration of our schools, our students, our educators, our parents and all who make up our Catholic school community. In reflecting on the National Catholic Educational Association’s Catholic Schools Week theme – “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” – I began to think of all the ways our schools follow through with this theme on a daily basis. 

Our Lady of Divine Providence Elementary in Metairie and Holy Rosary Elementary and High School in New Orleans will close permanently in May, paving the way for a new school designed exclusively for elementary and secondary students with mild to moderate learning challenges, the Office of Catholic Schools announced Jan. 16. Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. RaeNell Houston said the new school, to be named St. Thérèse Academy, will open this fall at Our Lady of Divine Providence’s campus at 1000 North Starrett Road. Although the earliest available grade of entry to the new school has not yet been finalized, St. Thérèse will provide a seamless and personalized education to students diagnosed with mild-to-moderate special needs from the elementary ages through the 12th grade.

The new $14 million residence hall nearing completion at the University of Holy Cross in Algiers is a bold statement for a Catholic university that for decades has prided itself on its intimacy, affordability and results. Dr. David “Buck” Landry, UHC president, is a numbers guy, and he’s not bashful about his reasoning for pushing the university’s board to approve the biggest capital outlay in the school’s history.

One of the great metaphors of the Bible is “the journey.” From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is full of people on the move: from Abraham to the Promised Land and Paul and the apostles – after the resurrection – all over the Roman Empire.

ARLINGTON, Va. (NCEA)  – The board of directors of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has appointed Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, D.D., Ph.D., as chairman, succeeding Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., who stepped down from the position on Dec. 8.

In November 1967, Archbishop Philip Hannan’s initiative to convince the Louisiana Legislature of the importance of supporting Catholic and non-public schools with “a fair share” of taxpayer dollars took shape through the formation of the Louisiana Federation, Citizens for Educational Freedom (CEF).

As we begin the celebration of the city’s Tricentennial, it’s hard not to consider the growth of the Catholic Church in New Orleans in conjunction with the growth of the city for the last 300 years.