Superintendent Kevin Kijewski can’t wait for Catholic Schools Week this year.
“This is going to be a great year for Catholic schools,” he said. “We did a lot of foundation building last year, particularly with the drafting of two vision documents on the future of our schools, and we look forward to continuing to build on those foundations in 2017.”
He added that he is also looking forward to the opening of Frassati Catholic Academy this fall, which is slated to be a Classical academy located in Thornton.
The Archdiocese of Denver will celebrate Catholic Schools Week Jan. 29-Feb. 4 with several events underlining the value of Catholic schools, including the launch of a new vision document called “Worthy of the Investment,” and a resolution in the state Senate praising the contribution of Catholic schools to Colorado.
“Worthy of the Investment” will be released by the Office of Catholic Schools Jan. 28, just a day ahead of the first day of Catholic Schools Week. The document, which addresses the need to support Catholic education financially, is a follow-up to the similarly titled “Worthy of the Name.” Both documents outline key principles for securing the future of Catholic education in northern Colorado.
Individual schools have organized a variety of events for the week, including all-school Masses, ice-cream socials and faculty versus student basketball games.
On Sunday, Jan. 29, Our Lady of Loreto in Foxfield will launch Catholic Schools Week with the dedication of the West Wing of the St. Joseph Ministry Center, which will be used for school and religious education classrooms, house a new gymnasium, a combination stage/music room, and a new pre-school.
Bishop Rodriguez will celebrate the 11am Mass at the parish, and dedicate the new building at a 12:30pm ceremony.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, Bishop Jorge Rodriguez will lead morning prayer for the state Senate, and stay for the reading of a Catholic Schools Week Proclamation. Representatives from the Office of Catholic Schools and several Catholic schools will be in attendance.
Bishop Rodriguez will also celebrate an all-school Mass Wed, Feb. 1, at St. Francis de Sales in Denver at 10:30am.
On Thursday, Feb. 2, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila will celebrate an all-school Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder at 9:30am, followed by visits to classrooms.
That same day, at 1:30pm, Bishop Rodriguez will celebrate an all-school Mass at St. Mary’s in Littleton.
Catholic Schools Week has been celebrated annually since 1974, and always begins on the last Sunday in January.
In northern Colorado, there are nearly 9,000 students enrolled in Catholic schools. An estimated 99.6% of students who attend a Catholic high school graduates, and 92.4% of Catholic high school graduates in the Archdiocese of Denver went on to enroll at a 4-year college.