At St. John the Baptist Catholic School, we celebrate many of the traditions that mean so much to us and make us who we are during Catholic Schools Week. These traditions provide a sense of comfort and belonging that brings our families together. It reinforces our faith values and allows us to celebrate our role models. It gives us an opportunity to say “thank you” and give back to the community that supports us. It offers us the chance to pause and reflect on the principles of our faith that guide and define us.
This special week is focused on celebrating our students, our families, our faculty and staff, our religious, our parish, our local community and finally our nation. As a faith community, we focus on our students starting with Mass and continuing throughout the day with special treats. We shower our faculty and staff with messages of gratitude from students and their families. We honor our priests, Fraters and Sisters with “thank you” notes, special gifts, and most importantly with a unique opportunity to share their vocational call with our student body. We host a Living Rosary for our nation, that includes all of our students and is led by our eighth grade class. We celebrate our community by hosting a school-wide service project for local charities around us. And our week-long celebration concludes with a special “open house” for new and existing families.
“Our Catholic traditions help give our children a sense of identity,” said St. John the Baptist’s principal, Paula Viles. “It helps build character in our young people and reminds them of the blessings that come with our faith.”
Catholic traditions help strengthen the bonds of Catholic families.
“Traditions provide us with a sense of purpose,” said the school’s Rector, Fr. Damien. “They help us to make decisions in life that reflect our values and beliefs. And the best part is that they can bring us immense joy and fulfillment.”
Traditions are an important part of Catholic life. They connect us to our past and help us to better understand God’s intended place for us in His world. Through this important week we are reminded of the value our Catholic faith provides today’s young people, their families and the world around us.