Alive in Christ…
The St. Louis Archdiocese has a strong tradition in Catholic education. St. Ann school has been a part of that tradition for the past 150 years. Our new Archbishop has made strengthening Catholic education his number one priority. To help that tradition continue and grow, the archbishop has established a new Mission Advancement Initiative for Catholic education here. The multi-year initiative, which is being planned with the help of a team of educators and fundraising professionals, will focus on helping parishes and schools implement the archbishop’s vision for Catholic schools.
“I believe in Catholic education,” Archbishop Carlson told the members of the Mission Advancement Initiative earlier this summer. “I also believe that as archbishop of St. Louis I have a God-given responsibility to do everything I can to help our schools be ‘Alive in Christ’ — vibrant centers of faith and learning committed to excellence and to holiness, to make them available—and affordable—for every Catholic family that desires a Catholic school education for their children, and, wherever possible, to offer this ministry to other (non-Catholic) families who share our values and who want a Catholic school education for their children.”
To that end, a series of meetings have been scheduled. The one closest to us will be held at Trinity High School on Tuesday night, October 5, from 7-9 pm. Each parish is invited to send TEN representatives, who will be divided up into three ‘question’ areas. How can we strengthen our schools in their catholic identity? How can we increase the number of students in our Catholic schools? How can we make our schools financially sound, and, at the same time, help those who otherwise could not afford a Catholic school education?
These are important questions, not just for the future of education in the Archdiocese, but for the future of St. Ann school. Soooo, I am looking for volunteers who are passionate about St. Ann school, and about catholic education in the Archdiocese, who would be willing to join me for the evening. Call me and leave me a message on my voicemail, and I will select from those who volunteer a group of ten to represent our parish. I’d like to have the names to submit by September 5th, so please rsvp asap…