Somehow, the summer has flown by once again and it is time for the start of the new school year. Hopefully it has been a restful and relaxing time for all of the families in our schools. For the past several weeks across the schools of the Diocese of Columbus, administrators, teachers, and staff have been busily preparing for the start of the new school year. We are all eager to welcome back our 17,000 students.
The first day of school is a time of transition for many families. It changes routines – the structure of drop off and pick up times returns, uniforms come back out of closets, and homework areas are reset. For educators, it is a time of both joy and renewal, as we enter into a new year with new students, full of possibility and potential.
Great things will happen this year. Milestones will be reached, challenges overcome, and our students will grow in their faith and in their knowledge.
This year, the Office of Catholic Schools will continue to lead the implementation of our new strategic plan, Real Presence, Real Future: Our Catholic Schools. Published last year and available on our website (education.columbuscatholic.org), this vision for the future of our schools sets forth our commitment to ensure that our schools continue to grow in Catholicity, academic excellence, and sustainability. We have already completed two major initiatives in this plan.
The first is the creation of our brand new, completely re-developed Religion course of study for all grades PK through 12. This document was created over sixteen months through the combined work of a dedicated committee of teachers, principals, and priests, led by Dr. Therese Recinella, the Associate Director for School Religious Education. The new course of study utilized Archbishop Michael Miller’s Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, the new Directory of Catechesis, the Cardinal Newman Society’s Christian Anthropology standards, and Theology of the Body from Cincinnati-based Ruah Woods. We feel that we have created the best course of study for religion in the country, and are excited to see it roll out in our schools.
We are also pleased to announce the creation of a new tuition assistance program. The Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund is an Ohio Scholarship Granting Organization, a new program in the state that allows donors to receive a 100% tax credit of up to $750 or $1,500 for those married filing jointly on 2022 state taxes. In Luke, we hear about how Jesus accompanied his disciples on the Road to Emmaus, but they did not recognize him until much later, when they recalled how their hearts were burning as He opened the scriptures to them. With this passage from Scripture as our inspiration, we would like to invite donors throughout our Diocese to accompany students in need in every one of our 52 Catholic schools so that their hearts will be opened to Jesus through Catholic education. More information is available at education.columbuscatholic.org/tuition-assistance-fund or at EmmausRoadScholarshipFund.org.
Additionally, I will be a launching a new podcast series titled, “Becoming Saints: The Podcast for Our Catholic Schools.” New episodes will be released on the second and fourth Friday of each month and will feature my conversation with key leaders in our Catholic schools. The first show, a discussion with Bishop Fernandes, will be released on August 26. The Diocesan and OCS websites, along with social media pages, will have more information soon.
Our schools differ from all others in that they are crucial ministries of the Church, carrying forward Jesus’ Great Commission to “go out and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). At their foundation, our schools are places of evangelization tasked to form disciples for a world that so dearly needs them. This essential work will continue in all of the classrooms of the Diocese this year. Please pray for our educators, our students, and their families as we begin the new school year.
