Week of January 31, 2021

This week (Jan. 31st- Feb. 6th) is the 47th annual celebration of “National Catholic Schools Week” across America. This is an excellent time and opportunity to really highlight the wonderful benefits of Catholic School Education, an education that balances excellent academics along with our Catholic Faith and spirituality as well. I am always impressed with the quality of students that come out of our Catholic School (CCS) system, including our own All Saints Academy (ASA) here at the St. Cloud and St. Joe campuses. We have two wonderful principals, Paula Leider and Karl Terhaar, along with some very qualified and committed teachers who believe in our mission of Catholic education. Thank you!

Normally each year our own All Saints Academy (ASA) selects one parish (either St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Michael, or St. Joe) and invites some of our grade-school students, teachers, and parents to participate in some way at one of our Sunday weekend Masses. This year (as you know with Covid-19) things are a bit different. Most everything needs to be done virtually; still we hope to have your recognition and support for us! These past several months during our 2020-21 School year, our principals, teachers, students, parents, and other staff have had to face some unique challenges with coordinating some in person, distance and hybrid learning experiences for our students, in addition to giving our parents some options. I must say that I am impressed with the effort all have made to continue to make our Catholic School Education a success!

Fortunately, beginning just this past January 19th, we were able to resume in-person learning in our school building. Covid-19 precautions such as social distancing, screening of student’s health, and sanitary protocols continue to be (and will always be) in place to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff. One of the benefits of Catholic Schools is smaller classroom sizes which makes it easier for social distancing in class but also more manageable distance learning at home when it is needed. Again, many thanks to those who have helped to make this possible for us!

In this day and age, Catholic School Education is so important for our children, especially in those formative years. We live in a world of many confusing and mixed messages that lead us away from the Gospel values of Jesus Christ and our Catholic Faith. Catholic Schools help provide a strong foundation for our children on which to build their future in these challenging times. Parents who are a part of ASA feel connected to their school and teachers. The parents are always invited to participate and help in any way possible. It’s wonderful to see our parents, teachers, and students interact in the classroom whenever possible and to know that our children are learning in a safe, faith-filled, and loving environment. Here, we are not afraid to talk about God! This said, I encourage every parent, grandparent, and friend of Catholic Education to either send your children (or grandchildren) to our school and/or support us if possible. Running a quality Catholic school takes lots of fundraising and dedication on our part.

One last note: We just finished our “All Saints Academy Extravaganza” fundraiser here at our St. Cloud Campus this past Saturday, (January 30th) to kick off Catholic Schools week. Although this year we had to do it remotely, my hope is that it was a great success. If you are a supporter of Catholic Education and have not yet contributed, feel free to contact our principal, Paula Leider, in her office at 320-251-5295 to help out. As we continue to live and learn and grow, may God bless our children and Catholic schools as we further the Kingdom of God in Christ!

Fr. LeRoy Scheierl