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From the Pastor’s Desk
Since 1974, the U.S. Bishops in concert with the National Catholic Education Association have called on all parishes to celebrate National Catholic Schools Week, which begins today. Our community is blessed with three excellent Catholic schools – Cathedral Parish School Early Education Center (Sebastian Ave.), Cathedral Parish School (St. George Street) and Saint Joseph Academy (State Road 207). Each continues the great tradition of “paying it forward” by providing a Catholic education that forms children for excellence in the world.
One statistic jumps off the page at me about the excellence of Catholic schools is high school graduation rates. Catholic High Schools graduate 99% of students who enroll in 9th grade!!! Other private schools have a 95.2% rate and our nation’s public school system has an 82.3% graduation rate. If that does not show you that the sacrifice to give your children a Catholic education now is worth the sacrifice, I’m not sure what will. All parents want the best for their children. Believe me – as a product of Catholic education in St. Augustine – it is as good as it claims to be.
I know that tuition and fees for a Catholic education have gone up substantially in the past decade. But that’s why I hear parents say they are happy to “pay it forward.” They find that the “pay-off” for their sacrifice now comes in the way of college acceptances and scholarships down the road. If you don’t think you can afford Catholic education for your children, talk to the administrations of our Catholic schools. There are plenty of avenues available that we can assist you with in providing the gift of a Catholic education.
Love,
Father Tom