Catholic Schools Week Observance Continues through February 5, 2022

Pittsburgh City Council Issues Proclamation Declaring Catholic Schools Week in the City of Pittsburgh

Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are celebrating Catholic Schools Week all this week, through February 5, 2022, with activities highlighting the theme "Catholic Schools: Lighting the Way.”

“As a student in Catholic schools for 24 years, 13 years as a teacher and administrator and 25 years as a bishop, I have been continually impressed with the quality of our schools, our teachers, and students,” said Bishop David Zubik. “Our students are invited each day to open their hearts to the light of Christ and to embrace his way of life.  We challenge each student to embrace the light of faith and to pass it on, to set the world afire with the love of Christ.”

Pittsburgh City Council passed a proclamation on Tuesday, February 1 commending the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh for its “commitment to excellence in spiritual and academic instruction.” The proclamation noted that the Catholic schools “pride themselves in providing a well-rounded education to all students, with service to others as a central aspect of their training.” The proclamation declared January 30-February 5 as Catholic Schools Week in the City of Pittsburgh. The document was presented to Michelle Peduto, director of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Pittsburgh at the Tuesday meeting.

In a Q&A with Pittsburgh Catholic magazine, Peduto explains what distinguishes Catholic schools: “Our Catholic faith.  That’s our primary purpose for existing — to bring the faith every single day to the children in our schools, as well as to their families. That’s our message and our mission.

Peduto also noted that pre-K -12 enrollment in Pittsburgh Catholic schools is up 4.3 percent, higher than the 4 percent national rate reported by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA). “Our elementary schools show a 6.2 percent increase, which represents the most significant growth in 12 years,” she said.  

Her complete interview will appear in the upcoming issue of the Pittsburgh Catholic magazine, scheduled for mailing early in February.  More details about  Catholic schools can also be found on the diocesan website,  www.diopitt.org/schools.

All diocesan schools are accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the diocese was one of the first in the country to have all its schools accredited.

The annual Catholic Schools Week celebration is a joint project of the NCEA and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). This year marks the 48th anniversary of the week, established in 1974 to recognize Catholic education as a great gift to the Church and the nation. Catholic schools in this country date to 1808, when St. Elizabeth Ann Seton opened her first school in Baltimore.

The traditional Celebrate Catholic Schools Week focuses on schools typically observing the week with Masses, assemblies and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members to celebrate. More details about the national events are available on line at www.ncea.org.