Saskatchewan bishops issue letter on Catholic education

By Kiply Lukan Yaworski

SASKATOON — The Catholic Bishops of Saskatchewan recently joined together to issue a statement about the gift of Catholic education to mark World Catholic Education Day May 13.

“On this day we celebrate the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education in the lives of people around the world,” said the four bishops of the province in the joint letter — Albert Thévenot of Prince Albert, Donald Bolen of Saskatoon, Daniel Bohan of Regina and Bryan Bayda of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon — which includes the entire province.

“In Saskatchewan we are blessed with a constitutional right to publicly funded Catholic education. Through our nine Catholic school divisions we educate over 35,000 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 in 121 Catholic schools,” the bishops noted.

The theme for Catholic Education Week May 9-16 is Catholic Education: Rejoicing in Hope, with schools across the province celebrating with prayer and activities.

“In our Catholic schools we embrace a hope that goes beyond our human experience and asks us to place our hope in the living God,” wrote the bishops. “We set aside this week to focus our attention on the value of Catholic schools in providing a holistic education in a faith-filled environment to nurture the faith of our children.”

The statement expresses appreciation to all the partners in Catholic education, including trustees, administrators, teachers, support staff, pastors, parish ministers, parish teams and parents “for supporting our children in their journey home to God through the gift of Catholic education.”

It also invites all members of the Catholic community to a greater awareness of the contribution of Catholic schools to the mission of the church. “We ask each of you to pray for the continued success of our Catholic schools and indeed, wherever there is need, to add your voice in support of Catholic education as we strive to support our students in their lifelong faith journey.”