Through Jan. 27 to Feb. 3, Catholic Schools Week is celebrated by schools across the United States. Bishop Gorman and other local Catholic elementary schools celebrate the week by doing masses and other religious activities.
“The purpose of Catholic Schools Week is to highlight the things that make a Catholic school just that, a Catholic school…we [celebrate this week] in a very unique environment of a faith community. Our Catholic faith is in the center of everything that we do because Jesus is the reason for this school, he’s our inspiration, he is our savior, and it is because of him that and how we teach that we offer and do the things we do in honor to glorify him,” Mr.Sinclair, a Campus Minister, said.
The mass that occurred in the morning of Jan. 28, coincidentally on the Feast Day of St.Thomas Aquinas. A man whose efforts made an impact on the education of Catholicism and grants those within the faith the opportunity to gather around the altar. In representation of this eventful week featured Father Jacob who regarded the right and most beneficial way of starting a journey of faith to prevent a mindset of seclusion. “[A quote that stuck with me is] to remember we are loved, even on the days we are completely isolated, or forgotten, or forsaken, or downtrodden; that we have a reason for hope and that is the love we have all been given,” Mr.Sinclair said. “ All day every day, from God, through Christ, and the company of the Holy Spirit, and to entrap into that love and share it with others in concrete real world ways.”
Bishop Gorman makes diligent efforts to incorporate Catholic values into their student’s understanding. From their theology courses to their morning announcements, they help students who are already catholic understand their faith and grant students with other religions explain the meaning behind the active practices in depth. This happens throughout the entirety of the 4-year expedition students have with this school but is emphasized during Catholic Schools Week.
“The school helps me understand my faith as a catholic by introducing me to what Jesus has done and showing me how he can be a role model in my life,” Omar Gonzalez ‘28 said.
The week is also acknowledged by all kinds of Catholic schools nationally with their own individual ways of celebrating and building their traditional curriculum into fun activities. It is because of the shared faith between the schools and the addition of their separate pursuits to reshape the idea of Catholicism for it to be more enticing to their students that makes Catholic Schools Week what it is.
“I think that the school feels more connected since we are all celebrating religion. It brings everyone together and creates a happy atmosphere at school,” Sophia Nassar ‘27 said.
Not all school activities involving celebrating the Catholic Faith have to be separate from each other, school from school. Taking the C.S.W. Logo Design Contest as an example, where students across Las Vegas get the opportunity to put their creativity and skills to the test to have their works be acknowledged as the visual representation of Catholic School Week by the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. The deadline was Jan. 31 and the winner is pending. More specifics of the criteria for this competition is located in the Archdiocese of Las Vegas website if anyone wishes to join next year.
