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"My Catholic Grade School is Where it All Began"

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan recently shared how his Catholic grade school education shaped his life, and continues to guide him today. His words inspire us to Witness the Difference a Catholic education and make in our students' lives and our culture.

From the article: 

"Now, of all of my two-dozen years of Catholic education, including college, a venerable university in Rome, and The Catholic University of America in D.C., none were more profitable to me than my eight years at Holy Infant Grade School in Ballwin, Missouri. I would not be the man, the human being, the believer I am today without those eight years in my parish grade school," he says.

"Catholic schools are so effective because they teach us: to love God and our neighbor, to serve the Lord and others, to get to heaven by living virtuously and 
believing strongly, to love God and country...

You worried about the epidemic of drug and substance abuse? Well, you should. Statistics show that graduates of Catholic grade and high schools have a better record of avoiding addiction than others;

You are concerned about the poor and hungry? Glad you are. Studies show alumni of Catholic grade and high schools land better jobs, have more stable and lucrative employment, and avoid the unemployment and financial woes that lead to poverty; and our graduates are much more likely to volunteer in service to the poor;

You are anxious that your kids are going to believe in God, go to Church, and seek virtue? The stats show that graduates of Catholic elementary and secondary schools have higher levels of faith, pray more often, attend Church on Sunday, volunteer more often in community projects, give more to the poor and to the Church, and are much more likely to think about a vocation to the priesthood and religious life;

How about good marriages and strong families? You fret about that? You ought to. Here we go again: the research shows that those who attended Catholic schools have happier, faithful marriages, more kids, more unified families...than others.

I could go on and on...but you get the point: you want to support one cause that helps them all, be generous to our Catholic schools."

Read the full article here

Find a Catholic school near you in the Diocese of Lansing today.