Dear Reader:
I write these words from the Mercy Education Research Forum in Atlanta, GA, and the joy in community of the participants is infectious. The Sisters of Mercy have operated schools, hospitals, and other ministries in a spirit of radical hospitality, and it’s beautiful to see the excitement sisters and lay partners share in coming together around that shared charism.
Their community is special but not unique in this joy. Every Catholic school community feels like it’s discovered the recipe to the secret sauce – students, parents and alumni are all changed by the particular charism of service to others that make that school special. Jesus calls us each by name, and He sees just how unique we all are in that common commitment.
These are good times for our Catholic schools. The numbers are in, and for the second year, Catholic schools have grown to nearly 1,700,000 students in 5,920 schools across 175 dioceses. Pre-Kindergarten enrollment for 2022 – 2023 is higher than before the pandemic; the fewest Catholic schools closed or consolidated in two decades; and 39.2 percent of Catholic schools report wait lists. Record numbers of new families came to Catholic schools during the pandemic because of their commitment to in-person instruction, and they have stayed because they see the difference that our communities make in the lives of their children.
Those students speak for themselves beautifully, in word and in deed. At NCEA 2023 in Irving, TX, we will celebrate students who exemplify virtue, valor and vision in their communities. Fundraising for blindness research, apps for connecting the elderly to young people to combat loneliness, tens of thousands of meals served to the homeless – we have Catholic school kids of all ages doing these things right now because they believed it the right thing to do.
Academic excellence, a solid partnership with parents, teachers with a demonstrated commitment to being there for their students, and a Christ-centered and service-oriented education – these traits have characterized Catholic schools for generations. Every school community gives its all for its students in His name, and each is blessedly unique in its commitment to that shared mission.
Peace,
Lincoln Snyder
President/CEO, NCEA