As we begin this new school year, it is exciting to know that we have over 40 students going to our new partnership with St. John Paul II Elementary School and the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools! Our pledge to help with tuition relief in our support of Catholic Education for the children in Lawrence County continues. Friends of Catholic Education is the organization in our parish that assists our families that have children in Catholic school. We not only support those going to St. John Paul II Elementary School, but any child in our parish that attends a Catholic elementary school. We have two children from the parish in other Catholic schools in the diocese that we also support financially with tuition relief. If there are others in the parish, we would support them as well.
How can you help? You will notice that there is an envelope for Friends of Catholic Education in your monthly envelope packet. The money you donate through this envelope goes toward our pledge to help our children with tuition relief, and assists our parents with the transportation costs of getting their children to the Catholic schools outside of Lawrence County. I am very excited to announce that the same couple who anonymously donated hundreds of thousands of dollars last time in support of Holy Spirit Academy has once again stepped forward to offer us $100,000 in matchable funding for Friends of Catholic Education. What this means is that whatever you donate through the envelope or electronically, your donation to the Friends of Catholic Education will be doubled, up to $100,000. So every dollar you donate equals two dollars, and every $100 equals $200! Now is the perfect time to support our children and their parents.
A Catholic education today is more important than ever. The secular agenda promoted by our government today is not only shocking; it is immoral. Some of the outrageous things being taught in public schools today are disgraceful. I feel badly for our parishioners who are public school administrators and teachers. They are caught in the crossfire. Please keep them in your prayers. Our effort with Friends of Catholic Education (FOCE) is to provide an opportunity for the parents of Holy Spirit students, a choice which they otherwise would not have. Please support this effort, not only financially, but also with your prayers. Be a beacon of hope to the next generation. The Lord told us to “Let the children come to me;” Mt 19:14. They are definitely trying to take our children away from Christ on many levels. Our children are exposed to voices that do not speak the truth and intend to poison their minds in many ways. They utilize technology and even student curriculum to further a secular politically correct agenda. We can sit back and complain and be outraged by what is going on in our world today. Or, we can be courageous and take active steps to serve our children. Let us all do what we can to be positive instruments of change in our world! Prayer and sacrifice are our greatest weapons. Let us not be afraid to use them to the fullest! The Lord promised to bless our efforts in His name. Let us place our trust in Him and follow His command to bring our children to Christ.