Catholic School Advantage

As students gathered last fall to register for classes at Bishop Ready High School in Columbus, Ohio, a backlog started to form for Rocco Fumi.

“Please remember,” said a member of the Bishop Ready staff, “we have a number of people who can help you!”

“Oh, no that’s ok,” one student replied—seemingly speaking for the entire group. “Mr. Fumi is here! We want to talk to him!”

Throughout Catholic Schools Week 2020, we'll be sharing some of our favorite Catholic Schools Week reflections that ACE graduates, team members, and friends have submitted over the years. The below reflection is from Jennifer Beltramo and was originally published in 2012.

Last week, as several “partners in mission” began arriving for an appreciation event, I anxiously wondered whether I should have prepared our student ambassadors more fully. “What should we say?” they had asked just two days earlier. “They already know that I believe in Catholic education,” I had shared, “They want to know what you believe.  What makes our school unique? What difference has it made in your life?” That was it, no further guidance, just lofty questions for twelve-year-olds to ponder. 

Throughout Catholic Schools Week 2020, we'll be sharing some of our favorite Catholic Schools Week reflections that ACE graduates, team members, and friends have submitted over the years. The below reflection is from Fr. Lou DelFra, CSC and was originally published in 2011.

I discovered my vocation to be a priest in Catholic schools. Surely, the seed was planted by the diocesan priests and IHM sisters who taught me at St. Pius X Grade School in Broomall, PA, and the Augustinians who taught me at Malvern Prep. But it was while I stood on the other side of the desk, as a teacher, that these seeds took root and blossomed into a religious vocation. Though the details differ, many could tell a similar story….

Name: Emma Vichill

Title: Middle School English Language Arts Teacher

School: Our Lady of Talpa School in Boyle Heights, California

Diocese: Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Throughout Catholic Schools Week 2020, we'll be sharing some of our favorite Catholic Schools Week reflections that ACE graduates, team members, and friends have submitted over the years. The below reflection is from John Schoenig and was originally published in 2014.

Perhaps the most sacred promise we make as a republic is the one that every generation is invited to renew for the next: that we will do whatever it takes to ensure that every child, regardless of color, creed, or socioeconomic status, has equal access to an outstanding education. This promise is in many ways as confounding as it is inspiring – and it serves as the bedrock of our foundational aspiration to form a more perfect Union.