Catholic Schools Week 2022 will be celebrated in parishes across the island from Sunday 23 to Sunday 30 January. This year’s theme is: ‘Catholic Schools: Living Life to the Full’.
To formally open Catholic Schools Week, Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath, Chair of the Catholic Education Service and a member of the Bishops’ Council for Education, will celebrate Mass on Sunday 23 January from 11.00am. The liturgy will include musicians from Schola Cantorum at Saint Finian’s Diocesan College. There will also be participation in the Mass from the Loreto Secondary School and Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar.
Bishop Deenihan said, “Every year, Catholic Schools Week assumes a greater importance for our local school community and parish. Our Catholic schools prepare their students for this world but also try to convey a sense of the Kingdom of God and the world to come. Catholic schools are renowned for the academic education that they offer their students. Equally, such schools contribute to society by encouraging the full development of their student’s talents. It is also true that many of these schools, particularly at post-primary level, are involved in social outreach projects that contribute to local communities.
“The past few years, have illustrated the potential that students have to influence public policy and debate and to change the world for the better, making it a kinder, more inclusive and more welcoming place. That has been particularly true in relation to ecology and protecting the environment, a key message of Pope Francis and a theme of previous Catholic Schools Weeks. As we participate in Catholic Schools Week this year, we celebrate, in a special way, our following of Jesus’ teaching by living life to the full through our thoughts, words and actions. In doing so, we follow the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel: ‘I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full,’” Bishop Deenihan said.
The full suite of #CSW2022 resources for primary and post-primary are now available on www.catholicschools.ie. Each resource explores the five daily themes of Catholic Schools Week:
Monday – Living Life to the Full with God
Tuesday – Living Life to the Full Together
Wednesday (Grandparents’ Day) – Celebrating Being Together Again
Thursday – Living Life in Wonder and Awe
Friday – Living Life and Facing the Future
This Mass will be livestreamed on https://www.mullingarparish.ie/livestream from the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar
During Catholic Schools Week families, parishes and schools, North and South, are invited to participate in a week of celebration of Catholic schools reflecting on their contribution to the common good to society. Follow Catholic Schools Week 2022 on social media with #CSW2022
Bishop Tom Deenihan is Bishop of Meath and serves at the Chair of the Catholic Schools Partnership and is a member of the Council for Education of the Irish Episcopal Conference. He is also a former General Secretary of the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA).
ENDS