 I am so grateful that we have a Catholic elementary school in our community! Saint Pius X Regional School services the four parishes in Bowie and also takes in students from outside the area and at the same time has a number of students that are not of the Catholic Faith. I have had the privilege of teaching one day a week in the school. In fact, every class has a priest or deacon visit on a regular basis. I have taught in a number of grades over these years and for the past couple of years I have had the 3rd and 7th grades. In the 3rd grade we have been studying and reading about the life of Saint John Vianney among other things. In the 7th grade we are reading the Acts of the Apostles from cover to cover and studying and becoming familiar with its content. The children are wonderful! Like families, no school is perfect but I think that Saint Pius X Regional School does a remarkable job in educating our youth.
The school staff works very hard to give students a good foundation in basic skills needed to succeed in this life. Whether they go off to a Catholic or public high school, they carry with them the skills that have been learned and developed at Saint Pius X Regional School. The school staff also has the privilege of passing on the basics of the Catholic Faith through daily religious instruction and spiritual exercises and a regular celebration of the sacraments. This does not replace the important and primary role of the family in passing on the Faith, but it does support Catholic families by providing a Catholic environment in which to educate the young.
Over the years Catholic education has become very expensive! When I went to Catholic school as a child, it cost $60 per student each year and each child after number three was free! Boy, have things changed! We do our best to support parishioners with children at Saint Pius X Regional School and/or a Catholic secondary school. The parish provides certain number of grants each year to assist in the financial burden of Catholic education. We even began the ‘Pick 3 for Catholic Education’ fundraiser to add to the funds available for our families. Thank you for your support!
My family ended up unable to afford Catholic schooling for me and my four brothers. I left Catholic school after grade 3 and entered the parish religious education program. I have to say that we have a wonderful parish religious education program here at Sacred Heart. Mimi Shea and Jenna Mathers are magnificent coordinators and our teaching staff does a superb job in passing on the Catholic Faith. I admit that I enjoy being with our parish children on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings. I am so proud of our young people!
We ask Our Lord to bless and protect our children and young people. We ask for the grace as individual families and as a parish family to assist them in understanding the truths of the Catholic Faith that in this very challenging world they will remain close to the Lord Jesus and to His Holy Catholic Church! I commend you for all that you do in this regard and I thank all of those who assist in this mission at Saint Pius X Regional School, our Catholic secondary schools, and our parish religious education program!
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy On Us! |
