The COVID-19 pandemic upended education last spring. Summer was a time to adapt, and now, this fall, educators look forward to being with their students again, whether in person or online. “We are excited to return to campus,” said Misty Poe, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Austin. “We are excited to greet the students, and we are also moving cautiously to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and families.”
By JEFF WICK The Fayette County Record - There is hope that the return to school for area students may go smoothly after all. At least that’s the message after the first day at Sacred Heart Catholic School in La Grange, one of the first area schools to open it’s doors for fall classes. “There were more smiles than tears,” said LaDonna Voelkel, principal at the school, describing Thursday’s first day. “I was surprised at how smooth it went.”
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, the Diocese of Austin is looking at ways to ensure ministries remain safe, healthy and available this fall. “We find ourselves in a new reality where new frontiers of evangelization are opening up to us and ways that we have done things in the past aren’t as efficient or as effective,” said Father James Misko, vicar general.
Taylor, Texas, June 13, 2020 - St. Mary’s Catholic High School will open its doors to students in grades 9 and 10 this fall. The new high school will be an extension of St. Mary’s Catholic School and will follow the same mission of educating for wisdom and virtue, centered on Christ, in the Classical Catholic tradition.
Amidst a storm of school closures, decrees of limited public gatherings, and toilet paper shortages, a local school community came together and responded to bring stability and consistency to its students and families. On Monday, March 16, after Spring Break ended and they announced another week of school closure, the 34 teachers, cafeteria workers, administrative personnel, maintenance director and other faculty and staff gathered to immediately begin implementation of a distance learning plan to ensure that their 194 students were safe, healthy and learning continuously.
The students of St. Mary's Catholic School, in Pre-K through 8th grade, began their journey of online learning on March 16th, creating a seamless transition from Spring Break, ending on the 13th, and school closure effective as of the 16th. All teachers had information and materials ready for parents to pick up on Monday, March 16th, beginning at 7 a.m.
When I hear that a Catholic school closes or struggles to stay open, my heart aches. There are more than 14 million school-age Catholic children in our country, 8 million of them Hispanic. If anything, we should be building Catholic schools, especially where Catholicism is growing. At the very least, we should keep those that exist open and primarily at the service of the new populations transforming the U.S. Catholic experience.
On Feb. 27, out of pastoral concern for the common good of the people of God during flu and virus season, Most Rev. Joe Vásquez, Bishop of Austin, asked parishes to temporarily distribute holy Communion in the hand, rather than on the tongue. Bishop Vásquez made it clear to clergy and eucharistic ministers that no one is to be denied the Eucharist over this measure.
Students from Holy Trinity Catholic High School attended the 47th annual March for Life Jan. 24 in Washington. The group traveled by bus from Temple to the nation’s capital, stopping a long the way for Mass.
Exciting changes are underway for Catholic education in the Waco area. In January St. Louis Catholic School merged with Reicher Catholic High School to form Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School. This school now serves grades pre-K through 12.
A math teacher in an Austin-area Catholic high school and a fifth-grade teacher in El Paso have been recognized as the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops 2020 High School Teacher of the Year and Elementary Teacher of the Year, respectively.
“We want our Catholic schools to be accessible to anybody who wants that for their child,” said Robert Whitworth, assistant superintendent of the Office of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Austin.
WACO, TEXAS, JANUARY 23, 2020. St. Louis-Reicher Catholic School is pleased to announce a truly amazing opportunity that will undoubtedly magnify its rich legacy of excellence and ensure that it continues for generations to come.
For the past 125 years, the mission of St. Joseph Catholic School has remained the same: Help students develop in mind, body and spirit through a faith-based education.
The Diocese of Austin has approved a new sponsorship for San Juan Diego Catholic High School by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Moreau Province. The sponsorship takes effect in the 2019-2020 school year.
The Diocese of Austin has approved a new sponsorship for San Juan Diego Catholic High School by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Moreau Province. The sponsorship takes effect in the 2019-2020 school year.
