Catholic Schools Week 2026: A Message of Gratitude and Invitation Catholic Schools Week 2026 Show Transcript hello fellow parishioners and the entire Norwalk Catholic Community I am Martin Linder the president of Norwalk Catholic this weekend marks the beginning of Catholic schools week which is a celebration of the National Treasure Catholic Education is to our faith and our world there is much to be celebrated here at Norwalk Catholic but our mission would not be possible without the generosity of our parishes thank you to all the parishioners of the parishes of Firelands Catholic for this support additionally Norwalk Catholic is thankful for the blessings shared by so many of you as individuals directly to our school that helped make our fire families so strong and most importantly thank you to those of you that choose Norwalk Catholic as a partner in education for your children through our shared stewardship we are making a difference Norwalk Catholic is a home a partnership a mission-driven group of dead dedicated people that love our students challenge our students care for our students and educate our students recently I was speaking with a mom that enrolled her children in the early childhood for preschool a few years ago her children are now in the Upper Elementary she shared that when her family began the process of choosing a school for their children they looked at the kids in their neighborhood they noticed many of the kids and families they knew attended Norwalk Catholic so they made the decision to send their children as well she has shared how grateful she is every day that God guided them to choose Norwalk Catholic their family is a powerful witness to a Norwalk Catholic Education our school is positively impacting people's lives when it comes to encouraging the faith over 70% of Firelands Catholic first communicants are Norwalk Catholic students who have regular katakis throughout their school day and are guided to foster a personal relationship with Christ Guided by our staff over 70% of Firelands Catholic conference are Norwalk Catholic students who in addition to their formation by the parish have daily theology Class A Class Retreat regular access to reconciliation and weekly Mass all of our students experience the fullness of our faith through access to the sacraments during the school day we have weekly Mass St Paul high students have opportunities for waking Recon iation and students in grades 3 through High School have reconciliation services in Advent and lent and each and every class participates in a retreat every year our school participates in service learning focused on local Regional and Global Outreach for example we support the local food and clothing banks through volunteer hours food and clothing drives as well as monetary collections we have also supported our community by building and installing a blessing box on our main campus that is filled by our students but the most recent and most powerful example of global Service Learning comes from St Paul high school at the beginning of this month a group of 10 upper classmen traveled with me and our campus minister in Mississippi there if it's Gerald to an awl Salvadorian Refugee settlement in the country of bise these students provided a first communion in a confirmation retreat for the Catholic School in The Valley Of Peace our sister School of believes is named after St Oscar Romero who was martyred in El Salvador for speaking out about the injustices of the local Civil War in the late 1970s this was the first time that that Community had had a Catholic School bring students into a mission with a focus on the faith and their students we are literally helping to bring the love of Christ to children in underserved poverty-stricken communities around the world the students and beliefs are St Paul high school students and I have been forever changed by this experience I am looking forward to continuing to grow and cultivate this meaningful relationship between our communities for years to come this work is bearing fruit through the Firelands Catholic Community as well the holy spirit is working in and through our school Norwalk Catholic is making a difference in the classroom this school year we have implemented a 13 to1 teacher to student ratio in grades kindergarten through third grade this strategy has led to smaller class sizes plus intervention teachers and support the most recent academic data and these grades are showing positive results in second grade 93% of our students have made measurable growth in math and reading additionally 96% of our third graders have made measurable growth in Reading as well our high school students have access to a state-of-the-art multimedia Studio that supports creating high-quality Visual and audio production this multimedia classroom has equipment that is at or above the industry standards students create regular content and are learning all aspects the video and audio production Firelands Catholic and Norwalk Catholic share the same Mission the same faith it is together we are making a difference a Norwalk Catholic St Paul high school education is more accessible than ever before 4 to anyone that desires a faith-based experience for their children and their lives through a state scholarships and Norwalk Catholic scholarships 90% of our students have tuition fully paid this has removed the biggest historical barrier Catholic Education if you have a student in your life a child a niece nephew a grandchild a neighbor or a friend that you would like to invite to join our flyer family please know they have a home here thank thank you for your support prayers and helping us pass the love of our faith to our younger Generations in our community and throughout the world Published January 28, 2026 Print
