Catholic School Appeal 2025

September 18, 2025

Dear friends in Christ,

I have often been asked, “Why support Catholic Schools?” Allow me to offer three reasons.
First, Catholic schools are the only option available to families who want a wholistic education for their child so that they are formed in our Catholic faith along with their other subjects, participate in sports and grow socially through extracurricular activities. For those of us who attended Catholic schools, we could not imagine an education that was separate and distinct from learning about God, our gift of faith and the love that Jesus had for each of us. 

Second, we welcome a collaboration with families in how their children are formed. The family is the domestic church, in which every child learns the most fundamental lessons. Unlike school systems that teach lessons which may contradict family values leaving children confused, our families know what we are teaching. In Christian charity, we welcome families who need financial assistance, empowering them to exercise a Catholic school option for their child.

Lastly, as the signs in our schools proclaim “Christ is the reason for this school.” As I visit our schools, I meet students who are developing a deeper relationship with Jesus and His Church, and who inspire others by their witness to their faith. They are more than the future of our Church. They are signs of hope in the present. Financial support for Catholic schools is an investment in a legacy of faith.

Your gift to the Catholic School Appeal, as well as your voice of support to family and friends, will make a difference in the lives of families who value a Catholic education for this children. I ask that you also join your prayers of spiritual support with mine every day for teachers, administrators and staff in their ministry of Catholic school education.

Thank you for considering prayerfully how you can make the dream of a Catholic school education a reality.

With every prayerful best wish, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,
 
 Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
 Bishop of Worcester