COLORADO SPRINGS. Four years ago, the 57 seniors who made up the St. Mary’s High School class of 2016 left a big mark on the school and the surrounding community.

Catholic Schools Week will be observed Jan. 26-Feb. 1 this year. The annual All Schools Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Michael Sheridan, is Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. at St. Dominic Parish in Security. Following is a listing of the various activities planned by schools in the diocese for Catholic Schools Week. 

COLORADO SPRINGS. Christmas break has begun for students at St. Mary’s High School, but in the weeks leading up to break, the students were busy spreading the love of Christmas throughout the Colorado Springs community. Some of these holiday service projects are long-standing, while others are new, but through them all, the St. Mary’s students showed that they are inspired by their faith to live out the love of Christ to those around them.

COLORADO SPRINGS.  In his quest to invent the light bulb, Thomas Edison was quoted as saying, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” St. Mary’s sophomores and Corpus Christi alums Cameron Baker and Justin Fauson can relate. They experienced many failures as they worked to use 3D printing technology to support two local multiple sclerosis practices. However, just as Edison did, Baker and Fauson persevered, and now their design will help area multiple sclerosis (MS) patients better understand their disease.

COLORADO SPRINGS. As area eighth graders are contemplating their high school choices, St. Mary’s High School invites them to join the Pirate student body for a day during one of the school’s upcoming Eighth Grade Shadow Days.

The first shadow day of the 2019-2020 school year is Wednesday, Oct. 23. Parents can join in that day, too, with a parent open house from 9-11 a.m., when they will hear from current students about the St. Mary’s difference.

COLORADO SPRINGS. When Americans think of poverty, lack of material needs is usually what first comes to mind. Yet, humans can experience poverty in a number of different ways. That is the premise of a project undertaken by Father Joe Dygert’s Catholic Social Teaching class at St. Mary’s High School. When three current seniors reflected on their experiences with the project last year, they found their perspectives changed as they encountered the homeless of Colorado Springs through the project.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Since it was dedicated in 2006, The Grace Center has always been about community. In fact, the community aspect of the center was so important that it is part of the facility’s proper name: The Grace Center for Athletics and Community Service.

The Diocese of Colorado Springs has no less than seven diocesan preschools. All are state-licensed preschools and either stand-alone or are part of a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school. They provide a variety of options for parents in terms of programs, but all agree that ages three to five is a great time for young children to learn how much God loves them.

COLORADO SPRINGS. In September of 1885, the Sisters of Loretto opened the doors of their first Colorado Springs school, which would eventually become St. Mary’s High School, with the desire to provide a Catholic education in an intimate environment. The goal to bring affordable Catholic education to the Colorado Springs community has not changed in 134 years. This September St. Mary’s will host its 43rd Golf Classic, an event that started in the 1970s to raise funds for tuition assistance, continuing to support the original mission of the school.

COLORADO SPRINGS. To fall in love with Jesus and to know, beyond any doubt, that Jesus loves you, is an amazing and awesome gift. That is one aim of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, not so much a program as a methodology that recognizes and respects the deep religious capacity of children. Another major aim of it is to prepare children to participate within the life of the Church.

Introduced into a few diocesan Catholic schools in 2012, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) has earned accolades and much enthusiasm.