The Catholic Schools within the Diocese of Spokane continue their dedication to educating and forming students and families during this health crisis. Our schools play an important role in our Spokane Catholic community and we are deeply saddened by the impact this pandemic has on our students, staff, and families.

Catholic educators historically have been called to be flexible and creative in their approach to education, and now more than ever, they are shining brightly and proving this to be true. With limited resources, our teachers continue to provide solid faith formation and academic excellence to those they serve. Over the past few weeks, our teachers and administrators have risen to this challenge and exceeded expectation. For this, we couldn’t be more proud. We have heard such positive and affirming feedback and are encouraged by their words:

“Thank you for making this experience painless! We sincerely appreciate all of the support!!”

“Catholic Schools are far more organized with the planning and support than other school sectors. Well done!”

“I am super impressed with the school and teachers. Proactive, great communication, well organized. We are lucky during this time of uncertainty to have this support and consistency on a daily basis.”

“I take great comfort knowing that my kids continue to receive the love, guidance and support from their teachers. It helps keep something consistent, even if it looks differently.”

Leonard J. DeLorenzo, a professor at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend recently wrote “ The gift of this season is that we are forced to recognize just how vulnerable and dependent we are. Even if there is not a new ‘normal’ in the world ‘after’ all of this, perhaps we can begin to change what we ourselves consider and crave as ‘normal.’ Maybe our new normal will build on the lesson of loss that suffering brings now, where we feel in a way we have not before that each of us is ultimately dependent and we are responsible for one another. The call in this season is to throw off the illusion of invulnerability and live together in truth.”

One of our principals said it best, “Even though teachers are distant from their students, they still touch them with the hands of Christ. God is our hope and our strength, and he will see us through this challenging time.” We, as always, will continue our heartfelt prayers for all of you.

We take comfort in the strength and creativity of our schools and the stability of our family partnerships during this challenging time. It’s truly a team effort to keep our community strong, and I don’t think we’ve ever been stronger together than we are right now. We ask for the prayers of our Catholic community for the ability to continue the Church’s ministry of Catholic education.