The Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory Column

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory was the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. During his years of service, he wrote a regular column for The Georgia Bulletin entitled, "What I have Seen and Heard".

I love this particular week each year in my calendar—Catholic Schools Week. I love it because it means that I get a chance to visit a number of the schools in our Archdiocese. I generally visit schools throughout the course of the year, in the fall when the new year begins, at the close of the academic season for graduation ceremonies, and throughout the year for special moments, but Catholic Schools Week brings me to many of our schools simply to praise God for the gift of these wonderful Catholic institutions. And the students and teachers always put on their very best for me.

Our Archdiocese is so fortunate to have great Catholic schools to serve our growing community—I wish we had more! We offer a top quality education to our children at the schools that do serve us. We form young Catholic minds and hearts in the teachings and faith of our Church. We welcome our non-Catholic students and witness our love and respect for them and their families. We partner with parents in handing on the Catholic faith to a new generation of Catholic leaders in our schools. We employ wonderfully generous and dedicated teachers and administrators in our schools. Our schools are first class! They are also quite expensive so we need to find more ways to allow children from financially distressed homes and even middle-class homes to have greater access to our schools.

GRACE scholarships have been a life-source for many families here in Georgia, allowing many children from such families to attend our schools. I thank all of you who have participated in the GRACE scholarship state tax program for making that possible. I thank all of our parishioners whose generosity provides the school tax that subsidizes so many of our families so that their children can attend Catholic schools. I thank our pastors for supporting Catholic schools everywhere in this local Church.

Catholic Schools Week allows our schools, students, parents and benefactors to catch a glimpse of the tremendous asset our schools are. It also provides a welcome opportunity for the Archbishop to visit many of those institutions and offer his own words of encouragement and support for the ministry of the Church that takes place in our Catholic schools. Admittedly, this week is a promotional week for our schools and they are showcased through their good works, but it is also a time to offer thanks to the thousands of people who make Catholic schools possible and successful, and that too is a responsibility that I gladly accept and do each year.

Hurrah for Catholic schools everywhere!