New England Catholic Schools Week November 14-19 is weeklong celebration of the Wonders of Catholic Education in the six New England states and her 11 Catholic Arch/Dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Hartford, through the work of its Center for Catholic Education & Formation. Increased marketing and media relations kick-off a new enrollment and marketing campaign designed to highlight the benefits of Catholic education, which has an overall theme of “There’s Something Greater Here.”

Obviously that something “greater” is Christ. He is the reason for our schools—not sports or arts, not even academic excellence, which are all certainly very important, but it is Christ who is the foundation of our schools. He is the reason for our schools’ existence—and “why” you might ask? Because Catholic schools educate and form the whole person—body, mind and soul. We are not about creating great consumers, but rather amazing, faith-filled citizens who seek the common good and the excellence of all.

And, that “something greater here” in our Catholic schools is Christ who is illustrated and made present in all who are part of our Catholic schools: students, teachers, administrators, parents and the people of God. For Christ is present in all of us who Believe in Him. We are the temples of His Holy Spirit, given to us at Baptism, and nourished by Sacramental Life of the Church. Now we are all called to “do something.” That “something” is to be a practitioner of our faith, to live it out in all that we say and do.

The following information comes by way of whetting your appetite about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford, and we hope this will encourage you to learn more about them and to see how Catholic schools may be the answer for your child or grandchildren:

• AOH Catholic elementary schools are ranked among the highest IOWA Test Scores in Connecticut;
• AOH Catholic high schools far outpace public and secular private schools (on the state and national levels) when it comes to the SAT scores;
• AOH Catholic high schools have a nearly 100% graduation rate and our students enter the most prestigious public and private colleges and universities;
• During Covid, Catholic schools immediately turned to online learning when the Connecticut Governor mandated distance learning by executive order, and we returned to full, in-person learning before many public schools, enabling us to graduate our students on time during the pandemic without loss of education;
• We did not need to begin the academic year, 2021-2022 with remedial learning; and,
• Catholic schools in the Archdiocese save Connecticut tax payers nearly $164 million dollars per year. (Source: OEEC Annual Report, 2021)

AOH Catholic schools, a great value and an amazingly educational and human formational experience. “There’s something greater here!” Contact the AOH Center for Catholic Education & Formation for more information, 860 242 5573.