Catholic Schools Week

In today's world, we are surrounded by constant noise and distractions. At home, we are always connected to media such as smartphones, computers, television and tablets. In the car, we are also saturated by noise and radio programs with commentary often inappropriate for our children's ears.

One thing’s for sure: Interest in Catholic education is growing in the archdiocese.

Ashley Savigne looked intently at the barbell for her dead lift to an overhead press.

To face the challenges in Catholic education, local leaders have created a ‘roadmap’ to guide the path forward

The Catholic Spirit asked Archbishop Bernard Hebda to describe the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education and to explain how he hopes it shapes Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Across the country at the state level, Catholic conferences are involved in lobbying efforts to promote school choice as a way to provide more families access to Catholic schools.

In honor of Catholic Schools Week, The Catholic Spirit photographer Dave Hrbacek documented a day at eight Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Jan. 18, starting in the east at St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater and ending in the west at St. Timothy School in Maple Lake.

The kindergarten through eighth-grade schools — Ascension Catholic School in north Minneapolis, St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory School in northeast Minneapolis and St. Peter Claver Catholic School in St. Paul — comprise Ascension Catholic Academy. With Ascension serving as the anchor school, its staff is responsible for managing daily operations of all three.