Catholic Schools Week is on the way and there’s a lot planned for the week. 

CSW is sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association. 

Catholic Schools Week an annual tradition that started in 1974 for Catholic schools all around the nation to celebrate it with Masses, open houses and activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. 

Through these events schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to students and their contributions to the church, community and nation. 

The theme for Catholic Schools Week this year is “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.”

This year, Catholic Schools Week occurs as the same time as Winterfest. Because of this, the Holy Cross Council is still going to have the traditional Winterfest activities and the activities for Catholic Schools Week. 

The days next week include: Jan. 28, PJ day; Jan. 29, Athletes and Mathletes; Jan. 30, Dress-up Day; Jan. 3, TBT, Feb. 1, all-out Irish.

Senior Gia Peduto, a member of the Holy Cross Council, wrote in an email, “We do not plan the themes; that is Student Council, but since this year we are combining with Winterfest, we tried to tie some of the Holy Cross core values into the themes. We come up with our ideas by meeting with the Holy Cross Council.”

CSW is celebrated by all Catholic schools nationwide. Enrollment coordinator Mrs. Maribeth Cloud ’86 said, “The purpose is to celebrate Catholic Schools and to generate additional interest in Catholic Schools into the community.” She also added that in Indianapolis, the primary focus of Catholic Schools Week has been in the grade schools. 

Cloud said Bridges has really wanted the school to increase that awareness and celebrate at the high school level as well. 

“We are doing our own version of Catholic Schools Week,” Cloud said. 

Holy Cross Council plans to modify the door decorating contest, have a food truck on campus one day, hopes to roll-out a new carpool karaoke, and Council students will perform the blessing of the throats on the feast of St. Blaise, which is a Catholic tradition. 

The Council as well as the Liturgy Committee will work together to coordinate the Mass and the new inductees for the Council will be recognized then, and every morning there will be a Holy Cross trivia questions. 

Peduto said, “We will also be sending out trivia questions to the whole school so they can learn more about Catholic schools, Holy Cross and other topics.”

Assistant campus minister Mrs. Sara Bozelli-Levine said, “Our Liturgy Committee works very hard to organize and plan for our special Masses. This includes all-school Masses and special Masses for each grade, in addition to special Cathedral Archdiocesan events.” 

Bozelli-Levine said, “They plan and delegate readers for the readings, responsorial psalms and prayers of the faithful. They organize all the ushers and help train and assign Eucharistic ministers. They are key to making the liturgy an inter-active prayer in our Cathedral community.”