Editor's Note It sounds like a family to me By Darcy L. Fargo

January 29, 2020

“We have biological family, and we have logical family.”

While I can’t remember where I first heard that quote, I use the phrase with some regularity.

We have our biological families, the families we are born into – our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews – and, for some of us, the families we later create. In addition, we have our logical families, the friends we love so much, we see them almost as brothers and sisters, or maybe as one of our crazy cousins.

While I love that quote, I’m discovering it’s incomplete.

First, it doesn’t include our Church family, both our parish communities and the universal Church. We’re all part of the Body of Christ. That makes us inextricably connected. It makes us family.

Beyond that, as I’ve traveled around the diocese and gotten to know more and more of the people and places, I consistently hear about yet another type of family: The Catholic school family.

I frequently hear parents talk about “our St. Mary’s School family,” “our Trinity family” or “our (insert the name of any of our diocesan Catholic schools here) family.”

With their smaller classes, parent volunteers, service projects, after-school programs and extra-curricular activities, my experience suggests everyone knows everyone in a Catholic school.

The teachers, administrators and staff truly love and support their students.

The students love and support each other. They learn and grow together. They have fun together and create a bit of mischief together, as youth are known to do.

In our Catholic schools, Christ is at the center. Each school community worships together, serves others together, learns tenets of the faith together.

It sounds an awful lot like a family to me.

As our diocesan schools prepare to celebrate Catholic Schools Week, let’s join them in celebrating Catholic education. If you have a school in your community, look for ways to support it, either by volunteering, donating, or enrolling your child or grandchild.

Be part of the Catholic school family.