Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Bishop Dunne High School at 50

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This week Bishop Dunne High School marks 50 years of academic excellence and service to the Church and the community. In 1961 Our Lady of Good Counsel Academy established by the Sisters of St. Mary in 1902, merged into the first of several new diocesan high schools. The new school in a new facility built with funds from a diocese-wide campaign, became a diocesan high school. Two years later the name would be changed to honor Bishop Edward Joseph Dunne, second Bishop of Dallas.

Over the past five decades Bishop Dunne has evolved into one of the leading educational institutions in North Texas, setting the pace for technological innovation. Dunne students no longer use printed textbooks. Their texts are all online and accessed by their individual laptop computers. [Read more…]

When everybody helps, everybody wins

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Thanks to the sacrifices of numerous parents and the generous support of Catholics and the community at large the number of children receiving a Catholic education in our diocesan elementary and high schools is 15,115, exceeding last year’s enrollment by about 60.

Many of our schools in economically deprived areas, where tuition is a major factor, have shown an increase. This is due both to the commitment of the parents and the tuition assistance made possible by the support of the community. [Read more…]

Some back-to-school thoughts

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As our children and young people head back to school and to college I want to wish them well and encourage them in their educational endeavors. They need only to read the daily newspaper or watch a television newscast to realize how fortunate they are to live in a country where there are so many educational opportunities.

Whether a first-grader or a freshman, what they learn in the classroom must stand on the foundation of what they have learned at home. As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught: “the task of imparting education belongs primarily to the family, but it requires the help of society as a whole.“

Parental responsibility is particularly important in forming and nurturing faith in their children. It is in the Christian family where children are “taught to know and worship God and to love their neighbor” in accordance with the grace received at Baptism (GE ¶3).

So as our children trudge off to school or take off for college they carry with them the indelible imprint of their family or origin. Indeed it will shape them for the rest of their lives.

I ask God’s blessing on all of our Catholic students and upon their parents for their loving care.

The great value of a Catholic education

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Yesterday I visited Bishop Dunne High School. It is one of the great success stories of our diocese, thanks to the joint efforts of faculty, students, parents and the Catholic community.

Once again I was reminded of the great value of a Catholic education. It is so much more than secular education with religion classes added on. It is education rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ designed to enable students to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals created in God’s image.

The goal of Catholic education is to inculcate in students a Christian vision of what the human person is called to be and what the world is destined to become. It brings to fruition seeds of faith planted by parents.

Catholic education does not come without sacrifices. I am astounded at the sacrifices many families make in order to send their children to a Catholic school. Every effort is made to make a Catholic education accessible. Most schools have financial assistance available and no family should rule out sending their child to a Catholic school without inquiring abut financial aid. Parents recognize that the costs of a Catholic education are not only an investment in the future of their child, but also in the future of our society.

I have great admiration for the lay and religious men and women who have created and maintain our Catholic school system and for the parents who make the often difficult choices to send their children to Catholic schools.

The Catholic Foundation’s Annual Award Banquet

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The Catholic Foundation’s Annual Award Banquet happens to fall during Catholic Schools Week this year and it is appropriate that the foundation will honor a Catholic educator on the occasion. Jesuit Father Philip Postell has served as president of Jesuit College Preparatory School since 1992. He will be the 28th recipient of the Catholic Foundation Award. The award not only recognizes Father Postell for his outstanding work and commitment to Catholic education, but also honors the institution he heads. Graduates of Jesuit College Prep are among those leaders who have shaped the Dallas’ Catholic community.

Recognizing and honoring Catholic leaders is one work of the Catholic Foundation, but it is only a small portion of their contribution to the Church of Dallas. The Foundation’s primary function is to furnish a vehicle for those who wish to provide funds for the needs of the diocese and its many agencies. Through investments it enhances the power of charitable resources. From thesw investments it is able to provide grants in excess of five-million dollars a year to various Catholic entities.

From its modest beginnings in 1965 the Catholic Foundation has become a powerhouse for the Church. I commend the Catholic Foundation for its important contributions to our diocese and for honoring the outstanding leaders of our Catholic community.

What a blessing our Catholic schools are!

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As we observe Catholic Schools Week I realize that what sets our Catholic schools apart is that their mission is more than educational excellence, which they certainly provide. In addition our Catholic schools and educators offer students a faith community to support and extend the moral values and discipline nurtured in them by their family.There are more than 15,000 students in our 31 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas. In many cases they represent great sacrifices by parents to pass on their Catholic tradition to their children. I congratulate our Catholic educators for their wonderful work and salute our Catholic school parents for their commitment.

Kudos to our Catholic Schools

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We all can take pride in the accomplishments of our 37 elementary Catholic schools and their students. Last October, for the first time, all students in grades 1 through 8 took The Iowa Test of Basic Skills, a nationally rated achievement test.

When Sister Gloria Cain, SSND, our Catholic school superintendent, received the results recently, they showed that our Catholic school students scored better than 70 percent of all the students in the United States.

I congratulate the students, teachers and administrators on this significant accomplishment.

Be sure to look for a detailed report in the next edition of The Texas Catholic.