Greetings!

 This past weekend, I visited Bellingham to take part in an opening Mass and dinner that recognized the early supporters in the Northern Deanery as they prepare to open a new Catholic high school next fall. Fr. Jeffrey Moore, pastor of the Whatcom County parish family and key driver in guiding this from vision to reality, reflected in his homily on what this school would mean for their community, drawing on the images provided in Isaiah.

Perched atop the “mountain” of South Hill in Bellingham, he preached at Sacred Heart, the initial site of this high school, on the “rich foods and choice wines” that the Lord will provide. The image of the banquet feast is familiar to us, as it is often used in Scripture to help us imagine Heaven. He reminded us that this new school was not separate from the mission of the Church, and on this “mountain” wants to provide for “his people, his youth, rich foods and choice wines.”

While the richest of the food and the choicest of the wine is the Eucharist, he also shared that it was the richness of a robust and powerful education. He expressed that our Catholic schools provide these riches through “an understanding of the human story, through vibrant community journeying together in wholeness. They provide rich foods and choice wines of personal virtue, of leadership, of skills, growing [our students] into the people that they’ve been made to be.” He concluded his homily reminding that us that “most powerfully, the goal of this mountain is to give our youth eternal life; happiness in this life, and eternal life in the next.”

Regardless of our local topography and whether we are perched atop a hill or nestled in the valley, each of our schools is a mountain in the communities we serve, providing the rich foods and choice wines that God desires for His people through the mission and ministry of Catholic education.

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Call to Action: E-Rate in Danger

Today, October 13, is the final day to submit comments to the FCC to let them know the impact to your school should the proposal to substantially lessen or eliminate E-Rate take effect.

Collectively, this program has saved our schools over $1.7 million over the last decade. Please take some time today, if you haven’t already to submit your comments.

For a comprehensive set of instructions, including access to a letter template builder, visit NCEA’s information page on this matter.

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Fall Pastor and School Leaders Meeting

Registration is open for our annual meeting of school leaders and pastoral leadership. Our meeting this year will be held at St. Thomas in Tukwila, on Thursday, October 29. We will begin our day with Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Etienne, and cover other sessions that will include information on Fulcrum’s new investment, Side x Side, which seeks to broaden our collective ability to serve all learners, and information on the Washington Student Success Coalition’s work around the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. The full agenda for the day can be found here.

Please personally extend this invitation to your pastor. In addition to the leadership pairing of the pastor and principal, if you would find it helpful, you may choose to extend the invitation to another member of the parish leadership, such as a parochial vicar, a DOO or PAA, or your School Commission Chair.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to register here.

With gratitude, 

NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent

Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle