This week of Jan. 29 through Feb. 4 is Catholic Schools Week. Like the proud parents who whip out their phones at work and show the latest pictures of their children, we take this week to highlight our pride in our students, teachers and administrators in our Catholic Schools.

Our pride starts with our history. For more than a century, the Catholic Church in the United States has been committed to the formation and education of our Catholic young people. And of course, our schools welcome as well children from families of other faiths.

In that time — more than a 100 years — millions have had their lives positively changed because of their education at Catholic schools.

Our first commitment is to teach young people to love God and neighbor, and to understand and joyfully practice their Catholic faith. We proudly proclaim that heaven is the goal and reason for this life. This is the reason for so much prayer and sacrifice, both personal and financial, that the Catholic Church continues to invest in our school system.

However, the other secret to the success of Catholic schools lies in another element of our history — our history of excellence. The Church has long recognized that by providing the highest quality of educational skills, it has empowered our alumni to form good families, be good citizens and contribute to our society. Statistics bear out that reality.

In the Diocese of Rockford, for example, more than 12,000 students from pre-kindergarten to high school attend our Catholic schools. They are instructed by about 900 dedicated teachers.

In the most recent reports, Catholic elementary school students score on the average one to two years above grade level on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. At the high school level our Catholic school juniors’ average ACT (American College Testing) score in 2016 was nearly 14 percent above the statewide average. And among our graduates, the class of 2016 from all eight Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Rockford amassed approximately $60 million in college scholarship offers.

Along with academic excellence, our students benefit from yet another element of Catholic formation. That is the formation of their character.

Moral values are taught, discussed, expected and lived in school. Students are made aware of the sacrifices and dedication that have gone into creating Catholic schools, building their educational and extracurricular facilities and, in many cases, making it financially possible for them to attend class.

The resulting sense of responsibility and gratitude characterizes the daily routine of our students.

While we celebrate our students and their accomplishments resulting from attending Catholic schools, we are also rightly proud of our princpals, teachers and administrators. Many have been teaching in Catholic schools for a number of years. That time-tested dedication speaks to their love of our Catholic faith and their commitment to sharing it with the next generations.

Their dedication to faith and educational achievement is matched only by their commitment to the good character that our schools seek to instill in our young people. Schools that produce young people who live virtue in a challenging world must have teachers that not only instruct but who lead by example. To all of our teachers, thank you!

Faith, academic excellence and character. These are the hallmarks of Catholic education. In a time of fake news and artificial sweeteners, the Diocese of Rockford takes pride in offering an education that is real and authentic. Come and join us in celebrating our Catholic schools.

And don’t be surprised if we bring out our phones and show you some of the pictures of our students, teachers and schools that make us so proud!