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Our Schools

A Community Response to God's Project

 

What makes a Catholic School “Catholic?” The Catholic Bishops Conference in the United States continues to support Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools. In their pastoral letter Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium, the Bishops state that "...Catholic schools afford the fullest and best opportunity to realize the fourfold purpose of Christian education, namely to provide an atmosphere in which the Gospel message is proclaimed, community in Christ is experienced, service to our sisters and brothers is the norm, and thanksgiving and worship of our God is cultivated."

It is also emphasized that the responsibility for Catholic schools is a responsibility of the entire Church. Making Catholic schools available, accessible and affordable will need the awareness, help, and ingenuity of all members. It also needs a realization that Catholic school education is the ministry of the Church (all God’s people) and that the entire community shares that responsibility, including the parents of our children. Therefore, it is necessary to appreciate the implication this has for the community in understanding the value of Catholic schools and the priorities and motivations that guide our decisions as a community and our parish families. 

There are many valid and reasonable arguments, guided by an informed conscience, which can be presented for not choosing a Catholic school. We cannot write these off, however I believe that we, as a Community of Faith are immersed (baptism) in a reality that exceeds a spirit of individualism, consumerism, materialism, pragmatism and relativism that can so often sabotage our faith decisions.  

Very often one family cannot do what many are able to do together.   As the saying goes “it takes a village to raise a child.” Our village here at Christ the Servant Parish belongs to us all and is God’s project. When we see Christ the Servant Parish and Our Lady of Peace School as God’s project it connects us with a much larger reality to which we have been invited and which we are privileged to participate. This requires faith, hope and the greatest of these - love. 

Christ the Servant Parish offers two schools, the Our Lady of Peace Center for Early Learning, which serves children ages 2 1/2 -5 and Our Lady of Peace School, which serves children Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Our Lady of Peace School also offers an exciting Enrichment Program, which is open to all students after school.
 

Sharing our Faith - One class celebrates the baptism of their fellow student.

 

Christ the Servant Parish embraces a mission of education in which

our Catholic faith allows the formation of competent, compassionate

and caring persons, who will seek what is also deepest within them –

the very life of God – in creating a more loving world.

 

     A wise man was traveling in the mountains and found a precious stone in a stream. The next day he met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise man opened his backpack to share his food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the man to give it to him. He did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise man. "I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."      - Unknown

 

Something precious or something priceless?

     Without a doubt we are able to give our children those precious stones of information, knowledge, wealth and success; but it is our faith that enables us to give them the priceless wisdom to use these gifts with maturity.  At Our Lady of Peace School and the Center for Early Learning, our teachers share what is deepest within them -- understanding and offering that marked difference between “Catholic truth” and “personal truth;” between “Christian truth” and “private truth;” and between “Gospel teaching” and “moral relativism.”

 

Why should I send my child to Catholic school, when  he can go to a public school for free?

 

     We recognize the value of so much of what our culture has to offer, but that which is deep within us -- not our newest part, but our foundation -- that will enable us to give the best to our children – our faith.  Catholic schools were originally established to immerse our children in Catholic faith and values, instead of assimilating our faith to wax with the community at large.  Catholic schools provide the most immediate experience of the faith, outside the home.  Faith formation is about passing on the faith – it is more than an emotional investment in an Alma Mater; it is more than an economic investment in the future of a child, it is a faith investment.

 

It’s a fast-paced world, will Catholic education give my child the tools to keep up?

     Our children cannot answer ultimate questions with immediate answers. A secular culture is that in which God is not an essential component, but rather separate from our daily way of living and our daily moral choices.  In today’s world, it is easy for God to take a backseat to extracurricular activities, technology and education.  However, at a Catholic school,  our faith is weaved into everything we do and teach.  Technology is taught alongside morality and conscience; extra-curricular activities begin with prayer and, through their faith, our students gain wholesome opportunities to learn lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, self-discipline, and how to win or lose with grace.  I believe it is our faith as Roman Catholics that will enable our children to recognize the truth about of human life, from the moment of conception and throughout the stages of their life journey.     

 

       Our students are formed within an environment where excellence in academics and a love for learning is instilled; where a personal love and care is experienced and where the awareness that service to others brings about a more loving world.  This all stems from our belief that God is the inner source - the transforming grace - deep within.  It is that faith in God that will allow our children to choose what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful in creating the future.

So why would I choose Our Lady of Peace School at Christ the Servant Parish?  

· The focus is on our Catholic Identity and the Moral Teaching of the Church.

· We offer a curriculum designed for academic excellence.

· We desire to form a more humane world through service to others.

· We encourage full parental involvement.

· Catholic education for our faculty and staff is a “faith vocation.”

· Christ the Servant Parish is committed to its educational legacy with its foundations at both St. Paul’s in Canton and Our Lady of Peace for over 105 years.

· Our Center for Early Learning, Our Lady of Peace School, and our Enrichment Arts Academy ennobles the lives of our students, by providing an environment in which competent, compassionate and caring persons will form our young to seek what is also deepest within them – the very life of God.  

 

Leading up to Catholic Schools Week, I challenged our students to “Go Make a Difference.”  Now, I challenge you, the parishioners of Christ the Servant Parish, to “Go Make a Difference” by sharing this handout (Click Here) with someone -- be it a neighbor, friend or co-worker -- whose children either attend a public school or have children at or near preschool age.  The faith formation of our children is all of our responsibility.  Thank you and God bless you. 

- Monsignor Gaetano

 

 

Register Now for the

2012-2013 School Year

call

OLOP School:  330.492.0622

Center for Early Learning:   330.492.4440

email

olopelem@youngstowndiocese.org

 

Visit us any time during the school year or you can visit us

on the web at www.christtheservantparish.org

 

 

 

 

Learn more about the Center for Early Learning, Our Lady of Peace School and the Enrichment Arts Academy by clicking the appropriate link. 

 

Thumbs Up for Catholic Education

Monsignor Gaetano recently has written a series of articles on Catholic Education. Please click the links below to share in his enthusiasm for the "Respect, Responsibility and Community" provided by parochial schools. Click here to read more! 

The Ethos of a Catholic School

 

Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. What is the Ethos of a Catholic School?  How is the Catholic Identity a part of Our Lady of Peace School? Monsignor Gaetano offers these observations on Catholic Education, Identity and Environment. 

The Ethos of a Catholic School

Catholic Identity

Creating a Safe and Healthy School Environment

 
 

The Marketing of Our Lady of Peace School/ Tuition Referral Program

The Marketing and Recruiting for Our Lady of Peace School is an awesome responsibility that we share together as a community. I am asking all our parents and grandparents of Our Lady of Peace students to aggressively help us in the marketing and recruiting of Our Lady of Peace School for 2011-2012. We need your help in spreading the Good News about Our Lady of Peace in our recruitment efforts for this coming year. But we're not asking for help without incentive!  Click the links below to find out how YOU CAN BENEFIT!

Tuition Referral Program - English

Tuition Referral Program - Spanish

Our Lady of Peace Center of Excellence - English

Our Lady of Peace - A Center of Excellence - Spanish

Our Lady of Peace School Board of Directors

Msgr. Lewis F. Gaetano Jennifer Bond Dr. Alan Gianantonio
Ralph Dublikar          David Dureska Lore Hawkins
Michael Hecht Dr. Lori Mertes Hiestand Angelo Pederezolli
Tony Snyder     John Vega Danny Bossart
Neil Baasten

A letter to all Our Lady of Peace School and Center for Early Learning families

Expectations for Our Lady of Peace Families and Students

Parents Take Note:

There is no place for bullying in Our Lady of Peace School. I ask parents to be vigilant –please report to any signs of bullying to myself or Dr. Cavucci immediately – even if you might suspect that your child is the one bullying. Our counseling services here at OLOP can address the issue in a constructive and on-going manner. These 10 tips are authored by By Elizabeth Englander and Kristin Schank. They are reproduced with permission from eSchool.com.

Child Protection Policy

The Diocese of Youngstown Child Protection Policy requires “Each applicant for employment or volunteer service in a position with regular contact with children will provide his/her fingerprints in order that a criminal background check may be made.” Pastors, principals and administrators are required to ensure that their employees/ volunteers have complied with this provision of the policy, whether they are new to service in the diocese or have been serving our children for many years.

 

Christ the Servant Parish
833 - 39th Street NW
Canton, Ohio 44709