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Banner for St. Vincent de Paul School in East Haven leads others carried down aisle of cathedral during Catholic schools Mass.

HARTFORD – Archbishop Henry J. Mansell has called on parents, schools, state and local government officials and the Office of Catholic Schools to help implement a multipronged program "to preserve and to advance the ministry of Catholic school education in the Archdiocese of Hartford."

The Archbishop ordered that an educational forum be convened in the spring of 2012 to report on the progress of the plan.

The announcement came at a special three-hour program and Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, kicking off Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 27-Feb. 2). Hundreds of students from all 70 Catholic elementary and high schools walked in procession with colorful banners bearing such slogans as "Catholic Schools: Character, Compassion, Values" (St. Vincent de Paul School in East Haven) and "Faith in Every Student" (St. Bernadette School in New Haven).

A musical prelude included performances by St. Rose School Children’s Choir, New Haven; St. Stanislaus School Bell Choir, Meriden; and St. Rita School Children’s Choir, Hamden.

More than 50 priests concelebrated and more than 20 deacons assisted at the Mass.

In a "Pastoral Letter on Catholic School Education" promulgated after the Mass, Archbishop Mansell called on the Office of Catholic Schools to pursue a plan to "advance the Catholic identity, quality of education, accessibility, and advancement of our schools."

Those four core values were enlarged in a document, "Common Threads," also distributed at the Mass to each school. That document, said Dale R. Hoyt, superintendent of Catholic schools, "is the culmination of almost three years of strategic planning in the Archdiocese of Hartford. All of our schools have worked together to create this plan designed to strengthen the entire school network."

In his pastoral, the Archbishop said parents can become involved through the Connecticut Federation of Catholic School Parents, a group that represents Connecticut’s Catholic schools at all levels of government.

The Archbishop reaffirmed his commitment to a 2005 statement of purpose that proclaimed the goal "to produce graduates imbued with the Catholic faith and, simultaneously, armed with critical thinking rich in spirituality and ready to assume Church and civic responsibilities."

He said he is also committed to providing Catholic school tuition assistance to families who cannot afford it, financed in part through the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

With many local and state dignitaries present at the Mass, the Archbishop said he hopes Connecticut will implement more financial assistance programs which the U. S. Supreme Court has declared constitutional. Present were Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez; Wethersfield Mayor Andrew Adil; Representatives from the 103^rd, 22^nd, 12^th, 74^th and 4^th Congressional Districts; Senators Jonathan Harris and Martin Looney; and Jack Klink from the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Non-Public Education.

Anne T. Clubb, director of school advancement at the Office of Catholic Schools, explained what each of the four core values means. "Catholic identity in the schools deals with how Catholicism is embodied in the curriculum," she said. Quality of education means that "we want our schools academically to be excellent," she said. "We don’t want to just be good. We want to raise the bar."

Accessibility means, "We want the public to understand that Catholic schools are open and available to all economic, geographic and cultural areas," including the handicapped, she said.

Finally, advancement of Catholic schools "speaks to how the schools cultivate ways of achieving financial support," she said.

The planning committee of the archdiocesan school board will recommend specific actions, she said. The schools will report back to the Office of Catholic Schools about how they are implementing the strategic plan, and those findings will be presented at the 2012 educational forum, she said.

Mr. Hoyt reminded the congregation of the March 28, 2007, Educational Symposium, which brought together more than 350 representatives from the schools, as well as pastoral and national leaders, to draft a plan for the future of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.

"This effort has attracted the attention of dioceses throughout the country, along with that of the National Catholic Educational Association in Washington, D.C.," he said. The publication of "Common Threads" is the culmination of that process and "the springboard for the future of Catholic school education in the great Archdiocese of Hartford," he said.

Speaking to The Catholic Transcript before the Mass, Mr. Hoyt said the promulgation of a pastoral letter in conjunction with a bold plan for Catholic schools is a unique event. "The Archbishop gives a hope-filled message on Catholic school education," he said. "We’re here, we’re strong. We’re going to critically look at ourselves to be even stronger and to remember why we exist."

He noted that "Common Threads" is not a document that will be received and forgotten, because in four years each school will report on the progress it has made.

To help keep schools current, he said, he will ask for an accountability report annually. He will also ask schools to publish progress reports periodically for the benefit of their local constituencies.

Mr. Hoyt pointed out that an important core value is that of advancement, which commits to an "aggressive marketing" plan to promote Catholic schools.

Elizabeth Tortora, a teacher at St. Bernadette School, New Haven, said the event helped set the tone for Catholic Schools Week. "We really do a wonderful service for the community," she said. "Having our children in a Catholic school not only enables them to get the fine academics that we stress so much but also [promotes] character-building and living our faith through school and church together."

Susan Danielowski, a parent of two children at St. John the Evangelist School, Watertown, said, "In the world we live in today we may feel isolated and alone in some regards, but when we gather together in an event like this, you feel that there are others with the same mindset."

She said the home is where most of the Catholic teaching occurs. "It’s reinforced in the schools," she said.

One of the three principal concelebrants – along with Archbishop Emeritus Daniel A. Cronin and Auxiliary Bishop Christie A. Macaluso – was Father James G. Fanelli, superintendent of Catholic schools from 1974-89. He later said that the event highlighted the significance and scope of Catholic education.

"It re-emphasizes the philosophy of Catholic education as centered on Christ and on faith," Father Fanelli said. "And the Archbishop, of course, brought out beautifully the benefit this has not only for our schools but for the whole of society."

Sister Loretta Francis Mann, assistant superintendent of Catholic schools, said, "This really is a celebration of what we are all about. We are about children. That’s the most important thing. We are about children and bringing out the best in children."

Asked to predict the condition of Catholic schools by the time the educational forum convenes in 2012, Sister Loretta said, "We’ll be thriving."