[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E10]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E10]]
                     HONORING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER JOHN

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 20, 2004

  Mr. JOHN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to join 
with my colleagues today in honoring national Catholic Schools Week. As 
a product of a strong Catholic education in Crowley, Louisiana, it is 
my privilege to commemorate the great resource that Catholic Schools 
provide for families and children across the country.
  Since 1974, we have celebrated this week in an effort to highlight 
the hard work of the teachers, parents, administration and students who 
have built and continue to grow our Catholic Schools. A quality 
education is the foundation of a child's future, and this week 
recognizes one of the many types of educational choices available our 
country's young minds.
  The State of Louisiana has the highest percentage of private schools 
in the country, and most of them are Catholic. With over 90,000 
students attending over 200 Catholic schools in Louisiana the tradition 
of a Catholic education remains strong.
  For nearly 300 years, Catholic schools in Louisiana have endured and 
flourished. Capuchin Father Raphael de Luxembourg, pastor of St. Louis 
parish who founded the St. Ann Street School in New Orleans in 1725, 
believed ``there is nothing upon which the establishment of a colony 
more essentially depends than upon the education of the young.''
  This year's theme for Catholic Schools Week is ``A Faith-Filled 
Future,'' and I truly believe that more than at any other time in our 
history that strong faith is a vital foundation. Our children today are 
faced with situations that none of us could have imagined in our youth. 
Faith is the stronghold that many of us rely on each day, and Catholic 
schools across the country build upon the foundation of faith to daily 
emphasize discipline and values to all they instruct.
  It is my pleasure to stand with my colleagues today in extending my 
best wishes and extreme gratitude to all of those who serve by 
providing a Catholic education not only based in academia but also in 
faith.

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