[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 24, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. TIM MURPHY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 22, 2007

  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to 
rise once again with my colleagues to recognize the students, teachers, 
faculty and graduates of our nation's Catholic Schools.
  As Bishop Donald Wuerl has stated ``Catholic schools are a tremendous 
asset to our Church and our nation.'' What graduates of Catholic 
Schools offer to society is not only a commitment to achieving academic 
excellence but also of service to the community. These are traits I 
learned at an early age as a student at St. Barnabas Elementary School 
and Walsh Jesuit High School and I greatly value both my Catholic and 
public school education.
  For instance, 86 schools, along with parishes, youth ministry and CCD 
programs, raised more than $300,000 over the last nine years in support 
of the ``Kids Share A Lunch Nutrition Project'' for the Pittsburgh 
diocesan mission in Chimbote, Peru.
  This year's theme for Catholic Schools Week (January 28-February 3) 
is ``Catholic Schools: The Good News in Education,'' and the good news 
is strong in Pennsylvania. With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, more 
than 97 percent of high school graduates from Pennsylvania's Catholic 
Schools (including both Catholic and non-Catholics) went on to a post-
secondary education following graduation.
  This year, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh celebrate 
178 years of quality education. Pennsylvania alone, has 650 Catholic 
schools with over 180,951 High School and elementary students. (47,079 
High School Students: 133,872 elementary students).
  Dr. Robert Paserba, Pittsburgh diocesan superintendent of schools has 
stated ``parents are choosing our schools because they teach strong 
moral values in a disciplined environment--clearly a recipe for helping 
all children in our schools achieve their highest potential. As with 
our schools themselves, our graduates become a source of hope for the 
world.''
  I believe Catholic schools do promote social awareness and help make 
the world a better place to live. I am pleased to commend all those who 
teach and are students of Catholic schools.

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