Pastor’s Letter: January 25, 2026

Pastor’s Letter: January 25, 2026

23 Jan 2026 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family, 

Blessed Catholic Schools Week to you all! As we kick off Catholic Schools Week at our Masses this weekend, I am struck by how great our school really is!  What a gift to have such a wonderful place for young hearts to encounter Christ, grow in knowledge and love, and practice living our Faith together. I often heard Fr. David say that our St. Philomena School is the best thing we do here. This weekend we celebrate with joy that our school is full of life!

Last summer, our principal Mr. Dippold and I spent a day in prayer and conversation as we were reviewing the mission of our school and laying out the core values which we strive to live by during each school day here. Over and over throughout the day, we kept coming back to the most important gift our school provides—a true encounter with Christ. One of our daily commitments as pastor and principal is helping guide our parish—our church and school—to continue growing closer to Christ each day. Of course, Jesus takes the lead and does the heavy lifting! We are so thankful to work with such a dedicated staff who truly is generous and caring in serving our students and parish families. I shared previously that toward the end of last school year, I interviewed the 8^th grade students asking them what they loved about our school and what makes St. Philomena such a great place. Over and over, the students shared with me that they felt like our school is a true family—with both the beauty and challenges of what it means to be united so closely. Above all, student after student attributed much of the goodness of our school to our teachers and how much they care for our students’ growth and well-being. 

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week, we have an opportunity to reflect on the many ways that our school fosters a true encounter with Christ. We have an opportunity to hear with joy how our school teaches our children all the good academic things they need to know, as well as forming them well in the richness of our Catholic Faith. We have an opportunity to marvel at how countless lives are changed by the good that happens in our hallways. We also have an opportunity to work together to ensure the great gift of our school continues to thrive for generations to come.

For a little more than a year now, a key group of parish leaders has been meeting regularly to work on the best ways to support our school long into the future. Led by members of our Finance Council and our Education Commission, this group has worked on review of curriculum, activities, safety, activities, buildings and space usage, as well as identifying opportunities for growth in the future and ways to serve our students even better. Along with key feedback from parish members who have previously supported our school students financially through the Invest in Kids Scholarship Program, the group has come to consensus on the next step in supporting our school—a Tuition Assistance Campaign to increase our School Endowment A. St. Philomena School Endowment A, which is our oldest and strongest parish endowment, has been designated specifically for the support of our school. Guided by our Finance Council, the annual earnings of our Endowment A have been earmarked to support tuition assistance. Our Finance Council is confident that increasing this Endowment will ensure sufficient funds are available for tuition assistance for decades to come. We are also confident that strengthening our Endowment will keep our school hallways full and thriving, as well as keeping our parish on solid footing that enables us to continue our strong ministry offerings and keep all our facilities in top condition. 

This weekend at all our Masses, I am announcing our Changing Lives St. Philomena Tuition Assistance Campaign. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll have opportunities to hear about the great impact our school has had on many, both graduates through the years and our current school families. This coming week, all our registered parish households will receive more information about our campaign, as well as a campaign prayer card. We will also have copies of the prayer card at the church which we will use in our Masses—continuing to pray to together in support of our wonderful St. Philomena School. Know of my thanks for everyone who supports our school and that I send you all my blessing this week!

In Christ,
Father Luke