Sights & Sounds: Schools across archdiocese celebrate Catholic Schools Week 2026
This week, schools across the Archdiocese of Newark have been celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2026. The annual celebration highlights the gift of Catholic education and the many benefits it offers to students, families, parishes, and communities.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” Archdiocesan schools have sponsored hundreds of fun and fascinating events that express the values that make Catholic schools so special – love for God, charity toward others, and a dedication to community.
At St. Mary High School in Rutherford, students created beautiful artworks expressing their faith. One activity at St. Cassian School in Upper Montclair highlighted service: students filled socks with new toiletry items and donated the “Socks of Love” to Catholic Charities in Newark. Students at the Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes paired up to create prayer journals.
Bible stories were turned into plays at Christ the Teacher Academy in Fort Lee, while visitors to Corpus Christi School in Hasbrouck Heights were treated to a “Wax Museum,” where students gave presentations about important figures throughout history.
There were also spelling bees, science fairs, pizza parties, living Rosaries, and special Catholic Schools Week Masses.
Catholic leaders demonstrated their commitment to Catholic education by visiting many schools. Among the visitors was Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, who called on Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell to speak with students and celebrate Mass. Bishop Pedro Bismark Chau toured the Academy of St. Joseph of the Palisades in West New York, NJ, and Our Lady of Czestochowa School in Jersey City, while Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., was hosted by Saint Theresa’s School in Kenilworth.
Representatives from the Office of Catholic Schools, including Superintendent Barbara Dolan, Associate Superintendent Mary McManus-McElroy, and Assistant Superintendents Joseph Walsh and Jaclyn Pilat, also participated in a number of school events during the week.
What makes Catholic education different?
Last week, Governor Mikie Sherrill signed a proclamation for Catholic Schools Week that recognized Catholic schools for providing New Jersey students “with quality education programs which also emphasize the formation of moral values and a commitment to community service.”
Parents, faculty, and students know that Catholic schools also allow them to express their faith in Jesus Christ and to proclaim the Gospel. As Kimberly Harrigan, Principal of Saint Bartholomew Academy in Scotch Plains, told Jersey Catholic earlier this week:
I’ve worked in both public and Catholic schools. Being able to do things like pray together, celebrate Easter, or say a living Rosary together makes all the difference. The strong sense of community, based on what we can share together, definitely makes a Catholic school different.”
To see how Catholic Schools Week was celebrated at more than 25 schools around the Archdiocese of Newark, click HERE!
Catholic School Week celebrations will continue, with parish Masses and Open Houses that were postponed due to last week’s snowstorm rescheduled for the coming weeks. Contact your local school for more information.
To learn more about Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark, visit their website.
READ MORE: Catholic Schools Week 2026 off to a fun and snowy start
Featured image: Students at Holy Trinity School in Westfield, NJ, participate in a service project as part of Catholic Schools Week 2026. (Photo courtesy of Holy Trinity School)
