Catholic School Week and the Blues Brothers

While growing up, I did not know much about the Catholic school system. During high school I remember, however, noticing that my friends who attended Catholic schools K-8 consistently did better in academics. This observation seemed doomed for a remote corner of my brain, never to be recalled again. Some of us accept quite easily the idea that we evolved from a lightening strike to a puddle of single cells a long, long time ago. Trying to answer the question "Where did we come from?" is a challenge that each of us grapples with at some point in our lives. As someone for whom no biblical foundation was poured during childhood, it makes answering such a question that much more difficult. Some people seem better equipped to handle not just scholastic tests, but the challenges that will face each of us during our lives. For many we meet a person whom we ask or whom are asked to marry. Wedding arrangements and the blur of that first year give way to the one question that seems to decrease in frequency over time with an increase in exasperation by potentialgrandparents who need grandbabies. "When are you going to have kids?" The question itself sends many into a panic. Lots of guys are left puzzled at best when we hear the phrase, "We are pregnant." Honestly, we try and understand what our wives are going through as their bellies go from softballs to basketballs to beachballs. When the big day finally arrives and the first cry of our little baby is heard, even the most burly macho guys among us shed at least a tear or two, which are wiped away quickly for fear that anyone see. It is at that moment many people realize that the birth of a child is in fact a miracle, a miracle graciously bestowed upon all of us by God. (This realization is challenged when the same child slams into the "terrible twos" a few years later, but I digress.) This is the point in time for which educational planning should commence. St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic School in Havre is celebrating Catholic School Week 2010 between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6. Faith, knowledge, discipline and morals direct both the faculty and the students. Instilling these fundamentals will pay lifelong dividends for each of the students who attends. There are opportunities to see and experience the amazing guidance that is offered to our students here in Havre. "Where faith and knowledge meet" is more than just a slogan, it is the philosophy of St. Jude's. The respect and accommodation made for other denominations of Christians is admirable and appreciated. Many of the staff members belong to churches throughout town and some are alumni of St. Jude's. You see, we need institutions, such as Catholic schools, now more than ever. If you have not considered a Catholic school education for your child, grandchild, niece and or nephew, now is the time to take another look. I will date myself and reveal that I saw the original Blues Brothers movie in the theater upon release. If I may paraphrase the catch phrase of that movie, "Catholic Schools are on a mission from God." (Dow lives with his wife and three children in Havre. His children attend St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic School.)