Catholic Schools Week is always a special time of year.  This year, the week seemed to have more meaning and a bigger impact as we continue to make our way through a unique year with its different hurdles and challenges.  As a school, we are extremely grateful and proud that we have been able to be attending school in person and are able to continue to offer an excellent, Catholic education.

Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service was the theme for Catholic Schools Week this year. Catholic schools have a specific purpose to form students to be good citizens of the world, love God and neighbor and enrich society with the leaven of the gospel and by example of faith.

As in the past, Bishop Neumann placed the focus of this week on the importance of our Catholic faith.  The week began with class retreats on Monday, a Eucharistic Procession on Tuesday, all day Adoration in the school Chapel, and a Diocesan Retreat for all teachers and staff on Friday.

At the class retreats, each grade attended a retreat in a different location focusing on specific themes such as courage, vocations, and God’s plan for the future.  Mass, Confession and Adoration were also a part of each class retreat.  7^th graders traveled to St. Mary’s parish in Davey where Fr. Goodwin led them in a retreat focused on courage.  The 8^th grade spent the morning in Lincoln, serving at Catholic Social Services and then were able to attend Mass at the Carmelite Convent in Valparaiso. Freshman traveled to Sts. Mary and Joseph in Valparaiso, were they focused on kindness and listened to Mr. Rezac share his witness story.  The sophomore location was at St. James in Mead, students listened to 4 different talks each focusing on the theme of vocations given by Fr. Bernardo, Sister Joan Kolbe, Mr. and Mrs. Schutt, and Meagan Gitchell.  Juniors and seniors also attended retreats that day.  Juniors were in Omaha at the John Paul II Newman Center and seniors were at the University of Nebraska Newman Center in Lincoln.  These 2 retreats are designed to expose our upperclassmen to both Newman Centers before they are off to college. Both retreats focus on their futures and discuss the theme of ‘Be Not Afraid’ as they prepare to make their faith their own as young adults.

For the past 3 years, Bishop Neumann has added a Eucharistic Procession during Catholic Schools Week.  This has quickly become one of the most beautiful and holy things done at Neumann.  This year, the procession began at St. Wenceslaus Grade School, proceeding down the hallways as the children knelt in adoration and sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  The same was done at Bishop Neumann followed by a time of Adoration in the gym.  “We really wanted Catholic Schools Week this year to be special,” said Campus Minister, Gery Kenney.  “This has been a stressful year for everyone and besides all the fun of the week, we wanted to make this an intentional week focusing on our love of Christ and our Catholic identity.”

Students ended the week with all day Adoration in the Chapel where classes could go as a whole or students could sign up to adore individually.  Teachers and staff were able to attend a retreat on Friday as the students enjoyed a day off.  It was a wonderful week, celebrating our great Catholic school.  God bless Bishop Neumann.

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