Mass, rallies and bocce: How students and staff are celebrating Catholic Schools Week

Parish schools and Catholic high schools across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be taking part in events related to Catholic Schools Week, which began Sunday and will continue through Saturday, Feb. 5.

Within the archdiocese, which includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, in addition to Philadelphia, there are 119 elementary schools, 15 high schools and three special education schools.

Here’s a look at some of the events taking place for Catholic School Week.

Monday

Students, faculty and staff at Holy Rosary Regional Elementary School in Plymouth Meeting will be holding a “Beep Out” Pep Rally at 1 p.m. in the school parking lot for local first responders, who will be invited to parade through the parking lot. This is an annual tradition for the school.

The Archbishop John Carroll High School and Saint Katherine School of Special Education team will play the Archbishop Wood Catholic High School and Our Lady of Confidence School of Special Education team in an Interscholastic Unified Sports Bocce Match. These two teams are currently the only Catholic Unified Bocce Ball Teams in Pennsylvania.

Carroll will host the game at its Radnor campus at 3:30 p.m., according to a news release.

Tuesday

Archbishop Wood Catholic School in Warminster will hold a faculty recognition liturgy at 8 a.m. in their school auditorium in recognition of the faculty’s dedication to Catholic education throughout the school year. Nancy Kurtz, interim superintendent of secondary schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will join for the liturgy.

Wednesday

In addition to holding a red, white and blue dress-down day, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in Roxborough will be collecting items from students, staff and faculty for the school’s “Support the Troops” service project, which will be sending care packages to members of the military.

At 9 a.m., Roman Catholic High School for Boys in Center City will be holding an installation ceremony to welcome the school’s new principal, John Curry Jr.

Friday

Saints Simon and Jude Parish Elementary School in West Chester will hold its Catholic Schools Week closing Mass at 10:45 a.m. and honor students who have modeled mercy, kindness and charity with Peacemaker Awards. The Rev. Michael J. Gerlach, the parish’s pastor, will celebrate the Mass.

For more information on how archdiocese-affiliated schools will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week, visit www.aopcatholicschools.org.