St. Bernadette and our St. John XXIII Catholic Grade School

08-02-2023Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We at St. Bernadette are so blessed to have St. John XXIII Catholic grade school as part of our history. For over 20 years, dedicated teachers and staff have educated thousands of young people in our beautiful Catholic faith. As we begin our 2023/2024 school year, we are blessed to welcome our students and their families.

As one of the largest Catholic grade schools in the Diocese of Phoenix, we have our share of blessings and challenges. We are blessed to have a strong Catholic identity and because of that fact, many families would like to attend our school. While we are happy to welcome as many students as possible, we are limited in the number of openings. Please know that acceptance into our school program is based on parish affiliation and parish activities. Students with families attending our parish and are active here will be given priority status. Those families who are attending another parish or are not practicing Catholics will be considered once our parishioner families have been accommodated. While we would like to take every applicant, we are limited in our space.

At St. John XXIII Catholic grade school, our staff and our teachers are dedicated to bringing children closer to God. We have had a long and blessed tradition of serving the greater community by providing an excellent Catholic education for our children. Through the countless sacrifices of so many, these little ones are introduced to the faith thereby enabling them to encounter the living Christ and to go out into our world to make disciples.

Part of the reason we can serve so many families has to do with financial assistance. We are blessed to be able to offer scholarships to families who would otherwise not be able to send their children to our school. One of the sources for these scholarships comes from Arizona’s private education tax credit which empowers individuals and corporations to choose what their tax dollars support. This tax credit greatly impacts Catholic schools. Rather than writing a check to the state of Arizona, you can direct your tax credits to a general fund (serving schools with highest need) or the school(s) of your choice. Please go to https://catholiceducationarizona.org for more information about how you can change a family’s life.

These little ones are God’s gift to us. Let us all work together to make this coming school year the best it can be. My heart is filled with gratitude for all God is doing in our parish and our school.

Student's Prayer, by St. Thomas Aquinas

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding. Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of sin and ignorance. Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

May our Patroness and Patron, St. Bernadette and St. John XXIII obtain for each of us the grace to one day meet God face to face and may Our Lady be our solace and guide in every endeavor, joy, and trial! And may the Holy Eucharist be our wisdom and strength!

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline