Dear Catholic School Families,
Out of an abundance of caution and in order to prevent the community spread of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 in our area, The Archdiocese of Galveston – Houston is extending the closure of all schools, as well as the cancelation of all extra-curricular activities through April 10, 2020. We will continue to monitor and update you with information in coordination with local health officials and the Texas Education Agency as the picture becomes clearer as to the full extension of this closure. No matter what, please know that we remain committed to serving our students to the best of our ability!
We are eager to get back to normal, but this crisis might disrupt our lives and routines for months. The greater Houston area continues to see an increasing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and health officials report that this number is expected to continue to increase as more testing is made available. Our aim is to help support the nation’s need to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined the need for all communities to implement a social distancing protocol. The President has also publicly shared that that the community should not gather in groups larger than 10 people. We will remain in constant communication with local health officials, state education agencies, and the Downtown Chancery as we work to ensure the best support for our schools. It is important to note that if we want to get our children back to school, each of us must demonstrate thoughtful, intentional decision-making to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
The Archdiocese will remain flexible as school Pastors, Principals, and Presidents plan for long-term delivery of instruction and continue to navigate the many details of this unprecedented situation.
As with any major crisis, all of our students (and many adults) are feeling the increased stress and higher levels of anxiety that come with disruption and incertitude. We are putting together resources for parents to help them guide their children during this time that is so hard, and we will share those later this week. It is important that we empower our students to talk about the pandemic, why social distancing is important, and how they have the ability and can be empowered to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.
As always, we thank you for your dedication and continued efforts to support your children, your school communities, and your families. Please join us in prayer as we all learn to manage the impact of this pandemic in our daily lives.
St. Jude, pray for us.
Mary, blessed Mother, pray for us.
Jesus, our strength and our peace, have mercy on us.