Bishop Mark O’Connell will celebrate Mass at St. Jude the Apostle Church in Wynantskill on Friday, January 23 at 9 a.m. to kick off National Catholic Schools Week in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. The Mass will be in-person and livestreamed so all teachers, students, and families across the 14-county Diocese can participate.
Media outlets can access that livestream at https://m.youtube.com/@stjudetheapostleandstmicha7523/streams.
Bishop Mark has great hope that many of our parishioners around the diocese will join us in prayer online.
“Celebrating Mass with students has to be my favorite thing to do,” said Bishop Mark. “I so look forward to meeting you on this day and throughout the coming years.”
The livestream will continue after Mass, so all viewing can watch the annual awards presentation, honoring exemplary performance and years-of-service to the Catholic Schools in our Diocese.
This year’s honorees include Kristine Hoffay of St. Jude the Apostle School in Wynantskill, who will receive The Bishop of Albany Distinguished Administrator Award. This award recognizes administrators who promote a school’s Catholic education, seeking to foster a Christian community of love in which God’s truth and life are integrated into the entire curriculum and life of the school.
Additional awards to be presented include the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Distinguished Teacher Awards. Meg Smith of St. Pius X School and Alphonse Lambert Saratoga Central Catholic School will receive those honors. Awards for outstanding school staff and commitment to Catholic education will also be presented, and teachers with milestone years of service to Catholic education in the Diocese will be recognized.
Click here for a complete list of recipients https://www.higherpoweredlearning.org/img/uploads/file/Catholic%20School%20Awardees%201.23.26.pdf)
National Catholic Schools Week runs from January 25 -31, 2026. The theme of the week is Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community. The annual observance highlights the rich Catholic school traditions of academic excellence, community spirit, and the foundation of faith that is at the heart of Catholic education.
“Catholic Schools Week is always a special time for us, not only because it allows us to come together and celebrate everything we love about Catholic education but because it gives us the chance to pause and reflect on the important and wonderful things that make each one of our Catholic schools unique,” said Dr. Christopher Bott, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Albany. “But what really sets our schools apart is not a ‘what; but a ‘who.’ Jesus Christ is the key to our mission, our ministry, our lives.”
To learn more about the Catholic Schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, log onto https://www.higherpoweredlearning.org
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