Office of Catholic Education
"A particular responsibility ... for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief."
- Pope Benedict XVI, April 17, 2008
My dear friends:
The Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Amarillo are dedicated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
The Catholic Schools have been placed under her guidance and protection because Mary has
been the guide, the inspiration and the model of the youth of the Diocese of Amarillo for over
one hundred years.
The first schools in the territorial region of the Diocese of Amarillo were dedicated to Mary – Our
Lady of Mercy Academy in Slaton, Texas, opened in 1894 and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, and
St. Mary’s Academy in Clarendon, Texas, opened in 1899 and staffed by the Sisters of Charity of the
Incarnate Word.
The foundation stones of Catholic education in the Diocese of Amarillo have been prayer, dedication,
sacrifice, and professional knowledge expressed in a commitment to the Church to effect a synthesis of
culture and faith and a synthesis of faith and action. It is these same founding attributes that will be the
support of continuous growth in this facet of the educational ministry of the Church in the Diocese of
Amarillo.
May our dedication to Catholic education in the Diocese of Amarillo continue to build on the stones that
have been laid as their foundation. May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, inspire us to the constant
prayer, sacrifice and commitment that our founding religious orders devoted themselves to so that we can continue
to make Catholic education strong in the Diocese of Amarillo in our era.
Sincerely,
Bernice Noggler
Superintendent of Catholic Schools