President’s Message - Fall 2025
Dear Catholic Community Schools Families and Friends,
This year is very significant for our Catholic Community Schools. Ten years ago, Bishop Donald Kettler commissioned us to serve as the PK-12 Catholic school system for the St. Cloud area—to strengthen the quality, accessibility and future of Catholic education for all families who seek it. As we look ahead, we do so with energy and hope. We look forward to our full system accreditation with Cognia, a national recognition of excellence in education. Our elementary teachers are completing a two year advanced training in the science of reading, giving us stronger tools and capacity to serve every student. And before classes began, all of our teachers, staff and principals came together to reflect, celebrate and recommit ourselves to this vocation. We are united in mission and eager to accompany our students as they learn, discover and grow.
As we open this new school year, my heart turns to the wisdom of St. Benedict, who reminds us that each day we are called to “begin again.” These are truly words to live by, especially as we hold close in prayer our brothers and sisters at Annunciation Parish and School in Minneapolis. The terrible violence they endured has shaken all of us in Catholic education. We share their deep sorrow, and we recommit ourselves to safeguarding our students, teachers, and staff, even as we witness to the open and loving arms of Jesus who comforts, strengthens, and heals.
To begin again is not to forget what has come before; It is to rise from it with faith and courage. In this moment, we are called to be peacemakers and agents of renewal and hope in our communities. This is at the heart of our Catholic educational mission, and we live it every day.
It is lived in the daily life of our students—as they hear a Gospel story, or when they make sure that nobody sits alone at lunch. It is lived in the dedication of our teachers—who prepare lessons with care, guide students with patience, and encourage each child to see their God-given potential. I have seen this personally, and vividly in our school Masses. In such moments, I am reminded of how our mission is alive and well. Renewal happens not only in extraordinary moments, but in these ordinary, faith-filled practices, day after day.
Our mission is not only a statement. It is a commitment put into daily practice. Each time we encounter challenges and disappointments, we begin again. Each time we learn from our experiences, grow in faith, lean on one another, and work to build a better future, we begin again. We are proud that this is a life-long commitment, as generations of our graduates have demonstrated in their lives of leadership and service. Our mission is alive and well!
I thank you for your partnership in this mission. May we step forward into this school year together—with courage, compassion, and hope—as people who celebrate the power of Christ’s love to renew all things.
In Christ,
David Fremo
President, Catholic Community Schools
