By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

CHALAN Kanoa Bishop Tomas A. Camacho yesterday proclaimed Jan. 28-Feb. 3 as Catholic Schools Week.
The CNMI has three Catholic schools, one each on Saipan, Tinia and Rota.
Each of these schools sent students to assist the bishop during the proclamation at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral.
Twelve students from Mount Carmel School read the first paragraph in three languages, followed by five students from Saint Joseph of Tinian, and three students from Eskuelan San Francisco De Borja of Rota.
“Catholic Schools: The Good News in Education” is the theme for this year’s proclamation, according to Mount Carmel School principal Galvin Deleon Guerrero.
Quoting the 1972 pastoral message of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the proclamation stated that “education is one of the most important ways by which the church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of the person and the building of community,”
The Roman Catholic Church on Saipan established Mount Carmel School in 1952.
In 1985, the local church was elevated to a diocese and subsequently created a Catholic Education Office.
Catholic schools on Rota and Tinian were established in 1989 and 1997.
“I urge my fellow citizens to participate in the observance of this week in appropriate ways that will help instill an awareness and appreciation of the values that Catholic education instills in our children, which enhance the quality of life for all our people,” the bishop said in his proclamation.