Catholic Schools Week 2026
18th to the 24th January 2026
Catholic Schools – Normal Lives, Called to Holiness
“Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith.”

— Pope Francis on Blessed Carlo Acutis

Introduction
Catholic Schools Week 2026 celebrates the extraordinary call to holiness in the midst of ordinary life. Inspired by Pope Francis’s reflection on Blessed Carlo Acutis—soon to be canonised as the first millennial saint—this year’s theme invites pupils, teachers, families, and parishes to explore the call to holiness as something both universal and accessible. Holiness is not for a few, but for all; not reserved for religious professionals or mystics, but for every student, teacher, parent, (and grandparent!) living each day in friendship with Jesus Christ.

Catholic schools exist to form individuals who know that their lives have a purpose and a calling. This year’s theme, “Normal Lives, Called to Holiness,” resonates with the central conviction that education is a path not only to knowledge and maturity but to sainthood.

“Each of us is called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do.”

— Gaudete et Exsultate, 14

Key Theme: Everyday Holiness
This theme offers a meaningful opportunity to speak to children and young people about how God calls each of us to holiness in the concrete circumstances of daily life. It allows us to:

Introduce students to modern saints like Blessed Carlo Acutis, who lived an ordinary teenage life with extraordinary faith.
Highlight saints who lived in families, went to school, worked in trades, or suffered illness.
Explore the meaning of holiness as a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, lived through prayer, service, courage, love, and joy.
Emphasize the role of the Eucharist, the Scriptures, and Christian friendship in forming a holy life.
As Pope Leo XIV recently affirmed:

“The saints show us that holiness is not about escape from the world, but deep engagement with it in the Spirit of Christ.”

For Daily Themes and further resources please click https://catholiceducation.ie/catholic-schools-week-2026-catholic-schools-normal-lives-called-to-holiness/

https://theway.ie/archbishop-martins-message-for-catholic-schools-week-2026/