More than 200 Catholic school superintendents and network leaders from 38 states met at the Crystal City Hilton in Arlington Oct. 16-19 for the 2022 Catholic Leadership Summit, hosted by the National Catholic Educational Association. Founded in 1904, NCEA is the national voice for some 5,900 Catholic schools and 146,000 Catholic school educators serving nearly 1.7 million students.
The centerpiece of the conference was a Hill Day, during which school leaders met with staff from their senators’ and representatives’ offices to discuss Catholic school issues, including school choice and religious liberty.
President/CEO Lincoln Snyder said Catholic schools have much to be proud of as they emerge from COVID-19.
“Our enrollment is up some four percent, our test scores are strong, and our kids have seen servant-leadership in Christ modeled firsthand by heroic teachers who were there for them throughout the pandemic,” he said.
Snyder expressed his appreciation for the support attendees received from Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Superintendent Joseph Vorbach, Assistant Superintendent Renee White and the entire Arlington diocese team.
Father Edward C. Hathaway, rector of the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, celebrated the opening Sunday Mass. Bishop Burbidge, Father Robert C. Cilinski, pastor of Church of Nativity in Burke, and Father Andrew J. Fisher, pastor of St. Ambrose Church in Annandale, each celebrated a daily Mass at the summit.
“The Diocese of Arlington was thrilled to host this year’s NCEA Catholic Leadership Summit, an event that included several opportunities to showcase all that is good about our Diocese, including our priests, school leaders, and especially the wonderfully talented students of our schools,” Vorbach said.
