November 2025
Dear Friends of CAW,
It is difficult to believe that our eighth school year as Catholic Academy of Waterbury is already in motion. The Master Artist has swept His brush strokes of golden, crimson, and fiery orange leaves with an azure backdrop around the school yard at CAW that only He could create. Our tiniest tykes in Pre-K are mastering their new routines as first-time students, and our 8th graders are diligently applying to high schools as they prepare to spread their wings and flutter into their incredibly promising futures. This past year is one that, by far, has humbled me most as I continue to have the gift of leading our parish school on Robinwood Road.
Last year began a tightly-woven partnership with our parish like no other. Several parishioners committed to sponsoring student tuitions and extracurricular activities. We began an "Adopt-a-Seminarian" program with a parishioner, whereby every class has the portrait of a seminarian in the classroom and actively prays for him and his journey to the priesthood each day. Some classes correspond regularly with their seminarians, even when in Rome! Local seminarians have been helping around the grounds, and one parishioner gardens around the school property on her own time! Our school lunch program is made possible largely by dedicated parishioners, volunteering their time every week to fill tummies and to bring smiles to our children's faces.
We have also had an unmatched year of priestly involvement at the school, which I do believe is part of the reason we can boast SIX students' conversions to the Catholic faith in the 24-25 school year! Fr. Sullivan and Fr. Kane not only celebrate our weekly Tuesday Masses, but they are fixtures in our students' and faculty's lives. Fr. Madejski began an altar boy training program and regular visits with all grades for educational talks in Blessed Sacrament Church last year, and in his move to New Haven, Fr. Kane has become a true school chaplain here. Now in his second year as our 3rd grade Religion teacher, Fr. Kane has challenged our children to elevate their intellect via the spiritual, and he even conducted a class online with the children while he was on his historic pilgrimage at the Vatican when Pope Francis passed away and Pope Leo IV was named. Fr. Kane is now working with all teachers to ensure every classroom adopts its own patron saint! These are some of the ways our children are growing deeply in our Catholic school, and I have Fr. Sullivan to thank for affording our Parochial Vicars the time to be with us so regularly. Of course, Fr. Sullivan is also ever-present at CAW, and he is most known for his enormous hugs and unforgettable homilies with tangible examples that our children never forget. How absolutely blessed we are!
As th later fall and winter draw upon us, I invite you to consider praying every day for our school: our faculty, children, and families. Our Lord is working wonders here, in a society where so much else attempts to cloud our young people's minds and hearts. Pray that our school continues to grow in accordance with our Lord’s holy will, with our Blessed Mother as our constant companion and dispenser of graces. I assure you of my prayers, and I welcome you at any time to visit us! I wonder if there could be any greater investment than to assist the little ones in finding their eternal destination, and that is exactly what you do each time you give spiritually and financially to our beloved school. Please use the remittance envelope or donate online with the QR code below. I truly look forward to our continued journey in partnership for Catholic education in our beloved City of Waterbury.
Oremus Pro Invicem,
Father Jim Sullivan, Pastor
Dr. Christa Chodkowski, (SMS '97), Principal
