2018-03-16-eEdition

Volume 84, Number 06 Tඁൾ C ൺඍඁඈඅංർ W ൾൾ඄ Official Publication of the Archdiocese of Mobile facebook.com/TheCatholicWeek twitter.com/TheCatholicWeek www.mobarch.org/catholicweek I NSIDE T HIS W EEK MARCH 16, 2018 By ROB HERBST The Catholic Week FAIRHOPE — Jackie Stapleton had wanted to provide her son a Catholic education, but couldn’t find a school to accommodate her son Jack, who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in 2004. Jackie searched throughout the Atlanta area, where they were living, but had no success. This fall, St. Michael Catholic High School will take steps to serve those with intellectual difficulties when it begins its “Side by Side” program. The program will teach five or six ninth- through 12th-graders whose academic performances range from second to sixth grade, pair them with a fully certi- fied special needs teacher for core classes — English, math, science, history and religion — and mainstream them into elective classes and encourage them to participate in extracur- ricular activities at the school. Stapleton was recently named the program’s first director. She’s taught for 19 years as a special needs instructor. While Jack is now 18, she’s excited about the opportunity to open doors for other students previously unable to be accommo- dated at a Catholic school. “I was thrilled, absolutely thrilled,” Stapleton said. “I just think it’s very important to have that faith-based part of it.… See SIDE BY SIDE, Page 16 SIDE SIDE by New program to serve students with intellectual difficulties ST. MICHAEL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Photo by Rob Herbst/The Catholic Week St. Michael Catholic High School is beginning a program called “Side by Side” for five or six students whose academic performances range from second to sixth grade. Jackie Stapleton (above) has been named the program’s director. Easter Greetings Pages 21-27 ANNUAL APPEAL Catholic Charities exceeds its goal By SHANNON ROH MOBILE –We are the Hands of Christ! The parishioners of the Archdiocese of Mobile have once again reached out to those in need in abundance through their generosity to the 2018 Catholic Charities Appeal. Because of your incredible generosity to the annual Catho- lic Charities Appeal, we have once more exceeded our pledge goal of $4.5 million. Parish de- tails can be found on page 15. Gifts and pledges of all sizes were made by 8,271 generous donors throughout our archdiocese! We are excited and encouraged that 475 of these donors are first-time donors to the Catholic Charities Appeal. The current pledge total for the 2018 Catholic Charities Appeal is $4,753,060.68. Your gifts and pledges to the appeal allow more than 30 ministries in our archdiocese feed the hungry, clothe the naked, serve the elderly and disabled, strengthen the faith of our children, minister to the imprisoned, love the abandoned, and even give hope to the unborn. Thank you for choosing to be the Hands of Christ reaching out to those in need! Many thanks to the gracious $4.75 million raised thus far ; pledges still being accepted See APPEAL, Page 15 Faith Pages 18-19