Forming Young Disciples: San Martin de Porres Catholic School - Weslaco
March 26, 2021
By Angel Barrera
WESLACO – Catholic education is an important hallmark of the work of the Church throughout the United States. Catholic Schools serve families and the Church by forming young people both spiritually and academically in a loving environment centered in Jesus Christ.
Like all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brownsville, San Martin de Porres Catholic School in Weslaco plays an important role in living out this bold mission in the Rio Grande Valley. Mrs. Ortega is the principal and has been serving in this capacity for the last nine years. She now leads the effort to help the school community persevere through new challenges presented by the pandemic.
Hope for Children and Families
San Martin de Porres Catholic School has been a shining sign of hope to the local community. Ortega and her staff have been working diligently to find ways to secure funding, reduce expenses, and faithfully live out the mission of providing excellent Catholic education to all students.
The school set a priority to resume in-person instruction while adopting new COVID-19 safety protocols. The experience has provided hope in the midst of the crisis for the community. She recounted the experience of students and families who were both eager and reluctant to begin the school year. In November 2020, the school began offering opportunities for in-person instruction at the campus. Parents described how happy their children were to be back in school and to be learning again. Ortega noted parents of two elementary students described the experience was like “having their children returned to them.”
Moving Forward
As a recent recipient of a grant for $21,231 from the RGV Crisis Response Fund, San Martin de Porres Catholic School was able to channel support to their teachers and staff. This enables the school to continue their great work of teaching and forming young people. Ortega shared, “…the monetary contributions allow us to have connections with those families and to continue to build hope for them.”
