Detroit — Since 1974, Catholic Schools Week has been set aside by the U.S. bishops as a way to emphasize the good, the true and the beautiful in Catholic education.

This year’s observance will take place Jan. 28 through Feb. 3 with the theme, “Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.”

More than a week to celebrate, though, many Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit will mark the occasion by doing just that — learning, serving, leading and succeeding through service projects, initiatives and special events.

Here’s a roundup of what local Catholic schools have done, or will be doing, in service to others this school year:

• All Saints School in Canton helped donate Christmas gifts to 30 Detroit-area families through the All Saints Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry in Detroit. Members of the school’s Junior Honor Society and Student Council helped deliver the gifts in December with a 10-foot U-Haul truck.


• The Mission and Ministry Club at Bishop Foley High School in Madison Heights created cards, donated items and performed outreach during its Week of Giving during Advent.


• On Jan. 29, Cardinal Mooney High School in Marine City will host students from the Blue Water Vicariate’s six grade schools for a Mass celebrating Catholic Schools Week. After Mass, Cardinal Mooney students will lead their younger peers in retreat sessions geared toward “awakening our hearts to knowing the Holy Spirit,” followed by carnival games, game shows and a pep rally.


• Students from De La Salle High School in Warren participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. In December, students at the all-boys school collected toys to support children in the DMC Children’s Hospital in Detroit, delivering two large vans full of toys. Students also collected clothing and food for the poor and homeless.


• As a corporal work of mercy, students from Immaculate Conception School in Ira Township washed headstones and statues in the nearby cemetery on All Souls Day, Nov. 2.


• More than 700 volunteers, students and staff from Mercy High School in Farmington Hills took part in the school’s fifth annual “Make a Difference Day,” volunteering with more than 20 organizations to serve food, clean debris and help the community.


• Students from Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Plymouth collected food, clothing, toys and household goods for more than two dozen families from an inner-city Catholic school during Advent. Students learned to pray for others while serving those in need.


• At Our Lady of the Lakes Elementary School in Waterford, the fourth-grade class collected food for Gleaners Community Food Bank, while third graders collected and packed items for troops overseas with Desert Angels/Miracle Boxes. The student council also organized an all-school food drive for Lighthouse of Oakland County.


• Seniors from Our Lady of the Lakes High School in Waterford volunteer each Friday at Manna Meals Soup Kitchen in Detroit.


• During Catholic Schools Week, students from Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Grosse Pointe Woods will help make lunches for 1,200 homeless veterans in Detroit. Throughout the year, students at all grade levels volunteer in food banks, nursing homes and with parish activities.


• Students from Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School in Beverly Hills are making Project Linus blankets for Grieve Taps, which supports children who’ve lost a parent in military action.


• Our Lady of Victory School in Northville raises money each year for Northville Civic Concern, providing families in need with turkeys at Thanksgiving and gifts at Christmas.


• Students at Regina High School in Warren raised $1,160 for hurricane victims in Florida and Texas, and also raised more than $20,000 to support the school’s cross country and track coach, Gregg Golden, who is battling aggressive cancer.


• Shrine Grade School in Royal Oak collected more than $10,000 worth of food for families helped by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, in addition to Advent collections.


• In conjunction with the parish Christian service commission, each class at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Academy in Newport adopted a child or parent in need, buying them Christmas gifts and food.


• Dollar jeans days at St. Edith School in Livonia raised money to purchase supplies to make lunches for patrons of St. Christine’s Soup Kitchen in Detroit. Students in preschool through eighth grade participated for the third year in a row.


• Student Council at St. Fabian School in Farmington Hills organized fundraising drives for hurricane victims in Texas, and the school also raised money for cancer research at Beaumont Hospital. In addition, seventh- and eighth-graders are piloting the Michigan Virtual School program’s Student Space Experiment Program (see page 5B).


• Student Council members at St. Germaine School in St. Clair Shores hosted fundraisers for the American Breast Cancer Foundation and collected 200 toys for Macomb County Children’s Mental Health Service. At Christmas, students made fleece prayer blankets and collected toys for Cass Community Social Services.


• For Catholic Schools Week, St. Hugo of the Hills School in Bloomfield Hills will work together on Jan. 31 to collect clothing, boxed food and paper products for various charities. Heartfelt “thank you” notes will also be given to bus drivers, cafeteria workers and others during the Student Service Day.


• Eighth-graders from St. Isaac Jogues School in St. Clair Shores traveled to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life on Jan. 19 as part of a four-day learning trip.


• St. Joseph School in Trenton partnered with local firefighters to identify and adopt several families in need in the Downriver area, with students providing Christmas dinners and wrapped gifts.


• Students at St. Mary School in Mt. Clemens participated in a number of service projects throughout the year, including collecting and packing food for Gleaners Community Food Bank and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul; raising funds for hurricane victims; donating school supplies to an inner-city Catholic school; collecting toys for Children’s Hospital in Detroit; and collecting socks for MCREST’s rotating shelter, among other projects. Students also sang carols for seniors of St. Peter Parish during Advent.


• Student council members at St. Mary School in Wayne will provide a lunch for police, firefighters and local community officials on Jan. 30 at the school during Catholic Schools Week.


• Seniors from St. Mary Catholic Central High School in Monroe scrubbed walls, cleaned furnace rooms and landscaped at an inner-city Catholic school in October, and organized a field day for younger students.


• Students at St. Patrick School in Carleton hosted a “living Nativity” for community members on Dec. 16.


• Students of St. Patrick School in White Lake raised more than 8,200 pounds of food while collecting hats, coats and gloves for the homeless. Students also visited those in nursing homes and raised money for kids with medical disabilities.


• St. Paul on the Lake School in Grosse Pointe Farms hosted several service events. Students collected food for local food pantries at Thanksgiving, made cards for veterans, made lunches for the Pope Francis Center in Detroit and participated in “random acts of kindness” during Advent. Students also visited with seniors during “trick or treating” at Sunrise Assisted Living in October.


• On Sept. 11 and on Veteran’s Day, students at St. Stephen School in New Boston designed cards for troops overseas. During Advent, student council members hosted fundraisers for the parish’s Christian service food pantry, helping feed local families.


• Students at St. William School in Walled Lake offered prayers for servicemen and women through prayer cards and notes sent to those in active duty.