Catholic schools across the nation are uniting for the annual Catholic Schools Week which begins Sunday.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati — which includes Badin High School in Hamilton and Bishop Fenwick High School in Franklin — encompasses 43,000 students across 114 elementary and high schools.

The 39th annual, week-long celebration includes masses, school fundraisers, food and clothing drives, and unified moments of prayer between the regional high schools.

“Catholic Schools Week is always a terrific way to emphasize what we value about our schools and what it means to our students,’’ said Brian Pendergest, principal of Badin High School. “We take pride in Badin High School every week, but Catholic Schools Week gives meaning to the message.”

This year’s theme of “Catholic Schools Raise the Standards,” supports the recent launch of National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools to promote high academic standards and Catholic identity across the country, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.

At Bishop Fenwick, the community is invited and welcome to attend mass at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday in the main gym, located at 4855 Ohio 122, Franklin.

The public is also invited to an all-school mass at Badin High School at 10 a.m. Monday at 571 New London Road, Hamilton.

“Our students do so many good things in the community around them, and this is a time to say thanks to their Catholic education for helping to make that happen,” said Gina Helms, director of Campus Ministry at Badin.

Students at Bishop Fenwick throughout the week will be demonstrating “love in action” — in which students are asked to write down and post in the main hallway, acts of kindness they witness to “create an immediate visual of the multitude of kindness demonstrated by students and staff,” according to spokeswoman Robin Blank.

The schools are participating in a variety of community outreach.

Students at Badin will collect non-perishable food items Thursday during “Make a Difference Day” to benefit the Fairfield Food Pantry; the 2013 Pop Tab Collection will kick-off for the Ronald McDonald House; and students on Friday will write letters and make care packages for Badin alumni serving in the Armed Services overseas.

Students in the Key Club at Bishop Fenwick will kick-off a Penny Way to raise money for the American Cancer Society; each English class at the high school will compose and mail a letter to a military chaplain; and the school’s Mission Club is holding a gently-used shoe drive to support the Mary Magdalene Home in Cincinnati.

About 35 students representing Badin and Bishop Fenwick will attend the annual Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Week Mass on Tuesday at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati.

“The masses and the activities are a chance to celebrate what Catholic schools are all about,’’ Helms said. “It’s a reminder each year that we can’t take the importance of Catholic education for granted.”