Last week, in the Archdiocese of New Orleans students returned to class in 37 Roman Catholic schools that opened for the first time since Hurricane Katrina blasted the region six weeks ago. School officials were surprised to see families returning much sooner and in greater numbers than expected. With the reopening of six high schools and 30 elementary schools in Jefferson Parish and one elementary school in Orleans Parish, the number of students who have returned to archdiocesan schools climbed to about 30,000. That's more than half of the nearly 50,000 students who were enrolled in 108 archdiocesan schools before the hurricane. However, people like Father Maestri, remain concerned about the remaining challenges for getting the rest of the system up and running. "One of the issues looming larger and larger is housing," he said. "You can have schools open--and have food and even jobs. But the question is: Where do families and students live? So many of the homes have been decimated." He said it will take at least until January to repair and open most of the system's schools in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes, but he's trying his best to open some of them sooner. Many of the students who recently returned to Catholic schools in the greater New Orleans area had not been in school since the hurricane, while others who had relocated to new schools were coming home. Despite the high turnout for the reopenings last week, students, parents, and educators said that Katrina's aftermath is still being felt.