Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service

National Catholic Schools Week began yesterday and will continue the rest of the week.  This is the 40th anniversary of this special celebration of our Catholic schools, which have contributed so much to the life of the Church and to society as a whole. This year's theme, communities of faith, knowledge and service, sums up the purpose of our Catholic school system throughout the United States and the whole world, for that matter.  St. Marcellin's vision of establishing schools whose primary function would be the Christian education of youth, also included education in secular subjects, so that these well-prepared graduates would be able to take leadership roles in the market place.  And so they have.  The stress on service as part of the faith formation of students dates back to the '80's and is now as much a part of Catholic schools as is daily prayer.  Even public schools require service hours;  the fruits of this emphasis can be seen in the great numbers of adults who continue to give of their time and talent in their professional lives, or through their parishes.

It is fitting that the memorial of St. Angela Merici, who founded the Ursuline Sisters for the Catholic education of women falls in Catholic Schools Week.  She went against the tide which offered education only to men, or to the daughters of the wealthy.  She offered it to all, and because her Sisters were not confined to the cloister, they were able to establish schools that were accessible to rich and poor alike.

Seeing the droves of Catholic School students in Washington for the March for Life, so fervent and yet so enthusiastic in their participation at Mass, so silent and prayerful during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, or so conscientious about going to confession, revealed that the spirits of St. Angela and St. Marcellin are still alive and well in our Catholic Schools today under the leadership of well-educated and totally dedicated laymen and women.  Indeed, there were very few Sisters in the group from the Archdiocese of Boston, and I was the only Brother working in a Catholic School.  May our prayers this week support the powerful and effective work being done in our Catholic Schools to insure the passing on of the faith to the next generation.
Bro. Rene