Author: Deacon Nick

Nick Senger, founder and editor of Catholic School Chronicle, is an award-winning Catholic school teacher, vice principal and technology coordinator. He is a deacon for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane.
Posted on

Advent as a Time of Perseverance for Teachers and Students

WinterAs always, the latest issue of iCatholic magazine has some excellent articles. I especially liked Bishop Trautman’s article on Advent, featuring this gem for Catholic educators:

“Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year, so it is full of joyful expectation….Advent tells a student to go back to the books and try again. Advent tells teachers, try once more to reach that student.”

By the middle of November, both students and teachers need to hear a message of perseverance–at least this teacher does. Fortunately, I’ve been hearing it a lot lately. Yesterday’s gospel reading ended with these powerful words from Jesus:

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

In the midst of our daily struggles and sufferings, we are called to persevere, keeping hope alive. As the days darken and the cold creeps in, it’s comforting to know that Advent is just around the corner.

Posted on

Taking Chance: A Powerful Tribute to Veterans and to Integrity

Taking ChanceThe Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 2300). I’ve never seen a more poignant demonstration of this corporal work of mercy than the movie Taking Chance. Kevin Bacon portrays Lt. Col. Michael Strobl as he escorts the remains of fallen Marine Chance Phelps to his final resting place.

The honor and respect Phelps receives as his remains travel across the country culminate in the following scene as Strobl and the hearse travel from Montana to Wyoming:

As Veteran’s Day approaches, I humbly offer this suggestion: take 77 minutes during the next few days to watch this powerful film. If it is appropriate to your classroom situation, perhaps you can even share it with your students (as always, be sure to preview it first). I show it to my students for three reasons:

  1. To remember and honor the sacrifice of those who serve our country in the military.
  2. To give students a concrete example of our duty to bury the dead.
  3. To show students a model of the following idea: “Character is what you do when you think no one is watching.”

Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, both of my parents served in the US Navy, and I have several relatives currently serving our country in various branches of the military. To them, and to veterans everywhere, Thank you for your service.

Posted on

Pope Benedict Explains What It Means to Be a Catholic Teacher Today

On Saturday, October 30, 2010, a teacher asked Pope Benedict, “What does it mean to be a teacher today?” Here is the Holy Father’s response:

“Being an educator means having joy in one’s heart and communicating it to everyone so as to make life good and Pope Benedictbeautiful; it means providing reasons and goals for life’s journey, presenting the beauty of the person of Jesus and making people love Him, His lifestyle, His freedom. … Above all it means holding up the goal of … that ‘extra’ that comes to us from God. This requires personal knowledge of Jesus, a personal, daily and loving contact with Him in prayer, meditation on the Word of God, faithfulness to the Sacraments, the Eucharist, Confession; it means communicating the joy of being part of the Church, of having friends with whom to share, not only the difficulties but also the beauties and surprises of a life of faith.

“You will be good educators if you are able to involve everyone in the good of the young. You cannot be self-sufficient but must make the vital importance of educating the young generations felt at all levels. Without the presence of the family, for example, you risk building on sand; without a collaboration with schools it is not possible to create a profound knowledge of the faith; without the involvement of the those who work in the sector of leisure and communication your patient efforts risk being unproductive and ineffective in daily life.”

Since the Church year is winding down, it might be a good time to ask ourselves, How is our…

  • …personal knowledge of Jesus in daily loving contact with Him in prayer?
  • …meditation on the Word of God?
  • …faithfulness, to the Sacraments, the Eucharist, Confession?
  • …joy of being part of the Church?
  • …network of friends to share the difficulties, beauties and surprises of a life of faith?

I am extremely grateful for the network of friends I am gaining via this web site–you are part of the “beauties and surprises” that are part of my life of faith.

As Advent approaches, maybe we could choose one of the above areas to work on during the coming liturgical year.

Posted on

Catholic Education Roundup

Too Early to Hibernate!November is here, and maybe you’re feeling like winter hibernation is a good idea right about now. Cheer up, because it’s time for another roundup of recent blog posts by Catholic educators. It seems like there’s been an explosion of great articles lately. With all the fantastic content out there, I may have missed some good ones, so please leave a comment if you’ve discovered a valuable article recently.