The Craziness of Catholic Schools
My wife Brenda and I have four kids—ages 9, 15, 19 and 22—and they each drive us crazy in their own way. That’s what kids do. They ask for money, they make messes, and they require lots of time and energy. Life would be much simpler without them. Simpler, but also more hollow. Our children bring us life, they keep us from taking things too seriously, and they draw us closer to God. They take us out of ourselves and teach us the meaning of unconditional love.
The same thing can be said about a parish Catholic school: it takes a lot of money to operate; it puts a lot of wear on the buildings; and it requires a lot of time and energy to maintain. Parish life would be much simpler without a school. But just as the heartaches and headaches our kids cause are worth it, so are the challenges that come with operating a parish school.
School children bring a special kind of life to a parish community. They remind us of the importance of laughter and recreation. They help a parish fulfill its mission to evangelize.
There’s something deeply spiritual about watching a class of children kneel in prayer, trusting that God is listening. The noise of laughter from the playground is a sign of life and joy to a parish. It means God is present, that the Church is being renewed in the hearts of these young disciples who are just learning how to live like Jesus.
Just as children were brought to Jesus so that he might lay hands on them and pray, parents bring their children to their parishes to be touched by the hand of the Savior.
During this Catholic Schools Week, we remember not to follow the example of the disciples who tried to rebuke the children for coming to Jesus, but instead we open our hearts to hear the Lord’s words:
“Let the children come,” Jesus said, “and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Let the children come to our parish schools. Let them come with their grimy hands, their uncontrollable giggles, their fidgety fingers, and their raging hormones.
Praise God for the craziness of parenthood, and praise God for Catholic schools.
This article was written for Notre Dame’s ACE Advocates annual series of reflections on Catholic Schools. You can find the entire series for this year at the ACE website.
Bishops Write and Speak about the Value of Catholic Schools
Happy Catholic Schools Week! We take time this week to celebrate the gift of Catholic education and to spread the word about the value of Catholic schools.
Several bishops have already begun their celebration of Catholic Schools Week by publishing their thoughts on Catholic education:
Parents are the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. Catholic schools support parents in this role #CatholicSchoolsWeek
— Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) January 26, 2014
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone:
…we see that we are greatly blessed with a well-developed education system poised and ready to serve our families and greater community well into this new Christian millennium, thanks especially to dedicated teachers, parents, administrators, benefactors and volunteers. To all of you I say: Thank you!
I call on all of you who were given the great gift of Catholic education to contact your alma mater or another Catholic school to offer in gratitude for your Catholic education the support of your treasure, time and talent. I ask that each of us do what we can to encourage and support those who want a Catholic education but cannot afford it. Finally, I challenge all of us to get more vocal with our public officials and press them about aid to our Catholic Schools.
I invite all Catholic families to think about the benefits of a Catholic school education for your children. Catholic schools not only present families and the Church a powerful opportunity for evangelization, but they are also effective in their mission of educating the whole person and have been consistent in producing successful graduates for over 150 years – students with higher academic achievement and a greater likelihood of practicing their faith, participating in
ministry, being civically engaged, giving generously, performing service, earning higher wages, and considering an ordained or religious vocation.
Bishop George J. Lucas:
Holy Messiness: A Catholic Schools Week Reflection
The following reflection was written for Catholic Schools Week 2013 as part of a series for ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools.
An empty Catholic school is a lonely place, and when students go home for the summer the atmosphere changes drastically. It’s quieter, of course. There are no screaming kids at recess, no buzz of conversation down the halls, no tramping of feet before the beginning of daily Mass.
And it’s cleaner, too. The desks are empty, the lockers are bare. The remnants of the year get swept away into piles and then carried out to the trash–leftover tests, forgotten lunch boxes, old pens and pencils. The floors shine again, white boards sparkle, the bathroom walls glisten.
A parish, too, feels different. There’s a certain peace and quiet in a parish when school lets out for the summer. But there’s also a certain hollowness. When Catholic school is in session there’s an unmistakeable liveliness, an energy, a vibrancy in the parish. It’s as unpredictable as the Holy Spirit, this mass of children who descend upon a parish school each autumn. They come like a mighty wind, waking up the community, bringing new life.
Sometimes we like Church to be neat and tidy, but Church is a wonderfully messy reality. Church is the messiness of St. Francis of Assisi walking with the animals; it’s the messiness of St. Catherine of Siena wrangling Pope Gregory back to Rome from Avignon; it’s the messiness of Mother Teresa on the streets of Calcutta.
It’s also the messiness of finger painting, glitter, and spilled milk. It’s student lectors who don’t read loud enough, and servers who fiddle with their robes, and kids who poke at each other during Mass.
It’s the messiness of a young baby lying in a straw-filled manger; it’s the messiness of Christ carrying a bloody cross to Calvary.
Amid all the mess, noise, and chaos, the Holy Spirit is at work.
The quiet of summer is all well and good, but there’s a deep holiness in the tumult of watching children come alive in faith each day at a Catholic school.
Thank God for children, thank God for our messy Church, and thank God for Catholic schools.
101 Ways to Support Catholic Schools
It’s Catholic Schools Week 2013, and to celebrate I’ve compiled this list of ways you can support Catholic education. The most important way to support Catholic schools is through prayer, but your Time, Talent, and Treasure are also of great benefit. I’m sure there are at least 101 more ways to support Catholic schools. Leave your ideas in the comment area. And Happy Catholic Schools Week!
Prayer
- Attend a school Mass.
- Start a Catholic school parent prayer group.
- Say a Rosary for Catholic schools.
- Pray for all Catholic school students.
- Pray for Catholic school teachers around the world.
- Pray for principals and vice principals.
- Pray for secretaries, custodians, and all support staff.
- Pray for pastors with parish schools.
- Pray for Catholic school parents, that the sacrifices they make for their children bear fruit.
- Pray for diocesan secretaries of education.
- Pray for bishops, that they find creative and successful ways to strengthen Catholic schools in their dioceses.
- Pray a novena to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for the success of Catholic education.
- Visit the Blessed Sacrament for Catholic schools.
- Light a candle for Catholic schools.
- Offer a Mass intention for Catholic schools.
- Start with Kindergarten, and each day pray for a different grade level at your local Catholic school.
- Get a class list or yearbook and each day hold up a different student in prayer.
- Pray for a different teacher each day.
- Attend a school’s Stations of the Cross service.
- Bless your child’s school supplies the night before the new school year starts.
- Pray for all students who might have a test today.
- Pray for the financial stability of Catholic schools.
- Pray for students with special needs, that the Catholic schools in their area have the financial resources to meet their needs.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit guide parents, teachers, and administrators to work in unity to build up the Kingdom of God in the school community.
- Pray that Catholic schools be available for anyone that wishes to attend, regardless of economic background.
- Pray that Catholic schools continue to help students recognize their vocation.
Time
- Join or launch a local organization like the Nazareth Guild or the Fulcrum Foundation to raise and distribute funds to support Catholic schools.
- Join the ACE Advocates.
- Volunteer in the classroom.
- Attend a local Catholic school Christmas Program.
- Volunteer in the school cafeteria.
- Drive students on field trips.
- Make treats for class parties.
- Volunteer for a school fundraiser.
- Write a thank you letter to a Catholic school teacher, administrator, or staff member.
- Organize an appreciation luncheon for the staff.
- Make a positive comment on a Catholic school’s Facebook page.
- Chaperone a school dance.
- Help out at the school picnic.
- Serve on a school committee.
- Volunteer to read a story to a class.
- Be a room mom or dad.
- Help teachers by laminating or photocopying.
- Help out in the lunch room.
- Help out on the playground.
- Volunteer to build and paint sets for the school musical.
- Offer to do simple maintenance in the summer.
- Help give classrooms a new coat of paint.
- Give young children practice reading aloud by volunteering to listen to them read.
- Volunteer in the school library.
- Tutor students after school.
- Be a buddy family for a family that is new to the school.
Talent
- Make a career change: become a Catholic school teacher.
- Be a guest speaker/teacher.
- Play the piano for school liturgies.
- Offer to have a class visit your place of employment as a field trip.
- Write a grant proposal.
- Artists: Offer to teach an art lesson.
- Athletes: Volunteer to coach a Catholic school sports team.
- Business Owners: Donate a product or gift certificate to the school’s auction.
- Computer techs: Help maintain the school’s computer infrastructure.
- Dermatologists: Give the junior high students a lesson on skin care.
- Doctors: Offer free sports physicals once a year.
- Electricians: Check to see if the school needs an electrical upgrade to handle more computers.
- Event Planners: Lend expertise to the Development Director.
- Farmers: Bring a class out to the farm on an agricultural field trip.
- Foreign language speakers: Translate school documents or volunteer to be an interpreter for students whose second language is English.
- Gardeners: Help the school create a Mary garden.
- Graphic designers: Help with school branding and logos.
- Musicians: Hold a benefit concert for the local Catholic school.
- Nurses: Volunteer to help with hearing and vision screening.
- Painters: Create and paint a mural for the side of the school building.
- Photographers: Take pictures of school events for promotional materials.
- Software Engineers: Design a mobile app for a Catholic school.
- University Professors: Give an inservice to the school faculty.
- Web designers: Offer to design/maintain the school webpage.
- Writers: Present a writer’s workshop to students.
Treasure
- Donate to the school’s annual giving campaign.
- Go wild at the school auction!
- Adopt a student and pay his or her tuition for the year.
- Give an unrestricted donation.
- Find out if your company matches donations and donate.
- Purchase an item from a teacher’s classroom wish list.
- Donate a computer.
- Bring in a latte or coffee for the school secretary.
- Provide financial support so a teacher can attend the NCEA convention.
- Donate books to the classroom or school library.
- Buy new uniforms for one of the school’s sports teams.
- Purchase religious statues for classrooms.
- Help defray the cost of a school field trip.
- Buy new software for school computers.
- Donate a printer, TV, or dvd player.
- Buy magazines, candy, or whatever else the students sell as fundraisers.
- Support the school’s scrip program.
- Help the school purchase a new set of textbooks.
- Donate stock from your investment portfolio.
- Offer to pay for consumable workbooks for students.
- Purchase a document camera or interactive white board for the classroom.
- Offer to purchase Bibles for each student.
- Help the school purchase an electronic tablet for each student.
- Include a bequest to a Catholic school in your will.
A Phone Call from God: Vocations and Catholic Schools
The following reflection was written for Catholic Schools Week 2012 as part of a series for ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools.
In the Spring of 1990, I got a phone call from God. I wasn’t home to get the call, but my answering machine picked it up. It’s a good thing, too. Brenda and I were about to be married, we were moving to Boise, Idaho, and I had no job. God had called to offer me a teaching position at Sacred Heart Catholic School. (Click here to find out what God sounds like.)
Ok, so the call was from Marge Ransley, the principal at Sacred Heart; but one of the most important things my Catholic education has taught me is that God speaks to us through other people. That answering machine message may have sounded like Marge, but it was really God calling me to begin my vocation as a Catholic educator.
Catholic schools are in a unique position to help students hear the voice of God in their lives. Today’s young Catholics are bombarded with hundreds if not thousands of different messages each day. From tweets to text messages, from TV shows to YouTube videos, God’s call can get lost in a cacophony of misleading and distracting noise. Kids need help discerning God’s invitation to wholeness and holiness, and that’s where Catholic schools come in.
Catholic schools nourish and strengthen the gift of faith present in each student so that he or she can trust that God’s call will lead them to fullness of life.
Catholic schools provide the academic background students need to pursue their call and respond to God’s invitation.
Catholic schools show students how to place their vocation at the service of the world to care for the least among us and help build up the Kingdom of God.
Faith. Academics. Service. These have always been the hallmark of a Catholic education. Catholic school students don’t learn how to make a living, but how to make a difference.
This summer, God willing, I will be ordained a deacon, and the prospect is both exciting and frightening. It has been the same with all my vocational calls. Before Brenda and I got married, before our first child was born, and before I first stepped into that classroom in Boise twenty-two years ago, I wondered if I knew what I was getting myself into. Of course the answer was no, I didn’t really know. How could I? How can anyone? But the faith, academics, and service I received from St. Pius X Elementary School, Billings Central Catholic High School, and Gonzaga University prepared me for each of those vocations in ways that are impossible to measure.
Every child has a vocation, a particular call from God. The Holy Spirit whispers the call deep in their hearts, quietly beckoning them to a way of life that will lead them to ultimate holiness, happiness, and eternal life. Perhaps they are called to marriage, perhaps to the priesthood; maybe the whisper leads them to consecrated religious life or to serve the poorest of the poor.
How sad it would be to miss that call. With all the noise and confusion in the world, isn’t it comforting to know there is a sacred place kids can go to learn how to hear God’s invitation, trust it, and act on it? This is the mission of Catholic schools: Faith. Academics. Service.