I know I speak for Archbishop Hebda when I tell you how grateful we are for our wonderful Catholic schools here in the archdiocese. In my first 18 years of priesthood, I was blessed to have a Catholic school with each parish assignment. I enjoyed those days so much, then this whole “bishop thing” happened! Now, what I suspected all along is being confirmed.
During those 18 years I enjoyed great Catholic schools, but only one at a time. As a bishop I am seeing firsthand that we have 80 great Catholic grade schools and 16 great Catholic high schools in our archdiocese.
The role of these schools is to form scholars, disciples and servant leaders. I’m stealing that from one of my former school’s mission statements, but it seems like a pretty darn good approach. We have amazing teachers in this archdiocese who work on all of these categories –– forming scholars, disciples, servants and leaders. As a parish priest I was blessed to assist especially in the category of forming disciples, and let me tell you, evangelization has never been so fun!
The many forums for evangelization with our school children include the school Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions, sacramental preparation (especially confession, Communion and confirmation), and Scripture reflections. Formation happens at Mass, but it also happens in the classroom, the lunchroom and even on the playground.
Second grade is a great age for engaging kids about the faith. I think the Church knows what she’s doing as we typically use this year to prepare for both first reconciliation and first holy Communion. Second grade is popularly thought of as when our kids reach the age of reason, so they can begin (at least begin) to comprehend what it means to have our sins forgiven and to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.
As a pastor, when I would first visit our children for first reconciliation preparation, I would quickly realize that while some of them were very excited for their first confession, others were pretty nervous. It always helped when I would assure them of the good news that it is just me on the other side of the screen. Then I would catch myself and say something like, “Well actually, even better news, it’s just me and Jesus.” And I would clarify for them that it is Jesus himself who forgives their sins.
While there were always a few children who were nervous before their first confession, afterward it was a complete conversion (no pun intended). The children would exit the confessional with huge smiles, and I don’t know how many times I heard from parents that their child came up to them and asked, “When can I go again?!”
While first reconciliation preparation is always rewarding, you might guess that preparations for first holy Communion were even more amazing. Again, I would visit the classrooms and ask them, “What are you receiving on First Communion Sunday?” And almost all of them would already know, they would answer, “Jesus!” My go-to follow up question would be, “Doesn’t this seem kind of weird, that Jesus would leave himself in the form of a little piece of bread for us? Why do you suppose he does this?” Many of them would answer, “Because he loves us!” That was hard to argue with, but I would expand by explaining, “Jesus loves you so much that he wants to be with you, and he knew, even while he was ascending into heaven, that in 2,000 years, Monica and Henry and Bridget and Peter would be walking the Earth, and he wanted to be close to them.” He is intimately close to us in holy Communion.
One of my favorite first holy Communion stories was a time when I stopped in the classroom the week following first holy Communion to bless the gifts the children had received on the occasion. The children were all talking about their experiences, not only of receiving the body of Christ for the first time but also receiving his precious blood for the first time. It amazed me that they were consistently using the word blood. “What did the Blood taste like to you?” “I liked it.” “I thought the Precious Blood was sour.” “I thought the Precious Blood was sweet.” Not even one of them used the word wine. They didn’t just know what they were receiving, they knew who they were receiving.
Great sacramental preparation is just one of the many benefits of a Catholic school education, but it goes a long way toward forming little disciples. Catholic schools also form great scholars and servant leaders. For 18 years I witnessed how blessed we are to have these schools in our archdiocese. And we continue to be blessed!
