Catholic schools are important to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis 52 weeks a year, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said, but Catholic Schools Week shines a light on Catholic schools and the work staff members do.
This year, Catholic Schools Week is celebrated Jan. 26-Feb. 1.
In the “Practicing Catholic” program set to air at 9 p.m. Jan. 24 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Archbishop Hebda told producer Rachael McCallum that Catholic schools are an important apostolate of parishes and the archdiocese.
“It’s once a year where we have the opportunity really to lift them up and to celebrate the good work that’s being done by our students and our teachers, and really to support families who are already supporting our Catholic schools and to encourage more families to consider a Catholic school education,” Archbishop Hebda said.
In the archdiocese, there are 80 Catholic grade schools and 16 Catholic high school schools with over 30,000 students enrolled. Archbishop Hebda said Jesus gives to his Church the roles to educate, sanctify and lead. Catholic schools, Archbishop Hebda explained, are an opportunity to educate and bring the youth to have an experience with the Lord in the sacraments.
“They’re a wonderful way for us to be able to pass on the faith while preparing our young people to really exercise those gifts that God has given to them,” Archbishop Hebda said. “We certainly believe that the Lord has a plan for each one of us. The hope is that we’re able to assist our families and make sure that their children really come to see those gifts and to recognize what God’s plan is for them.”
Archbishop Hebda said that in listening sessions leading up to the last Archdiocesan Synod, the number one concern he heard was how it is that the archdiocese passes on the faith to youth.
“It’s hard for me to imagine education without God,” Archbishop Hebda said. “That’s (education without God) unfortunately in our country. We’re not able to talk about God in our public schools. … To have that opportunity to really bring God into every subject, into every part of life, and to have teachers and staff really give witness to what Jesus means in their lives, it gives us a golden opportunity.”
To hear more from Archbishop Hebda about the importance of recognizing Catholic education during Catholic Schools Week, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Jan. 25 and 2 p.m. Jan. 26.
The program also includes Sarah Kostick, a parishioner of St. Paul in Ham Lake, who shares her journey of discovering her own charisms and gifts. Also, catch an interview with the Jason Adkins and Maggee Hangge of the Minnesota Catholic Conference about MCC’s priorities for this legislative session.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
