Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
At a time here in Queens and Brooklyn when we continue to experience a decline in Catholic elementary school enrollment, an unfortunate trend shared by all the major urban dioceses in the United States, it may be difficult to speak about good news, but I truly believe that our schools are Good News.
Some people mistakenly believe that our schools are Catholic because they teach religion as a major subject or because the children pray at the beginning of each day or because they go to Mass monthly or even more frequently. Others may believe, again wrongly, that Catholic schools are only for Catholic students; however, as a part of the evangelizing mission of the Church, our schools are called to proclaim the Gospel, the "Good News," to all.
A poster given to each Catholic school in Queens and Brooklyn some years ago offered this message: "Let it be known to all who enter here that Jesus Christ is the reason for this school, the unseen but ever-present teacher in all its classes, the model of its faculty, and the inspiration for its students." Those are powerful words that beautifully and succinctly describe what a Catholic school is all about.
Imagine what it means to say, "Jesus Christ is the reason for this school." What a statement of Catholic identity! Our Lord Jesus Himself is the reason for our Catholic schools. He wants our schools to be a means of continuing His very own mission of proclaiming the Gospel.
My brother bishops in the United States have repeatedly affirmed our common belief that Catholic schools are the very best means available to pass on the Catholic faith to future generations of Catholics. These same schools stand as a beacon of Gospel hope for all who attend them, for the parents of the children and young people, and for the surrounding communities. I am completely committed to our schools and I am confident that that can be said of all of our pastors and priests. I also hope that each and every Catholic in the diocese is equally committed to our schools and to their ongoing support. The generosity of so many of our people in the Annual Catholic Appeal is a strong voice of support for our Catholic schools, and for that I am most grateful.
Catholic schools are challenged by Jesus Christ Himself to educate the whole child – spiritually, academically, socially, physically and emotionally. The schools in our diocese are Catholic Schools of Excellence. A Catholic School of Excellence means that each child is asked to do her or his level best in all the academic subjects, and to grow in faith, hope, and love each day in imitation of the person Jesus Christ.
If Jesus Himself is "the unseen but ever-present teacher in all its classrooms," that means that "religion" is never just another subject in the curriculum. Catholic schools have been, are, and continue to be an essential part of the mission of the Church because the atmosphere in the school is pervasively Catholic. Religion is not a subject to be learned, it is a way of life that is taught by word and by example. When you think about it, children are in school most of their waking hours during the week. They are present in an "atmosphere," where the very air they breathe ought to remind them of God's Holy Spirit at work in the world.
Jesus Christ is the "model" for the school's faculty. I imagine that teachers and principals may find that a real challenge, but I know from experience that they are up to it. A model is an ideal that we strive for each day, while knowing that we will never fully achieve the perfection of the model. It is in striving that we achieve our success.
I want to take this opportunity to express publicly my deep and heartfelt thanks to all those who are involved in the ministry of Catholic education. These past few years have been difficult, but I want you to know that I am doing everything possible to ensure that a Catholic education will be available to children and young people in Queens and Brooklyn well into the future. In fact, you may find it hard to believe, but I have spent more of my time on concerns for Catholic education than just about anything else. In the next several months, I hope to be able to share publicly the results of my efforts. For now, know that our Catholic schools are always on my mind and in my prayers.
Finally, Jesus Christ is the "inspiration" for the students in our schools. That means that above all, the school is inviting its students to "be" like Jesus. I am certain that our Catholic schools are working very diligently to be places where the children can come to know Him and, in turn, make Him known to others.
Jesus is the one who challenges each of us to "put out into the deep." Our Catholic Schools of Excellence help all of us to see "the deep" as a less frightening place because He is with us all as "the unseen but ever-present teacher."
