We had many events this past week. I want to thank everyone who came to support Mr. Cameron Daley for his Peru Mission Trip and those who supported our parish school blind replacement project through the pasta dinner and breakfast.
This past week we celebrated Catholic Schools Week. It is an opportunity to draw our attention to the important role that Catholic schools play in our lives. Growing up I attended public schools until I entered college and seminary so this question required some research on my part. Catholic Schools Week was first introduced by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) in 1974. It is an annual event which typically takes place on the last Sunday in January. Here at St. Teresa we have a week filled with events starting with an Open House this past Sunday, January 26th. The purpose of this week is to emphasize the value and necessity of Catholic education to families and young people, as well as how it contributes to the Church, the community and to our nation. It is a time to showcase St. Teresa School and the many benefits of an education rooted in the Catholic faith.
Education has always been an essential part of the mission of the Church. After the Fall of the Roman Empire, it was the monasteries which preserved and handed on the knowledge of Rome, Greece and other ancient cultures. It was the Church who invented the first universities in the Western world in Paris, Bologna, Oxford, Padua, and so on. Members of the Church have been behind advancements in all major areas of study and the Church herself funds the progress of science and the arts. Education is listed as one of the spiritual works of mercy. What sets Catholic schools apart from other types of schools? Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI stated: “It is in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of our lives becomes clear.” Essentially what Benedict points out is that Catholic education provides its students with a vantage point; a way of looking at the world that takes in all aspects of the mystery of life. Very often students in other schools are presented with only half the picture. The essential reality that we are bodily and spiritual beings formed to be in communion with God who has taken on our nature is left out. They seek to teach truth to students and omit Truth itself. At St. Teresa School our children pray, learn about their faith, the dignity of every human life, the value of sacrifice and selflessness, and the virtues (most importantly the virtues of faith, hope and love). I invite everyone to support Catholic Schools Week and particularly our parish school. In other news, our Parish Scout Troop held their Pinewood Derby. It was a chance for our Scouts to demonstrate their engineering skills and have some fun competition. Our Scouts are an important part of the parish and help us in many ways.