The end of August means the end of summer vacations, the conclusions of county and state fairs and the general preparation for the change of season. Perhaps most notably, it’s time for the new school year to begin.

For the youngest, it’s the first time. Maybe there are even some with separation anxieties for a few days, until they get used to the teacher, new friends, and the assurance that mom and dad are waiting for their return.

The change from grade school to high school also presents notable challenges as well as opportunities for our teens.

For the Diocese of Rockford, our Catholic schools as well as our religious education programs gear up at this time each year as well. This has historically been one of the mainstays of our evangelization, our spreading of our Catholic faith from one generation to the next. Last year, our Catholic schools taught nearly 12,000 students. Some 29,000 students participated in our religious education program.

Our schools are rightly known for their academic excellence, for their teaching of self-discipline, and for the human formation of our students. But the particular reason for families’ tremendous expenditure of financial and human capital, given willingly and joyfully, is our Catholic faith.

To put it succinctly, we want to be in heaven for all eternity, with Christ and with our children. We want to prepare them for life eternal. We recognize that if we have not prepared our children for heaven, all else is ultimately a passing human effort.

Our schools teach our children and give them a lived experience of getting to know Jesus personally through the Church that Jesus established as His body for all times. They pray daily. Mass and confession are frequent and regular occurrences.

And religion class seeks to give the information and answer the questions that allow these young Catholics to understand, grow in love for, and defend their faith in an oftentimes hostile and challenging world.

This last point is enormously important for the road to salvation.

It is no secret that the number of our young people who fall away from their Catholic faith is growing to a worrisome proportion. This week, the Pew Research Center released new data showing that among those young people who leave their faith, many have come to profess atheism. They no longer believe in God.

According to the study, many justify the embrace of atheism because they believe rather in “science,” even though there can be no conflict between God and science, nor can science prove that there is no God.

Still, an atheistic understanding of science has itself become a popular religion in our secular culture.
This is just one of the many practical challenges facing our Catholic education and our young people. In response, our schools identify the purpose of life and teach it. They assist our parents who are the first teachers and witnesses to our faith.

For that reason, parents, please give that necessary example, especially by taking your children to Mass each and every Sunday as a way to be with Christ and to enter more deeply into the faith.

As we begin this new school year, I wish to restate once more the commitment of the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Rockford to do everything possible to ensure the safe environment afforded to our young people in our schools and our places of worship.

Following the scandals of child abuse that were exposed in 2002, the bishops of the United States apologized for this breach of trust. I renew that apology.

At the same time, we have committed to making our schools and Catholic programs secure places for our young people. This past week, the Diocese of Rockford received from independent auditors engaged by the bishops of the United States, a report stating that, “the Diocese (of Rockford) has been found compliant will all audited Articles within the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for the 2015/2016 period.”

This independent finding — affirmed every year for the past 13 years — is on the basis of the fact that our students in grades preschool through 12th have been instructed in safe environment protection.

Our nearly 1,000 school teachers and 2,800 catechists have likewise undergone safe environment training and background checks. So have, since 2005, nearly 40,000 volunteers who work with our young people.

Along with these efforts, the Diocese of Rockford has established a Review Board to assist me in protecting our children. The board was begun in a formal way in 1987, and we have a telephone hotline (815/293-7540) available to respond to any concerns about child safety.

The new school year is one of those moments where everyone takes a deep breath before beginning to meet the challenges. But those deep breaths are also the welcome start of another step on the road for our young people to know better Jesus and their Catholic faith.

Let’s get to it!