We hear a lot of talk about evangelization these days. Everyone seems to agree that there needs to be more of it. 

 

In a world that is fractured, divided and so often angry about many things, people need to hear some good news. Evangelization is the process of bringing to the world not just good news but the best news. That is the Gospel and the hope for salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

Strangely, one of the hallmarks of the modern world in many places is a reticence about sharing faith. Instead of shouting from the rooftops the good news about Jesus coming to save us, faith has become more individualized, personal, and for some even a source of division.

 

But as followers of Jesus Christ, we recall Jesus’ mandate to evangelize. “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). In short, the world needs to hear our message.

 

One of the ways that the Catholic Church in the United States has historically engaged in evangelization is through its network of Catholic schools. 

 

Those institutions, typically grade schools and high schools associated with dioceses, parishes or religious orders, seek to form the souls, minds and bodies of our young people. And experience shows that even youth from other faiths and sometimes from backgrounds of no faith often take advantage of the excellence of education and formation in Catholic schools.

 

Next week, from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, we will once more celebrate this tremendous contribution to the coming generations by the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

 

Those three components, in that order, outline the purpose of Catholic schools. 

 

First, faith means that our schools faithfully teach the whole of Catholic faith from prayer to the Scriptures to the sacraments to moral living, so each student learns, understands and puts into practice the teaching of Jesus.

 

By excellence, we reflect our pride in the academic achievements for which the students of Catholic schools are known. Their consistently high test scores confirm that Catholic education prepares its students to engage the world with knowledge, understanding and first rate skills.

 

And Catholic schools pride themselves on teaching young people to give back through service. Jesus’s constant attention to the poor and the needy in so many ways is a primary lesson for imitation in our schools.

 

Of course this past year has really put the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Rockford to the test. The COVID-19 virus made it necessary to pivot from in-person to virtual learning in March of 2020. And our teachers, principals, administrators and students responded with commitment and innovation.

 

Having experience and technology already in place for virtual teaching on snow days, the school year continued. Teachers, families and students worked tirelessly to complete the academic year under circumstances not experienced before.

 

Even more, we can be so proud that by last September, all diocesan schools had reopened and were fulfilling the mission of evangelization with combinations of in-class instruction and e-learning. And as always, a safe learning environment was furnished for students, teachers and staff.

 

I wish to express my very sincere appreciation during Catholic Schools Week to the teachers and students and their families who have made this year possible. The willing adaptation to protocols of distancing, masks and sanitizing helped incorporate those measures into the daily life of Catholic education. This has demonstrated commitment and flexibility on the part of all to keep moving toward the goals of faith, service and excellence.

 

Please celebrate Catholic Schools Week with us. Pray for our teachers and students. Perhaps you could contribute to a nearby Catholic school. And if you have children, give those schools a good look and consider enrolling.

 

This week reminds us that Catholic schools are great places to be.