Following His resurrection from the dead, Jesus gave His final instructions to His followers in every age. He told them, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28: 19-20).

 

This great commandment of our Lord has resonated in the minds and hearts of believers since that day. In every age it is our task not simply to hold and treasure privately the Good News of salvation. The truth of our faith about God, about sin and evil, about the Father’s sending of His Son into the world for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life is truly intended for the whole world. As Catholics, we must take seriously our responsibility to be missionaries in our own time and place. 

 

Each of us is called to keep and deepen our own faith, and then to share the truth. That means that we must pray and seek means to understand more deeply the teachings and traditional practices of faith in the Church throughout the ages. We need also to study continually the Scriptures where we get to know Christ and the Word of God.

 

We are then obliged to work to strengthen and catechize the faith of those closest to us. Parents have a special duty to pass on the faith to their children. At times, it goes the other way with children bringing back to their parents the truth of faith that sets us all free. So too, with our neighbors and friends, whether it be with words or simply the faithful example of our lives, we are meant to be missionaries.

 

In the United States, since the 1880’s, the Catholic Church has made a special, and historically very successful, effort to spread the faith and to improve our society by means of our Catholic schools. Down to our own day, the combination of academic excellence and the Catholic faith that prepares future fathers and mothers, workers and neighbors of our society has been the hallmark of our Catholic schools. We can rightly be proud of this great effort.

 

Currently, all aspects of education of our youth are facing great challenges. Low birth rates have reduced the number of students. News reports are filled with stories of ideological efforts to infuse the educational process with the social and moral confusion of our time. And for nearly all schools, funding is stretched.

 

These challenges merit being brought to our attention because there is a source of hope for thousands of Illinois students and families. That is a program called The Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Since this program began six years ago, nearly 40,000 scholarships have been awarded to students attending private schools in our state. These scholarships are funded through contributions from donors who receive a 75% tax credit on their Illinois state income. As a result, families and children benefit from these need-based scholarships which allow them to send their children to the school of their choice.

 

The Illinois tax credit scholarship program must be renewed by the Illinois General Assembly this year or it could be extinguished. Along with other private schools, families attending our Catholic schools benefit from this program and the real choice that it gives them.

 

What is needed urgently is your voice to urge state representatives and senators to support extending the tax credit scholarship program. To help continue this funding, please visit the Catholic Conference of Illinois website at http://www.ilcatholic.org or call their Springfield office at 217-528-9200 to locate your elected officials, to receive help with a possible message to send or to learn how to contribute.