'Catholic Schools Are Wonderful Places'
Bishop Charles C. Thompson summed up the spirit – and message – of Catholic Schools Week across the Diocese of Evansville with the statement that serves as this story’s headline. “Catholic schools are wonderful places,” he said.
Rivet High School in Vincennes hosted the 2016 Catholic Schools Week Mass, celebrated Feb. 3 at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville. Students and teachers from all 26 Catholic schools across our 12 counties attended, and priests from parishes with Catholic schools concelebrated with Bishop Thompson.
“Just think,” Bishop Thompson said, “if the whole world would be like a Catholic school … how much better the world would be.”
He began by suggesting that the day’s readings – for the Feast of St. Blaise - may seem “a little bizarre” for the Catholic Schools Week Mass. “But they remind us where we truly fine peace and happiness,” he said. “Today’s readings remind us if we’re not doing the will of God, we’re always going to fall short.”
He noted that the Gospel reading, Mark 6: 1-6, describes how “people wanted the Messiah on their own terms, not on God’s terms. If we’re trying to impose our will instead of embracing God’s will, we’re never going to find true peace and happiness.
“Our Catholic schools exist as ministries of our Church and our parishes to do what all the other ministries and services of our Church exist to do … that is to seek to discern and plant the will of God in our hearts,” Bishop Thompson continued.
He noted the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy impacts the celebration of Catholic Schools Week this year. “Pope Francis has asked us to spend this year focusing on how we can follow the teaching of Jesus Christ, and Jesus tells us that we are to go out and treat each other as we would treat Him … (and) as we would want to be treated.
“The faith and the knowledge that you’re receiving through your Catholic school education hopefully will lead you to recognize how to serve those in need,” Bishop Thompson said. “How do we use our gifts and talents – our knowledge – and put our faith in action to serve those in need?
“As we celebrate this week, let us celebrate the gift of faith. Let us celebrate the gift of knowledge. Let us pray for the grace that we will, as Pope Francis reminds us, embrace this call to perform the spiritual works of mercy; to reach out to others and allow our Catholic education not only to make a difference in (your) life, but through (you) make a difference in the lives of others.”
