Every once in a while, I have the chance to substitute in one of our classrooms. This usually happens when early morning phone calls find all of the subs on our list tied up, and though I’ll need to alter my “to do” list for the day in order to step into the classroom, I always end up loving getting back to my roots as a teacher.
This Monday, I subbed in 4th grade and during religion class, we took a walk through the Gospels, reminding ourselves of the main events of Holy Week. The story of the last days of Jesus’ life was familiar to the students, but they engaged more deeply, asking questions like, “If the people in Jerusalem were waving palm branches and honoring Jesus on Palm Sunday, why were they asking Pilate to crucify him just days later?” and “What was Jesus praying about in the Garden on Holy Thursday?” I was able to remember what a privilege it is to have these conversations with our young ones and to experience Holy Week together, believers of all ages.
This week, we planned opportunities for our young ones to contemplate the mysteries of the Passion and our own place in the world. One of the most meaningful events of the week was a Hunger Banquet, an experience of poverty and inequality in the world for our 4th – 8th grade students. In this experience, our students were randomly placed into 3 groups- low income (50%), middle income (35%), or high income (15%) and received corresponding meals. A small group of students ate sub sandwiches, chips, and brownies, while the middle income students ate rice and beans, and the largest group of students waited in a long line for a small serving of rice and water. We placed the experience in the context of Catholic Social Teachings and Human Rights and our students expressed their feelings of frustration with the injustice and what they could do to change the situation.
As Fr. John put it, “for a complicated problem, there is a complicated answer,” but I have no doubt that our graduates will be a part of the answer. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, recently wrote about the effects of the strong Catholic school in America Magazine. Here is an excerpt:
Much of the research on Catholic education conducted over the last five decades—from the Rev. Andrew Greeley to the University of Notre Dame; from the National Opinion Research Center to the work of independent, often non-Catholic scholars—has answered with a unanimous voice that without a doubt Catholic schools are an unquestioned success in every way: spiritually, academically and communally. More to the point, the graduates they produce emerge as lifelong practitioners of their faith. These Catholic graduates have been, are and will be our leaders in church and society.
Catholic school graduates make good citizens, deeply committed to social justice, the care of the poor and the planet, proud volunteers in the church and in community. The widespread institution of service program requirements in Catholic schools over the last two decades has helped to create an entire generation of generous, socially minded alumni ready to help, no matter the need.
Dolan, Timothy M., Archbishop. “The Catholic Schools We Need.” America Magazine. (September 13): 11-14.
Thank you for making the choice and the sacrifice for your children to be a part of our Catholic school. I know their contribution to our world will be profound.
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