More on Catholic schools
By Dan Stremel
Director, Offices of Finance and Stewardship
Over the past few weeks Dave has been working hard and traveling far and wide for all of the inspiring stories about our Catholic schools, just the way a good newspaper staffer should do. I am usually not aware of all the trips Dave makes throughout the year, but was a little surprised when a crumpled and yellowed bill arrived last week from the travel agent for an airline ticket to New Jersey with the notation "school visit." The bill didn’t tell who the passenger was, and while I’m not quite sure yet who did make the trip, I did find out that someone had gone to visit Mount St. Helen’s School and the Little Sisters of Hoboken. Apparently, the trip was made to chronicle the legendary fund raising efforts of that Catholic school.
There are many great stories to be told about the Catholic schools in our diocese (and elsewhere) and the many students and teachers who have spent several years in these classrooms. This issue of the SKR and the edition earlier this month describe just a few of these great Catholic school stories. I recently heard firsthand at the kickoff of Catholic Schools Week about plans for a yearlong celebration to commemorate the first 120 years of St. Joseph School in Ellinwood. It made me think about how many people have been touched in some way by Catholic education over these years, not only at St. Joseph, but also throughout the Catholic schools across the diocese and across the world. There are not only students, but parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, and many others who have been actively involved in the lives of these young people and who have been affected in some way by our Catholic schools.
In just the past few weeks another of the shrines at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also completed, this one being the Religious Orders shrine. It honors and recognizes the significant contributions of ministry of the many orders that have been involved with ministry in our diocese over these many years. The days of sisters teaching in our schools is now gone, but many of these sisters played an important role as teachers and educators in years past. They are a great example of the important stewardship message that is so important to our faith and to our continuing formation today.
Each of us can imitate that selfless example of stewardship that these educators have displayed for such a long time. We may not be educators or teachers, but as Christian stewards we can and are called to use our God given talents in service to others. Through daily prayer and dialogue with Jesus, each of us can and will come to understand more fully the important stewardship role we play in the lives of others.
The Little Sisters of Hoboken, I’m told, are very creative in sharing their talents in an effort to provide many important ministry opportunities in their parish. While their example is portrayed in a comical fashion, it does give us an opportunity to understand that stewardship takes on many faces and presents unique opportunities to share our talents. It is my hope that as we move into this Lenten season, each of us will be open to those signs around us that will help us grow in our understanding of stewardship and move us closer in our relationship with Jesus.
As for the crumpled and yellowed bill, it seems that a Sr. Mary Hubert had recently been in the area, and that the bill actually belonged to a writer named Goggin, the order’s archivist. How it arrived here is a mystery, and I can assure you that it won’t be paid from our budget, but I wonder if it is just another of those mysterious signs that is ever calling us to dig deeper as we struggle to understand this important stewardship message. I pray that this Lenten season will provide the opportunity for each of us to focus more clearly on our relationship with God, and that our understanding of this call to Christian discipleship will be strengthened by the many signs that this season will bring, especially when they arrive unexpectedly.