Catholic Schools Week

Dear Parishioners,

This week begins Catholic Schools Week.  A time to celebrate and refocus upon the purpose of Christian education.In high school, I took an art fundamentals class where one of the projects was to make a clay pot.  Our instructor took us through the steps and set us on our way.  After much work and several mistakes, I ended up with a decent pot which still sits in my room today.  Education is like that pottery lesson.  Education comes from the Latin word "Educare" meaning to train, mold, bring up, or nourish.  It implies that an educator shapes a learner into a desired form like a potter shaping clay at their wheel.  Education has been a fundamental part of preparing our children for adulthood.  In every culture, this begins in the home where children are taught and take on various responsibilities for the good of the family and community.  They then learned a trade through a family member or went on to an apprenticeship with a trusted workshop: blacksmithing, glass working, masonry, etc.Christianity takes this molding time and focuses on each point to direct young men and women to become disciples of Christ.  This instruction aims to nurture students not only intellectually, but also spiritually and morally.  The hope is that a Catholic, universal, education will integrate Christ into every part of our lives: homes, schools, businesses, public discourse, travel, research, discoveries, and so much more.  Christ is not limited to the Church building.  Jesus taught his disciples and drew from their knowledge to reveal heavenly truths.   Today, people are making use of their skills in the sciences: medicine, astronomy, botany, etc., and finding marvels beyond their imagination.  Art and Theater are a means of capturing the perennial truths about ourselves and asking fundamental questions:  "What is my purpose?"  "Why am I here."  Why is there something rather than nothing?"I have been in education now for the last seven years and it has been the most rewarding and challenging of my assignments.  I normally would prefer to sit and learn from another, but this has challenged me to explain in various and creative ways the truths of our Faith.  Most joyfully, God has blessed me with many fatherly moments at the schools I have been assigned.  In truth, it has been a joy to encounter each of your children at school and the parish.  Their excitement and discovery show us a glimpse of the joy God the Father has for us when we uncover a mystery or finally make a breakthrough.  I hope that this Catholic Schools Week may be a wonder-filled time. 

May God Bless you all!

In Christ, Fr. Luke Fleck