One of the best gifts I have received in my life was an education in Catholic schools.
I was fortunate to attend Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and Aquinas High School, both in La Crosse, Wis.
Those 12 years of Catholic education made a great impact on my life. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was being evangelized.
“Evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself.” That’s what it says in a document published by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1993 called Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States.
We were evangelized
Now I have to admit that I didn’t hear the word “evangelization” spoken in the Catholic schools I attended. But that didn’t mean that teachers, principals, and staff weren’t evangelizing. In looking back, I realize they indeed were evangelizers.
We began each day in my elementary school with Mass and each class with a brief prayer. We were encouraged to offer our own prayers, for example, for those who were sick or suffering in our own families and in the community and world at large.
It was clear to me that my teachers believed what they taught. Sisters, priests, and lay teachers alike included elements of the Catholic faith in all subjects, not just in religion class.
In every year of high school, we had daily religion classes taught by local priests. I was so happy to see one of those priests at my recent 50th high school reunion. He is still a joyful priest who radiates the love of God to people around him.
I enjoyed getting to know some of the Sisters who taught me, so much so that I invited several of them to our wedding. They, too, were wonderful examples of Religious Women serving the Church.
All of my teachers encouraged me by their example to continue to be an active member of the Catholic Church to this day.
Importance of evangelization
A document I found online called Evangelization in the Catholic School from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Md., sums up why evangelization in Catholic schools is so important:
“Evangelization occurs when people are so ablaze with the fire of God’s love that they cannot help but witness to and share their faith with others. Evangelization happens by the way we live God’s love in our daily life; by the love, example, and support people give each other; and by the ways parents pass faith on to their children. The Catholic school is, in essence, an evangelizing ministry, guided by the Holy Spirit, and faithful to the continuing mission of Jesus Christ, ‘I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.’”
As we prepare to celebrate Catholic Schools Week (January 26 to February 1), I know that our Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison are committed to continuing this evangelizing mission. I encourage parents to send their children to Catholic schools and for all of us to continue to support the schools we attended and all Catholic schools in our parishes and throughout the diocese with our time, talent, and treasure.