Put Out Into the Deep
Bishop DiMarzio's weekly column
THE TABLET
November 15, 2008
Pray for Catholic Education
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As I explained in an earlier column, our Diocese has embarked on an historic series of initiatives that together are called “Preserving the Vision”. Their purpose is to identify the challenges faced by our Catholic elementary schools and through a collaborative and consultative process, create strategic plans that will ensure that our Catholics schools remain vital, vibrant and excellent for years to come.
The heart of “Preserving the Vision” is a reconfiguration process that seeks to re-imagine our schools by embracing a new paradigm which creates multiple partnerships that work together to strengthen the life of each individual school. Central to realizing this new paradigm is the need for lay leaders to offer their expertise by sharing in the governance of our schools in a new fashion.
We cannot forget that the mission of Catholic education is a divine one. It was the Lord Jesus who instructed his disciples to teach and preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Catholic schools play a privileged (but not an exclusive) role in this mission by instructing our children in the tenets of the faith, giving them the opportunity to fall in love with the person of Jesus, and to live their faith in charity, in service, and as active, worshiping members of their parishes.
For this mission to be successful, it must be rooted in a deep desire to fulfill the Lord’s command. This desire can only be nourished by a personal commitment to prayer. Each person must nurture a spirituality that makes our Catholic faith the centerpiece of everything our schools do. For this reason, our efforts to strengthen Catholic identity are an essential part of all that “Preserving the Vision” is meant to do.
Further, in times of challenge and change, prayer becomes an even more important personal resource available to us. Saint Augustine reminds us that prayer is not meant to tell God what he does not know. Rather, prayer is meant to prepare our hearts to receive what God wishes to give us in blessings.
Periods of change are often anxious times, however they are also times of opportunity and growth. As “Preserving the Vision” moves forward, it will give each school of the Diocese unparalleled opportunities for growth and new life. Will our hearts be ready to embrace these opportunities? Will we have the courage to cast out into the deep and trust that the Lord will take care of our children, teachers and parents in new and exciting ways? Will we have the courage to be bold, creative and innovative?
We will only be able to do these things if we dedicate ourselves in fervent prayer to meet the challenges before us. With the Lord, we can do anything. Without the Lord, whatever we do, will not last.
There is a second reason why prayer is essential for all who participate in “Preserving the Vision”. If the mission of Catholic education is given by the Lord, then the Lord is ready to guide us on the paths of his choosing, in order to ensure that the mission endures. For many in business and politics, planning means achieving a workable compromise; they begin their work by admitting the challenges before them, identifying strategies to meet those challenges. They discuss concessions that they can live with and eventually create a final “compromise”. For our planning purposes, such a methodology will not work. It forgets one basic fact: the mission of Catholic education is the Lord’s. Our planning is not about compromising among ourselves, but rather discerning what the Lord expects from us all. Such discernment is not possible without daily, fervent prayer on the part of all involved.
For this reason, I call upon everyone in our Diocese to pray fervently for the renewal of the mission of Catholic education, as it is lived especially in our Catholic schools and parish programs of faith formation. The first and most important initiative of “Preserving the Vision” is a prayer campaign that consists of three elements:
- A series of prayers, each written in an age appropriate fashion, which can be used by adults, teenagers and children. They will be distributed in multiple languages to the pastors and principals of our Diocese. The English version of the prayers appears in today’s Tablet in a way that can be clipped and used.
- A series of petitions that may be included in the Prayer of the Faithful both at daily and Sunday Mass will be provided to parishes.
- Specially scheduled spiritual exercises for our teachers, principals and students in Catholic schools and programs of faith formation.
In our secular society, many doubt the power of prayer and the discipline needed to foster a personal spirituality. Whether people realize it or not, they hunger for a deeper relationship with God that can only grow through a daily commitment to prayer and reflection.
As Catholic Christians, our lives must be built upon such prayer. Our planning efforts cannot succeed without prayer. In this process of “Preserving the Vision,” we must put out into the deep so that from the further shore we can see the goal in greater perspective.
A Prayer for Young Students
Lord Jesus, be with me in my school today as we all work together to preserve the vision of
Catholic education and formation.
Help me to get to know you better
and put in my heart the need to be a good Christian.
Help us all to have open minds
and guide our teachers to be leaders in the faith.
Help me to serve you with great joy
and fill my mind with wisdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
A Prayer for Students
Holy Spirit, guide us and strengthen us.
Help us to be open to your power in our lives.
May our prayers and efforts bring renewal, hope and positive change
to all children and young people in our Diocese.
Fill us with hope, strength and joy.
Give us the courage of the saints
to accomplish Your Will and do great things for the Church.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
A Prayer for Adults
Heavenly Father, we come before you as your family united in faith and love.
Bless our efforts to renew the education and formation
of all our children and teenagers.
Open our minds and hearts to discern your will in all that we do,
so that together we may preserve the vision of Catholic education and formation in our Church.
May your Holy Spirit inspire and guide us on this hope-filled journey
toward the renewal of your Church.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.