January
31st, Feast of St. John Bosco
This week, the Catholic Church
in the United States of America celebrates Catholic Schools Week. The US
Bishops ask us to consider the great blessing which Catholic schools are to our
Church and to our community at large.
During Catholic Schools Week,
we call to mind the fact that Catholic schools benefit not only the families
who send their children there, but the whole Church and all society. Every
Catholic, even if he has no children in Catholic schools (even if he has never
had children in the schools), should see Catholic schools as his schools – every Catholic benefits
from Catholic schools, and every Catholic has a duty of supporting Catholic
schools.
Today, I would like to point
out one way in which every Catholic benefits from Catholics schools: Catholic
schools produce vocations to the priesthood and religious life. It is
particularly fitting that we consider this benefit today, the feast of St. John
Bosco – the schools which he founded produced over six thousand vocations to
the priesthood during his life-time (and countless more since his death).
