Back-to-school with renewed energy

The month of September is fast upon us and with it comes, at least for me, a certain sense of nostalgia. When I was young, it signaled the beginning of another year in Catholic school which I enjoyed very much but also it signaled that the autumn season was coming. Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year.
 
Now that I am older, I still have this same sense of nostalgia even as I watch our children and young people begin or return to Catholic school. My fervent hope and prayer for all of them is that they receive from their Catholic school education what I did, a greater knowledge and love of our Faith and our Church, and an increased love for learning the truth about the world, our society and especially about themselves as loved by God.
 
The beginning of another school year gives me the opportunity to thank all of you who continue to support all of our Catholic schools in the diocese by your prayers, by your financial support, by enrolling your children and by your participation in our school activities. We simply could not do the excellent job our teachers continue to do without your wholehearted support. I thank all of you in my own name and that of our dedicated faculty and staff.
 
The month of September, like all the months of our calendar year, has several beautiful feasts which we celebrate as Catholics. I would like to mention just a few of these feasts and while none are holy days of obligation, if possible, I encourage you to attend Holy Mass.  The first is celebrated on September 3 and is the feast of Pope St. Gregory the Great, the Benedictine monk who became Pope and is responsible for the conversion of so many in what is now the British Isles, as well as the one from whom the beautiful chant of the Church’s liturgy takes its name. The next is Saturday, September 14 and is the feast of the Exaltation of the Most Holy Cross; the following Saturday, the 21, is the feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist and Martyr. These two feasts don’t need any explanation as every Catholic should be familiar with both.
 
The next feast is that of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Padre Pio, on Monday, September 23, a saint for our own times and whose relics we have had the privilege of having in our Diocese.  The following Friday, September 27 is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, a saint who is well-known to us and who certainly needs no introduction given the several parishes which have such active chapters dedicated to the service of the poor, just as was St. Vincent. Finally, the feast of St. Jerome is celebrated this year on Monday, September 30, and the Church in every age owes him a great debt of gratitude for his wonderful translation of the Bible into Latin known as the Vulgate. 
 
So, this is a beautiful month for many reasons, but most importantly a time for us to count our many blessings and express our gratitude to God by strengthening our own lives of faith as members of the communion of saints. Let us continue to pray for one another and then work to present Jesus to others in our daily lives at home, in school and at work.