Last Updated: Monday - 09/27/2010

Alberta bishops extol Catholic Education

Dear Friends in Christ:

Catholic Education Sunday can be an occasion for each person to look more deeply into the values that underlie Catholic education itself. In the Catholic school, from kindergarten to Grade 12, following in the tradition of the early pioneers of Catholic education in our province, an educational experience is lived in which, as in all educational institutions, students are challenged to grow in knowledge, skill and understanding. They are prepared, as in all good schools, to be effective citizens, and are given the training needed in order to contribute to the social and economic life of our province.

But they are also explicitly called to look to the deeper questions. Who am I? What is the purpose of life, as illuminated by the revelation of God in Jesus? Where can I find guidance in the face of the evil so much part of our world wherever injustice reigns, far away or near at home?

To some degree through religion classes, but more through the atmosphere of prayer, and through the faith commitment of students, of teachers, of all who work in the school, of administrators, of trustees, and of parents, Catholic education is a whole lived reality centred on the ultimate questions, and upon a commitment to treat every person with the reverence due to a child of God.

It is important that these matters be addressed in the early years of education. It is even more important that they be considered, at a more profound level, in the teenage years, in high school.

These values permeate the school, and the school building becomes not only a house of learning but a home of holy wisdom. This is the goal of Catholic education. Many of our fellow citizens, who do not share the Catholic faith, testify through word and action to their appreciation for the presence of Catholic schools, and the way in which they provide an alternative that enriches the wider community.

We pray that through this celebration of Catholic Education Sunday, our Catholic school communities will ever more deeply cherish the values that are their true foundation.

	Thomas Collins Archbishop of Edmonton
	Frederick Henry Bishop of Calgary
	Luc Bouchard Bishop of Saint-Paul
	Lawrence Huculak, osbm Bishop of Ukrainian Eparchy of Edmonton
	Arthé Guimond Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan
	Denis Croteau, omi Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith

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