Last Updated: Monday - 09/27/2010

The Eucharist: Gift of God for the life of the world

A message from the Alta. Bishops for Catholic Education Sunday

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The theme of the upcoming 49th International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Quebec City, June 2008 is The Eucharist, gift of God for the life of the world. This theme has also been adopted as the theme for our celebration of Catholic Education Sunday, Nov. 4. It is an invitation for us to grow in our identity as a Eucharistic people, a people called to become what we receive, "the Body of Christ" for the world.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy quoting 1 Timothy 2:4 opens with the words: "God wills that all peoples be saved and come to the knowledge of truth." The Eucharist is both the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed and the fount from which all of her power flows.

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is truly the encounter with the Risen Lord. The Eucharist animates and strengthens us to be a presence of Christ that proclaims life, love and hope for a world yearning for liberation and truth. As a pilgrim people on a faith journey, we are constantly in a state of becoming and transforming.

Catholic education pursues and proclaims truth. "True education is directed towards the formation of human persons in view of their final end and the good of that society to which they belong and the duties of which they will, as an adult, have a share" (Declaration on Christian Education, 1).

The General Directory for Catechesis sees the Catholic school as a most important place for human and Christian formation. When we provide our young people with an authentic experience of communities of faith and caring, where people are formed in the knowledge that all people are created in the image and likeness of God, we are providing a fertile ground in which the seeds of the Gospel can grow and bear fruit for the world.

We are deeply grateful to all those parents, teachers, administrators, trustees and support staff, indeed all those who see themselves as integral to the formation process at hand, to help our young people come to a deeper appreciation of who they are as sons and daughters of God.

As we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday, may this theme - The Eucharist, gift of God for the life of the world - move us to become true communities of inspiration, affirmation and prophetic character. May our Catholic schools be a real source of light to the world by the way we gather to study and learn to be a people redeemed and liberated by the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord.

	Most Reverend Richard W. Smith Archbishop of Edmonton
	Most Reverend Frederick B. Henry Bishop of Calgary
	Most Reverend Luc Bouchard Bishop of Saint-Paul
	Most Reverend David Motiuk Eparchial Bishop of Edmonton
	Most Reverend Gérard Pettipas, CSsR Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan
	Most Reverend Denis Croteau, omi Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith
	Most Reverend Murray Chatlain Coadjutor Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith

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