Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last week, I celebrated Mass for Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic school principals and administrators. I jokingly said that I love to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for them but seeing them here “in force” leaves a distinct feeling in my gut. It announces to me that summer is over, and it’s “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s back to work we go.” 

I couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of our Catholic schools. Amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic and politicalization of the crisis, the dedicated leadership of our principals and teachers placed our students first. Now the psychological and intellectual well-being of our students is demonstrated in the early standardized testing.

We need to be proactive in our support for Catholic education. There are ideologies that are destructive to the health of our society, so we must be ready to counter the arguments imposed on our young. The best way to insure we have a voice in our community today and in the future is through an educated Catholic vision.

Many parents would probably tell you that their children are anxious to get back to school. They can’t wait to interact with their friends, encounter some favorite teachers and look forward to what another year brings. We adults, on the other hand, want to slow down that process; for us, time moves too quickly.

Now as adults, we reminisce about those days of the beginning of school. As a newly ordained priest, I remember the first day at my assigned parish. I wasn’t grabbing books and heading to class, searching for a pen to write with or rushing to meet a friend to walk to class with. No, this was the first time in 21 years that I would not be attending a formal class. It was strange. Now to be honest, it would be another eight years before I would surrender my student “persona.” Although I was a teacher for some 24 years, I was always much more comfortable sitting at the desk than behind the podium.

I was very fortunate to have attended several different schools, thereby experiencing a number of different teachers. Some with intellectual superiority that made one gasp, others with wit and charm that put a smile on one’s face, and still others who were dull and listless, but they knew their field. They all contributed to whatever knowledge I possess today.

The best teachers not only inform you, but engage you. They offer opportunities for you to argue points or defend your position. It was those teachers that respected your student interest.

Cardinal Francis George, a friend and mentor who ordained me a bishop, often stated that we were entering the third generation of illiterate Catholics. Those who claim to be Catholic but who know little about the teaching of the faith. The danger is that we then allow a secular view with no sense of God, natural law, revelation, etc., to fashion arguments that deny the vision of the importance of family, the priority of human life, the nature of man and woman and a Supreme Being.

Our students will now return to school for another year of studies. Let us assist them in a Catholic vision that fashions a world created by a loving God who sent His Son and called us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the Aug. 8, 2023, "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.