Our Schools Need You

By DEACON SEAN COSTELLO

One of the blessings of being the superintendent of Catholic schools is that I get to spend time in our Catholic schools around the diocese. This time of year, it is especially remarkable because of the excitement that these beautiful young souls bring into the classroom. And yes, all kids are excited to share with you how they can’t wait for Santa to come down the chimney with presents, but our Catholic school children are also so excited to tell you all about how Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. They are even quick to tell you how Advent is the season to prepare for Christmas, and Christmas is the day that Jesus was born. Our kids are learning the faith.

This is a testament to our teachers and staff who partner with parents to best serve the students placed in their care. In a culture that goes out of its way to secularize Christmas and speak of it as if it were just another generic holiday, our schools are focused on Christ’s incarnation. Our students are being reminded of the reality that St. Athanasius wrote about in On the Incarnation where he states, “For the Son of God became man so that we can become God.” Our students are taught to recognize that Christmas isn’t just about decorations and presents, but that our Lord humbled himself to become one of us. We can share in his divinity and have eternal life if we choose to love him and live as he commands. In our schools our students are being formed in the faith.

Our schools are doing the best they can to continue this important mission of the Church, and they are not immune to the financial hardships that we are seeing today. As the cost of everything continues to rise, our schools are being asked to continue the same level of excellence while doing so with less and less resources available to them. And as good as our schools are at forming the students in their care, they are not as good at communicating the reality that they need our help.

As we prepare to close out another calendar year, I reach out to you, the faithful of this diocese, to consider how you can partner with our schools and help them live out their mission day in and day out. First off, I ask you to please pray for them. Pray for our school leaders, teachers, and all staff members. Ask our Lord to pour His grace down on them so that they are able to fully live heroically as disciples of Christ living out His charism for them to teach. I also ask you to pray that the schools fully live out their mission as the Bride of Christ, the Church, calls them to. Our schools must be fully on mission if they are going to ensure that our students are prepared to carry the Gospel out into the world.

Next, I ask you to prayerfully consider reaching out to your area Catholic school with an offer of additional financial support. We are doing our best to keep tuition costs as low as possible, and to provide additional financial support through scholarships and other tuition assistance programs for families who still cannot fully meet tuition obligations. Your generosity will help us come as close as possible to our goal of ensuring that every parent has access to a Catholic education for their children. Together we can better ensure that Catholic education will be available for families in our diocese for generations to come.

Be assured of my prayers for all our benefactors to Catholic education in our diocese, and please remember to pray for me as I serve all of you. May God bless you abundantly during this Advent season, and I wish you a Blessed Christmas and New Year.

Deacon Sean Costello is the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester