In this issue of FAITH Saginaw, we are taking an indepth look at the gift of our Catholic schools. Along with vocations, evangelization, poverty and stewardship, this is one of my top priorities in the diocese.

I was fortunate to attend a Catholic school from kindergarten through graduate school, with the exception of fi fth and sixth grade, when my family lived in Illinois. I am deeply indebted to the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the Dominican Sisters and the Christian Brothers, not only for a great education, but also for helping me to develop a positive Catholic identity. There was a culture in the schools that I attended that was thoroughly Catholic and aided my parents in passing on their faith tradition.

The message preached at Sunday Mass was enforced all week long with the priests visiting the classroom, daily Mass during Lent and great preparation for Christmas and Easter. To this day, I treasure the preparation for my first holy Communion and how special the sisters made the day for us.

When I attended Bishop Cretin High School in St. Paul, Minn., the Christian Brothers would always begin class by saying, “Live Jesus in our hearts.” And the class would shout, “Forever!” Class was interrupted halfway through and the student assigned to lead prayer that week would say, “Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God.” The entire class would pause for a brief moment and the instruction would pick up again. After four years, we each were certainly aware of the presence of God.

As I moved from grade school tohigh school to college, I would soon learn that the academic training I received was fi rst class. The teachers were there to teach, integrating the spiritual with the secular. I believe these schools helped me to develop as a whole person, rubbing off some of my rough edges.

I am especially indebted to Sister Anna Lucille OP, a Sinsinawa Dominican, who began teaching in 1918 and had me in eighth grade in 1958. I wanted to go to Cretin High School and there was a waiting list. I had to take a test to get in. She spent countless hours with me, after school, helping me prepare for that test. I achievied my goal with Sister Anna’s help.

This experience also helpedme to develop an academic discipline that would mark my high school and college years and serve me well even today.

In the Catholic schools in this diocese, I have noticed the same sense of academic discipline remains today. I also notice among our young students, a sense of concern and care for one another.

In our world today, Catholic schools are more important than ever; with the crisis of values in society, expressing itself in subjectivism, moral relativism and rugged individualism. The Catholic school, with Christ as the foundation, must speak effectively and convincingly with a strong missionary thrust.

The Catholic school cannot be neutral toward the values of the culture, but must proclaim a concept of the human person based on church teaching. Each school must offer a strong defense for the dignity of all human life.

In the seventh grade and throughout high school, I began to learn about the demands of justice and charity through a whole variety of mission trips and service projects. We were invited to be catalysts for social change based on Gospel values.

I am proud of the fact that here in the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, we have a long tradition of service for our young people through such programs as Youth Encounter Saginaw (YES), the March for Life, mission trips and the requirement of service hours before graduation. This is the kind of stuff that disciples are made from.

As our students encounter the intellectual, social and ethical challenges of living in a technological and global society, I believe it is true to say that the Catholic school is an evangelizing educational community.

There are a lot of heroes in the Catholic school community today. Teachers, administrators, parents and benefactors all sacrifi ce every day to make sure our schools continue to offer every young person who desires to attend the gift of a great education.

As I go around the diocese during Catholic Schools Week, Iget to see, first-hand, all of the wonderful things that are going on in a great learning environment. At the same time, I meet the people who work so hard to make sure our schools grow and thrive each day.

The entire Catholic school community, along with dedicated pastors and parishes, sacrifices greatly to provide an education, which is authentically Catholic and authentically excellent. The success of Catholic education is beyond dispute. We can say with confidence that Catholics and others who attend Catholic schools derive significant academic, religious and social advantages.

As Father Andrew Greeley found in his research, Catholic school attendance is a powerful agent of religious formation and produces particularly good results in Catholic students who are from families that actively practice their faith.

Here in the Diocese of Saginaw, we will always work to provide excellent religious programs for those who do not attend Catholic schools, either because schools are not available in the area or because parents have selected public education for their children.

At the same time, even with all the challenges, we proudly proclaim the gift that Catholic schools have been for the spiritual growth of our young people in the past. I ask you to join me in praying that these schools will be instruments of spiritual growth and spiritual renewal for the next generation of Catholic parents and Catholic leaders.

Therefore, I join the University of Notre Dame and its task force on Catholic education in “reaffirming our commitment to Catholic elementary and secondary schools as invaluable instruments in proclaiming the Good News from one generation to the next.”

- Most. Rev. Robert J. Carlson is the fifth bishop of Saginaw.