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CHURCH SOCIAL TIPS
The first month of the year is dedicated to prayer for Catholic education. It is fitting that we celebrate these amazing institutions when the feast days of their champions are celebrated. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the patron saint of U.S. Catholic schools and the first American to be canonized. St. John Bosco is the patron for school children. St. John Neumann designed the blueprint for diocesan school systems. And the feast day of our beloved St. Marianne Cope, whose religious order administered Catholic schools in addition to health care facilities, is also celebrated in January.
Home is the first classroom for teaching the faith to the next generation. Catholic school curriculum incorporates teaching students reading, writing, arithmetic and the Catholic faith. An extension of Catholic schools is also religious education programs open to children who do not attend a parochial school.
For nearly 20 years, Jayne Ragasa Mondoy has served as the director of the Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Honolulu. She has gained national prominence for her expertise in catechesis following the publication of her book “Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage and Retain Successful Catechist.” She is a sought-after speaker at Catholic conferences, and this year marks her fourth appearance as a featured speaker at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress (RECongress), Feb. 24-26.
I asked her to share her thoughts on the role of parents in educating children.
“Forming our children in faith begins in the home, before our child reaches ‘catechetical age,’” Ragasa Mondoy said. “We are models of prayer ourselves AND teach our children to pray. We have a loving commitment to attend Mass regularly AND introduce our little ones over time to this exquisite form of worship. We read sacred Scripture AND help our children connect to faith stories and family life.”
She mentioned that grandparents are a deep font of wisdom as well.
Being educated in Catholic schools really helped me form a community and culture of shared experiences that shaped my Catholicity. The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts from Hawaii educated me at Maria Regina Parish in Gardena, California. Lessons learned from my teachers taught me to pray. The community helped me form little habits like writing JMJ (Jesus Mary Joseph) on my papers in school that translated into important papers as an adult.
This year Catholic Schools Week was celebrated Jan. 29-Feb. 4. This weeklong celebration for our schools was established by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) in 1974. Each day focuses on a specific aspect of how faith intersects with education.
Monday: Celebrating Your Parish
Tuesday: Celebrating Your Community
Wednesday: Celebrating Students
Thursday: Celebrating the Nation
Friday: Celebrating Faculty and Staff
Saturday: Celebrating the Family
Many schools have closed in the shadow of COVID and so many struggle to find teachers to educate students. Let us pray for the intercession of the many saints who are responsible for creating our Catholic school systems to protect and preserve these institutions.
Bless all our Catholic Schools and the many people who advance our mission.
May our schools be a home for those who seek to grow in openness, faith, love, intellect and commitment to justice. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. (NCEA)
Hayes-Peirce is Catholic social media consultant based in California.