Will you join them in prayer?Highlighting Pope Francis’ message to the University of Notre Dame on the importance of Catholic universities to be “uncompromising witnesses… to the Church’s moral teachings,” today the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for a day of prayer and fasting for Catholic education.
The bishops are calling on Catholics to pray and abstain from meat, with the prayer intention that “we can continue to educate students in the fullness of our Catholic faith.”
The reflection reads:
"In his proclamation, Evangelii Gaudium,.. . Pope Francis praises the efforts of Catholic schools and charities that promote peace, social harmony, and the protection of human and civil rights. He states, "Yet, we find it difficult to make people see that when we raise other questions less palatable to public opinion, we are doing so out of fidelity to precisely the same convictions about human dignity and the common good." The role of Catholic schools, the Holy Father emphasizes, is to remain in dialogue with the formative teachings of the Church. In this way, all the sciences are embedded with Catholic theology, and these disciplines become instruments "for enlightening and renewing the world."… In his address… to trustees of the University of Notre Dame on Thursday, Pope Francis explained, "Essential… is the uncompromising witness of Catholic universities to the Church's moral teaching, and the defense of her freedom, precisely in and through her institutions, to uphold that teaching as authoritatively proclaimed by the magisterium of her pastors.""
In light of Catholic Schools Week, let us remember the role of Catholic schools in striving to proclaim the Gospel message in all areas of study through first knowing and loving Christ.
Courtesy of Catholic Education Daily of the Cardinal Newman Society
