CT/TONYTRIBBLE

Father Rob Waller, pastor of St. Andrew Church in Milford, celebrates Mass for Catholic Schools Week at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.

Catholic schools highlighted at annual Mass

Students prepare to ‘light the way’

By David Eck

ARCHDIOCESE — It was frigid outside, with temperatures in the teens, but the spirit of Catholic schools helped warm St. Christopher Church in Vandalia at the annual Mass celebrating Catholic Schools Week on Jan. 30.

Meanwhile, at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati, Father Rob Waller was the celebrant for the Cincinnati area marking the annual homage to our Catholic schools in the archdiocese.

At the beginning of the Mass in Vandalia, nearly two dozen students processed into the church two by two, each carrying a candle with their school’s name printed on the colored holder. The theme of Catholic Schools Week was "Light the Way."

A special choir made up of musicians and vocalists from Alter, Carroll, Lehman and Chamindade-Julienne high schools provided the music. The upbeat group, which had rehearsed together just once, featured a piano, guitar, percussion and a flute.

In his homily, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk, smiling at times, told the students that Christ is the one person that makes a Catholic school exist. While schools require principals, students, teachers, priests and parents, Christ is the key in a Catholic school.

"There is one person who really is the most important, one person without whom your Catholic school couldn’t exist, without whom your Catholic schools would have no reason to be, and that person is Christ the Lord," the archbishop said. "We can talk about principals and teachers and students and priests and parishioners as much as we like, but when it’s all said and done, the main, the central, the absolutely essential person in our schools has to be Christ."

The archbishop told the students that the subjects they study help them understand Christ, his teaching and the world he came to save.

"But our schools exist not just so that we will know about Christ, but also to help us be like Him," Archbishop Pilarczyk said. "The whole atmosphere of our schools is supposed to help us grow in likeness to Christ. Our teachers are supposed to be reflections of Christ’s love and concern for us. And in our love for one another, in our kindness and consideration of those around us, we are supposed to be communicators, channels, agents of that same love of Christ for our fellow students. The Catholic school is a place where students not only learn about Christ, but also where they have a chance to practice being like Christ."

The Mass was a companion to one held at Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati. That Mass, celebrated by Father Waller, pastor at St. Andrew Parish, featured students carrying school banners.

The Masses are among the highlights of Catholic Schools Week.

"The Mass and Catholic Schools Week are a joyous celebration highlighting the many blessings and benefits of Catholic schools to our Church, the nation and most important to our students and their families," said Anne Battes, deputy superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese. "The celebration of the Mass at St. Christopher Church demonstrates how our students are being nurtured as leaders in our Church and in their own lives. The students were tremendous as music ministers, lectors and ministers of hospitality. This is a tribute to all the adults who take such great efforts believing in and working with our young people."

CT/JEFF UNROE

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk gives holy communion to students in the Dayton and northern deaneries at St. Christopher Church in Vandalia.