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Greetings!
As with many of you, I find myself listening closely for signs of where Pope Leo’s pontificate may lead, and wondering what the Cardinals discerned the Church needed as they prayed and elected him.
This past Sunday at St. Patrick, our pastor, Fr. David, shared a reflection from Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway. On a panel at the Napa Institute, Bishop Varden was asked to share his hopes and thoughts about what we need now as a Church in light of the new Leo pontificate, and the opportunities and challenges before us. He proposed the following:
“So what do we need now? Like most bishops, I dare say, I am often presented, on trips around the diocese, with long lists of people’s perceived needs. I give these my attention; then try to suggest that the crucial question may not in fact be, ‘What do we need?’, but, ‘What are we needed for?’ A shocking aspect of Biblical faith is God’s preferential option for letting his providence unfold, for all his omnipotence, through fallible, weak, sinful human beings. How can we make ourselves mobilisable for his salvific, blessed purpose? This kind of consideration is what we need above all.”
That inversion of the question captured my imagination: What are our Catholic schools needed for? Without falling into the bias of the present moment, I would argue our Catholic schools are as relevant and necessary today as at any point in history. They remain places that bring people together, foster dialogue and listening, and above all, make Christ present as “not a wall that separates, but a door that unites us” (Pope Leo XIV).
As school leaders, you are not strangers to lists of needs. Yet those lists can distract if we lose sight of the deeper question of what we are needed for: to form disciples and to provide our students, and every member of our communities, with an encounter with the risen Christ. How can we make ourselves mobilisable for his salvific, blessed purpose? This kind of consideration is what we need above all.
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Today is your LAST CHANCE to order your Archdiocese of Seattle logo apparel. Please select ONE item in the size of your choice.
Principals: Your fabulous new logo wear will be delivered to you at the September Retreat.
Pastors: Your Principals will personally deliver your new logo wear after their September Retreat. We hope you will wear your new apparel all over town! Have a Question? Contact Kristin Moore HERE.
With gratitude,
NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent
Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle
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