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Good morning, Kristin,
At the conclusion of his homily opening the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops last week, Pope Francis reflected:
"Brothers and sisters, we begin anew our synodal path with an eye toward the world, since the Christian community is always at the service of humanity in order to announce the joy of the Gospel. In such a dramatic time in our history, when the winds of war and the flames of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations, there is need for this message."
As we mark one year since the Israel-Hamas War, with the war in Ukraine still raging, Pope Francis' call resonates deeply. War and violence continue to devastate entire nations, making the mission of our Catholic schools more urgent than ever.
Our mission states that our schools, "in communion with the Archbishop, in collaboration with parents, parish leadership, and the community, and in the service of teaching Gospel values and the faith of the Catholic Church, educate students in grades Pre-K to 12 for leadership and service to the Church and society through excellent religious, academic, and co-curricular programs that strive to be accessible to all."
Catholic schools exist to teach Gospel values and the faith of the Church. This mission reaches beyond the classroom. In fact, I believe our schools fulfill their purpose most effectively when our students go out into the world to announce the joy of the Gospel.
To do so, they must recognize that the foundation of all we do is Jesus. His teachings and example inspire us, and as Pope Francis reminded us, we "must be capable of imparting not only technical knowledge but also spiritual wisdom and virtuous behavior that is put into practice in daily life" (Francis, 2019).
In this challenging time for our world, our Catholic schools have a crucial role to play. We are called not only to educate, but to form students who can be beacons of hope, compassion, and peace. By grounding their lives in the teachings of Jesus, we prepare them to be leaders who serve both the Church and society, bringing the joy of the Gospel to a world in desperate need of it.
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Yesterday, our school leaders, pastors, and PAAs should have received an important message from Kevin Benz, the Director of IT at the Chancery. In summary, we have experienced an increasing number of exploit attempts attempting to take advantage of the relationship between the Archdiocese of Seattle and both the parishes and schools in Western Washington.
In attempts to misdirect funds, hackers are creating official appearing messages that inform the recipient of a bank change at the archdiocese and supplying alternative wire instructions compelling the recipient to wire monies to the hacker.
Please note: the Archdiocese has not recently changed its banking relationship. Any communication suggesting that change is not real.
If you are a member of one of the three identified groups above and did not receive yesterday’s message, please let us know so that we can ensure your email is included on the appropriate listservs.
With gratitude,
NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent
Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle
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