Homily for 2016 Catholic Schools Mass

Oct. 4, 2016
St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  He is, perhaps, the most well known and popular saints of the Catholic Church.  We see him in paintings, pictures and statues dressed in his brown robe, with a rope belt around his waist, usually with his arms joyfully raised up in prayer, surrounded by birds and other animals.  It is easy to love and admire him.  And we do.  He is loved and admired so much, that even the Pope took his name, Pope Francis, the same way we take the names of saints when we receive confirmation.

St. Francis was one of seven children born into a wealthy family.  His original name at baptism was John Peter but as an infant his father called him “Francesco” or Francis after the country of France that his father loved because he was so successful as a businessman there. The family was Italian, however, and lived in the town of Assisi in Italy.

“Francis of Assisi” was a very lucky boy, living in a rich family, and enjoying all the things that his rich family provided.  As a young man he joined the army and was captured.  When he returned home, he continued to enjoy his life until he got sick around the age of 23.   It was during his sickness, that things started to change for him. He had a dream, a vision, and lost his interest in being rich.  He went on a pilgrimage to Rome and lived with beggars and homeless people.  He gave a poor man there everything he owned.  His friends at home made fun of him and his father grew very angry and beat him.  Francis started to pray and spend time alone, visiting churches around Assisi.  He joined a poor parish priest and realized that God was calling him to do something special with his life.

Today, young people from all over the Diocese, have come to our Cathedral to celebrate Catholic schools, a few weeks into the new school year.  Like St. Francis on his pilgrimage trip to Rome, we are very lucky to be here.  We may not have a dream or vision that brings us together but we have something very special: our faith in Jesus Christ.  And that faith, the reason for Catholic schools, leads us all, leads you to understand that our Catholic schools give us a chance to pray and learn more about our faith in a way that many of our friends in public schools do not and cannot share.

You have seen posters, I am sure, that say “Catholic a Schools Have It All” and that is so true.  We learn all the same things that our public school friends do but we learn something more.  We learn that everything we have and learn is a gift from God.  We learn about our Catholic religion and what the Bible and our Church teaches. We learn how to pray.  We learn that everyone, including our friends in other schools, were created by God and that makes us look at our lives, our families, our friends, our studies, our talents differently.  We learn the difference between right and wrong and why.  We learn that Jesus invites us to live a life of love and helping others because that’s what he did, that’s what he wants for us.  In addition to everything we learn in the subjects we study, we learn the one thing that completes them all: our faith in Jesus Christ.  We “have it all.”

It took Francis of Assisi many years and many experiences to become a saint.  Our years in Catholic schools do the same for us.  Today, at Holy Mass, the most important Catholic prayer, let us pray a prayer of thanks to God for our Catholic schools and all that they do for us.  Let us pray a prayer of thanks for our parents for their sacrifice to send us to Catholic schools.  Let us pray a prayer of thanks for our principals and teachers and staff, for our pastors and priests who support us in Catholic schools.  Let us ask St. Francis of Assisi on his feast day to pray for us all, that we may become instruments of God’s peace in our families and in our world.

Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Bishop of Trenton