2025 Catholic Schools Week Supplement

Catholic schools provide life-changing path for ‘Pilgrims of Hope’

By Brian Disney (Superintendent of Catholic schools in the archdiocese)

One of the most significant events in the Church’s journey is the Jubilee Year, a time of reflection, renewal and reconciliation. The 2025 Jubilee Year offers an important opportunity for Catholic schools to deepen their role in the Church’s mission, providing a life-changing path for their students, families, educators and the larger community as “pilgrims of hope,” the theme for the jubilee. As we celebrate this special year, our Catholic schools are renewing themselves with the themes of the jubilee, emphasizing faith, reconciliation and hope.

The term “pilgrims of hope” suggests a journey, one that is both personal and communal. Pilgrimage, in Catholic tradition, is not just about a physical journey to a sacred place, but also a spiritual journey toward holiness.

Similarly, Catholic schools are places where students embark on a pilgrimage of faith, growing in their understanding of God’s love, their relationship with Christ and their responsibility to serve others. The 2025 Jubilee Year acts as a catalyst for reinvigorating this journey, guiding students toward a deeper sense of purpose and a stronger commitment to living out their faith in the world.

The theme of “hope” is central to the jubilee year. In a world that often seems fractured by division, injustice and uncertainty, Catholic schools can provide a beacon of light. Hope, in the Christian sense, is not a naive or passive optimism but an active trust in God’s promises.

Catholic schools have the responsibility of fostering this hope within their students, helping them to see that their lives have meaning and that they are called to contribute to the transformation of society. This is not just about academic excellence, but about forming individuals who are compassionate, loving and committed to the common good.

In this context, our Catholic schools strive to cultivate an environment where students can encounter Christ, encounter one another, and encounter the world with eyes of faith. The 2025 Jubilee Year offers a perfect occasion for our schools to renew their commitment to integrating faith into every subject, every interaction and every decision. Religious education is not compartmentalized but permeates the entire school culture, forming students not just academically but also spiritually, emotionally and morally.

Reconciliation is another key theme of the jubilee year. Catholic schools are uniquely positioned to be places where students learn to practice forgiveness, dialogue and understanding, modeling these virtues in their relationships with others. By promoting reconciliation, Catholic schools can create environments where students learn to overcome conflict and division with the love and mercy of Christ.

In this pilgrimage of hope, Catholic schools have a vital role in the Church’s mission during the 2025 Jubilee Year. By fostering a deeper relationship with Christ, encouraging active hope and promoting reconciliation, Catholic schools help to form a new generation of faithful, compassionate individuals who carry the light of the Gospel into a world in desperate need of healing and transformation.

The 2025 Jubilee Year is not only a time for personal reflection and growth, but also a time for Catholic schools to reaffirm their commitment to being sources of hope and beacons of faith in the world. †
 

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