Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Good News For All

Our Catholic schools are places of good news. We, as members of our Catholic school communities, impelled by our baptism and confirmation, are its messengers. What is the good news that we are bringing?

It is nothing less than the announcement of God's saving purpose for the world, revealed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It is thus the proclamation of God's love and the hope this gives to our lives. In an era when this announcement was often shared by travel on foot, St. Paul proclaimed the feet of the messengers to be beautiful in virtue of the message they carried. "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." -(Romans 10:15).

Methods of communication have changed dramatically since the days of the early Church, but they, too, can be considered beautiful if they are used to convey the life-saving truth of the Gospel. The call to be bearers of good news echoes through every age of the Church. Our schools have a responsibility to take up this call and respond effectively. The Catholic school must be a vibrant vessel of the faith, where members proclaim, hear and live the good news daily. Nourished and moved by our faith in Jesus Christ, we proclaim the good news of His love in our schools and seek to live from it. How might we each participate in this vital mission of the Catholic school?

Administrators announce Christ by governing in accordance with the Lord's example of servant leadership and ensuring that all aspects of school life are consistent with the teachings of the Gospel and the Church. Teachers proclaim the Gospel when they strive to form not only the minds but also the hearts of their students and help them to know, love and follow Jesus. School personnel give witness to the love of Christ when their care for the school environment reflects that of God for the social and natural environments in which our students grow. Finally, the quest for learning and dynamism of life characteristic of so many of our students express the deep longing of the human heart for Christ and the desire of the Lord to fill that desire with His love.

Our Catholic schools must be filled with the good news of Christ. On this Catholic Education Sunday, and throughout the school year, let us continue to work at bringing the good news to all we encounter. This is a message that is meant to be shared. It is one that celebrates God's love and purpose for our lives. It is good news for all!

A Special Message for Students on Catholic Education Sunday

Dear Students in Christ,

Good News For All

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news." – Romans 10:15

Every day you are surrounded by messages. When you turn on the television, when you go on the internet, on the bus, at the mall, in almost every space of your life you are being filled with messages - messages to buy things, messages on how to behave, messages from your friends and family. With all of these messages, it is hard to discern the most important message of all: God's message to you.

And yet, this is the message that you need to hear most clearly. This is a message of good news, a message of joy. This is a message of God's purpose for your life. Further, when we share this good news in our communities, we engage in a dimension of our relationship with Jesus and our faith strengthens. We get to know Jesus.

You are the vibrancy of our Catholic schools. You show us a faith that is filled with energy and creativity. This is the message and the good news that you carry into and celebrate in our Catholic schools. Catholic Education Sunday is as much a celebration of your faith, as it is of those around you. Your good news is the good news that we want to continue to keep alive in our school communities.

During this Catholic Education Sunday, and in the following weeks and months, it is important for you begin to discover this message and really listen to it, despite all the other messages in your life. This message of good news is one that deserves to be at the center of your life. It fills you with God's purpose for your life and you become messengers of the good news. It is news that stands above all of the other messages that you hear in your lives. Join us as we work together, walking in unison with beautiful feet – feet made beautiful by their purpose of sharing God's message – to share the good news within our school communities and outside of them. This is good news for all!

Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
Archbishop of Edmonton

Most Reverend Frederick Henry
Bishop of Calgary

Most Reverend Gerard Pettipas CSsR
Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan

Most Reverend David Motiuk
Bishop of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Edmonton

Most Reverend Murray Chatlain
Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith

Most Reverend Luc Bouchard
Bishop of St. Paul