This weekend, we focus on the work of the Mustard Seed Communities (MSC). Mustard Seed was founded by Msgr. Gregory Ramkissoon, a Catholic priest in Jamaica. MSC started in Jamaica and expanded to Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Africa. It cares for several hundred children with special physical and mental health needs, many of whom have been abandoned. Our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, stated, “We need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished, and protected.” Mustard Seed strives to love and protect the most vulnerable of our children. It strives to focus on these children as gifts from God. MSC also manages a number of community outreach programs to combat poverty and provide educational opportunities to local populations.
Saint Brigid Catholic Church supports MSC primarily through its spiritual and financial assistance. Some of our parishioners have also adopted children from various Mustard Seed communities. Representatives of MSC will be available after the Masses this weekend to answer questions about the Community and its work. Please prayerfully consider supporting MSC as we stand united with the least of our brothers and sisters.
This week, we also celebrate National Catholic Schools Week. It is hosted by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). As reported by the media outlet, “Catholic Education Partnership”, “This year’s theme, ‘Normal Lives, Called to Holiness’, resonates with the central conviction that education is a path not only to knowledge and maturity but to sainthood.” The outlet also noted that “this year’s theme invites pupils, teachers, families, and parishes to explore the call to holiness as something both universal and accessible. Holiness is not for a few, but for all; not reserved for religious professionals or mystics, but for every student, teacher, parent, and grandparent, living each day in friendship with Jesus Christ. Catholic schools exist to form individuals who know that their lives have a purpose and a calling.”
As we reflect on these sentiments, we are reminded that Catholic education has always been a priority for the Catholic bishops of our nation. For many years, Catholic schools had been staffed primarily by nuns, religious brothers, and priests. They are now staffed primarily by lay teachers who truly view teaching as their vocation. These teachers strive to educate and form students who will embrace and spread the faith. We are blessed to have such dedicated men and women teaching our students.
As we celebrate this week, we are encouraged to pray that Catholic education will continue to flourish.