January 27, 2010

Catholic schools: a solid foundation to build on

By Loretta Oakes

Have you ever heard of Turgot? An English monk who lived during the 11th century, he is now thought to be the architect of Europe’s finest Norman cathedral. Though he laid the cornerstone of this building in 1093, he never lived to see the church completed.

Many of the ancient architects designed and built beautiful cathedrals knowing full well they would never live long enough to see their work complete. Yet they built them anyway. They toiled day after day, month after month, year after year, never to see their work finished. Today, through their diligent effort, many beautiful cathedrals and churches throughout Europe and the Middle East still stand for us to admire.

Architects know that the key to a structure that endures time is the foundation of which the building stands. Jesus knew it too. In Luke 6, Jesus says, “That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against the house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”

Catholic schools provide the very foundation of which Jesus spoke. The infusion of Catholic ideas, faith and knowledge woven throughout the entire curriculum gives children the ability to build their foundation stone by stone, brick by brick.
Life is not easy, especially in these changing times. Societal pressures on our young children mount from very early on. With cell phones, video games and the Internet, kids are exposed to many things that can eventually take over if they are not properly grounded in what is real. Christianity is real. Faith is sometimes the only constant that can see us through hard times.

Repeatedly in society, we see where famous (and not so famous) people give in to societal pressure and the rigors of life because they have no foundation. Many celebrities fall prey to drugs, alcohol and other addictions because they never received a strong foundation in faith and in life. They rely on themselves.The key elements of a foundation include choosing the right materials. It is the same with our Catholic faith. If we go to the “Home Depot of Faith,” we find materials such as forgiveness, knowledge, understanding, humility, mercy, justice, compassion and perseverance. All these supplies fortify our foundation that our God loves us and wants us to be with him forever.

The “Home Depot of Faith” is Catholic education. Each child is nurtured socially, intellectually and physically to be the best they can be.
One of my favorite Communion songs is “Sanctuary” by Jaci Velasquez. The chorus includes the following words:
Lord, prepare me to be a
sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for You.

It reminds all those going to receive Jesus in the holy Eucharist that our hearts and souls are sanctuaries for God. They are temples for God. As a temple for the Lord, our soul is our house and it is a house for the Lord.
This understanding is the basis for all Christian life. That strong awareness prepares us for those times when the storms of life come. Those storms come for everyone. Whether it is a loss of a loved one, addictions of all kinds, divorce, loss of job, depression, disease, or just the rigors of everyday life, we all experience the storms. Jesus knew this and tried to prepare us by giving us the words in Luke’s Gospel.

He promised us that when the storms come, if we believe in him, our foundation will last and we will be with him eternally.
Turgot died in 1115, but the Durham Cathedral was not finished until 1132. Yet Turgot set the foundation that would last even until today.

As parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles or teachers our job is that of the unnamed architect. We toil every day for years, but most of us will not see our work come to fruition in this life. All we can do is give our children the foundation of our Catholic faith so that when the storms come they will weather them.  Give your children the ultimate gift. Give them Catholic education.

Loretta Oakes is a wife and the mother of three children who attend a local Catholic school. She is also the author of two upcoming children’s books and maintains a blog on science and faith (http://lorettaoakes.blogspot.com/).