To Teach as Jesus Did:

Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

December 7, 2015

“Catholic Schools and the Jubilee Year of Mercy”

On Tuesday, December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Archbishop Listecki will formally open the Jubilee Year of Mercy at the 5:15 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee.  The Archbishop will read a proclamation for the Year of Mercy and bless the Cathedral’s “Holy Door.” http://www.archmil.org/Our-Faith/Year-of-Mercy/Holy-Doors-of-Mercy-Spiritual-Background-and-Meaning.htm

For us as Catholic educators, the Jubilee Year of Mercy has special significance.  Each day in our various school roles we’re challenged to move beyond ourselves and “enter the worlds” of those in our care.  We’re called to understand their lives, their gifts, their burdens, and their needs—and then to give ourselves away in service.   With children and families and coworkers in our midst each day, we don’t have to look far for ways to spend the treasure of the mercy we ourselves have known.

During the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will focus on a particular Corporal or Spiritual Work of Mercy as a special “theme” for reflection and action each month.  Appropriately for us as Catholic school educators, the Spiritual Work of Mercy chosen as the theme for December 2015 is “Instruct the Ignorant and Admonish Sinners.”  Another translation for this might be “Teach the Uninformed and Guide Those Who Go Astray.”  No matter the capacity in which we serve, this Work of Mercy is at the heart of the Catholic educator’s vocation. 

In our Catholic schools, especially during this first “Mercy Month,” let us join with our brothers and sisters throughout the archdiocese in living out the first Spiritual Work of Mercy by:

• looking for and taking advantage of new opportunities to openly share our faith;
• inviting others to pray with us, study the faith with us, or participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 
• expressing gratitude to those who have taught and guided us.

A blessed Jubilee Year of Mercy to all!

Kathleen A. Cepelka, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools