Now that Labor Day is behind us, many of our parish organizations and activities resume. Our parish school opened on Wednesday with 410 students. Our parish religious education program (PREP) will begin on Monday with 245 students. We are blessed to have so many children in our parish learning about God and growing in their faith and so many teachers and catechists eager to help the parents of these children share their faith! On this Catechetical Sunday, we pray for them and their parents, the primary teachers of their children in all things, including their faith.
Bishop Keith J. Chylinski, the auxiliary bishop whom Archbishop Pérez has delegated to oversee the Catholic Education apostolate in the archdiocese, has invited us and all Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to become part of a guild of intercessors for our Catholic schools and parish religious education programs. In a letter that Bishop Chylinski recently sent to Catholic educators throughout the archdiocese, he recalled a powerful message that the faculty and staff from our Catholic elementary and high schools heard at their summer Day for Educators: Catholic schools do not have a mission; the mission has Catholic schools. In other words, all Catholic schools and PREP – including ours – share in the mission of Jesus Christ: to proclaim the Gospel and form missionary disciples.
In his letter, Bishop Chylinski went on to remind its readers that the Church’s mission is sustained by prayer. Without prayer, we cannot accomplish the important mission of leading our children to a close relationship with Jesus Christ and forming into missionary disciples. And so, Bishop Chylinski is inviting everyone throughout the archdiocese to join in a new initiative of intercessory prayer: the St. John Neumann Prayer Guild for Catholic Education. Members of this guild commit to praying the following St. John Neumann Prayer Guild Daily Prayer each day for our children, young people, families, educators, and catechists:
Prayer for Catholic Education
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
source of all grace and love,
we entrust to You the children and young people
of our Archdiocese.
Through the intercession of St. John Neumann,
pour out Your grace upon all Catholic schools
and religious education programs.
Bless all pastors, educators, catechists and families.
Bring our young people to deeper conversion,
and form them as faithful and joyful missionary disciples.
Make us all humble and faithful witnesses of Your love,
and let Your Sacred Heart reign in our schools, our homes, and our hearts.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us
St. Joseph, pray for us.
St. John Neumann, pray for us
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us
St. Carlo Acutis, pray for us.
Amen.
Anyone who is willing to pray is welcome!
To join the Guild, visit: https://sksparish.org/prayerguild
As we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, thanking all of our teachers and catechists for their dedication to spreading the Gospel in our school and PREP, let us commit ourselves to supporting them with our prayers. I have already joined the Guild; I hope you will, too!