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Text Box: As many of you know I am a brat, that is, I am the child of a military officer, and we are referred to affectionately in most cases as ‘military brats.’ My father served twenty-four years as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, and after I was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, we moved a total of six times from Louisiana to Udon Thani, Thailand, Montgomery, Alabama, Ramstein and Bitburg, Germany, Sumter, South Carolina, and then back to Montgomery where my father retired. The time that I spent overseas was a wonderful learning opportunity even if due to my young age I could not fully appreciate all of the experiences, but I will be forever grateful for the chance to see so many different cultures as a young boy. Nevertheless, there is something else that my parents were able to give me that I value far more than my international travels and that is my Catholic school education. Having attended secular schools, I treasure the difference that a Catholic school education has made in my life. From St. Anne’s in Sumter to Our Lady Queen of Mercy and Montgomery Catholic High School, I received not only an outstanding education in the usual academic subjects, but I was able to do so in an environment that nurtured and supported my Catholic faith. With my personal experience and a knowledge of what the Church believes about the importance of a Catholic education, I must stress the importance of our Catholic schools at St. Ignatius from our pre-K to 8th Grade as well as our Catholic High School,

Text Box: McGill-Toolen. With regard to Catholic education, on October 28, 1965 the Second Vatican Council issued a document entitled Gravissimum educationis or in English “Declaration on Christian Education.” In this document the Council Fathers, the Pope in union with the bishops, wrote that pastors of souls have a “most serious obligation to see to it that all the faithful, but especially the youth who are the hope of the Church, enjoy this Christian education,” and I take this responsibility very seriously. Catholic education is not only instruction in faith and morals but it encompasses the whole spectrum of education, and so the Council Fathers write that, “Among all educational instruments the school has a special importance. It is designed not only to develop with special care the intellectual faculties but also to form the ability to judge rightly, to hand on the cultural legacy of previous generations, to foster a sense of values, and to prepare for professional life.” Special mention is also given to teachers who work in the field of Catholic education. Many of our teachers have dedicated their entire lives to this work while making significant sacrifices to do so. The preceding words rightly describe my responsibility as your pastor to promote Catholic education, but what is the responsibility of parents in the Catholic

Text Box: education of their children? First and foremost, parents are the primary educators of their children, and therefore, must be authentic witnesses of the faith by word and example. They must make the spiritual and intellectual formation of their children a supreme priority and Catholic schools play an essential role in the responsibility of parents to educate their children. For this reason the Council Fathers state the following: “The Council also reminds Catholic parents of the duty of entrusting their children to Catholic schools wherever and whenever it is possible and of supporting these schools to the best of their ability and of cooperating with them for the education of their children.” In the event that this is not possible, there is another means to ensure that our children receive a basic formation in the faith. These classes are known by the acronym CCD which stands for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. These classes are held on Sunday evening during the school year from 5:00PM-6:15 PM. Our lay volunteers who offer their time and talent to teach our children the faith have my deepest thanks for their service. It is important to understand the difference between what can be offered in CCD versus a Catholic school. Continued on Page 5

November 2007

Text Box: Impala Informer Your place for parish news

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

Text Box: Adult Supper Club November 16th 7-10 PM in the Marian Center Please join us for an evening of food, fun and fellowship. Bring a favorite dish to share or make a $5 donation to help cover the cost of the main dish. Beer and wine tickets will be sold for $1.00. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Erin Cooper at 476-9209 or EOC1111@aol.com