Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Our Catholic High School graduates

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This year we have more than 1,000 young men and women graduating from our private and diocesan Catholic high schools. I am very proud of them and equally proud of their parents, many of whom have made great personal sacrifices to provide their children with a fine Catholic education.

Happily, the great majority of the graduates will be going to universities and colleges to complete their education, in some cases to become the first college graduate in their family. I congratulate them for their achievement and wish them well in their future undertakings.

It was my privilege to participate in the graduation ceremonies at Bishop Dunne High School earlier this week and I was particularly impressed at the number of scholarships awarded to the graduates. Many were full scholarships to prestigious institutions like Harvard, Cornell, the U.S. Naval Academy and Stanford. Scholarships to Bishop Dunne graduates totalled nearly $4,000,000.

Honors such as these not only reflect on the academic ability of the students involved but on the academic excellence of the institutions.

The true value of a Catholic education

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Once again the importance of a Catholic education to parents is evident in the enrollment of 15,052 students in Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Dallas. The enrollment data released by Sister Gloria Cain, Superintendent of Schools, on September 17 shows 11,981 students enrolled in 31 diocesan and parochial Catholic schools and 3,071 in private Catholic schools.

Catholic parents are to be admired and commended for making the sacrifices required to provide their children with a Catholic education. In the words of Pope Benedict: “In …Catholic schools, there is always a bigger picture over and above the individual subjects you study, the different skills you learn. All the work you do is placed in the context of growing in friendship with God, and all that flows from that friendship.”

Catholic education not only provides young men and women with a Faith strong enough to endure in an increasingly secularized society, but one that equips them to confront and change that society in light of the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

“The quest for the sacred”, in the Pope’s words, “does not devalue other fields of human enquiry. On the contrary, it places them in a context which magnifies their importance, as ways of responsibly exercising our stewardship over creation”.

A Catholic school must be more than a school that offers religion as a subject, it must be a functioning Christian community that nurtures and enhances the seeds of Faith planted by parents in a loving Christian family.

The great value of a Catholic education

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Yesterday I visited Bishop Dunne High School. It is one of the great success stories of our diocese, thanks to the joint efforts of faculty, students, parents and the Catholic community.

Once again I was reminded of the great value of a Catholic education. It is so much more than secular education with religion classes added on. It is education rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ designed to enable students to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals created in God’s image.

The goal of Catholic education is to inculcate in students a Christian vision of what the human person is called to be and what the world is destined to become. It brings to fruition seeds of faith planted by parents.

Catholic education does not come without sacrifices. I am astounded at the sacrifices many families make in order to send their children to a Catholic school. Every effort is made to make a Catholic education accessible. Most schools have financial assistance available and no family should rule out sending their child to a Catholic school without inquiring abut financial aid. Parents recognize that the costs of a Catholic education are not only an investment in the future of their child, but also in the future of our society.

I have great admiration for the lay and religious men and women who have created and maintain our Catholic school system and for the parents who make the often difficult choices to send their children to Catholic schools.

The Catholic Foundation’s Annual Award Banquet

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The Catholic Foundation’s Annual Award Banquet happens to fall during Catholic Schools Week this year and it is appropriate that the foundation will honor a Catholic educator on the occasion. Jesuit Father Philip Postell has served as president of Jesuit College Preparatory School since 1992. He will be the 28th recipient of the Catholic Foundation Award. The award not only recognizes Father Postell for his outstanding work and commitment to Catholic education, but also honors the institution he heads. Graduates of Jesuit College Prep are among those leaders who have shaped the Dallas’ Catholic community.

Recognizing and honoring Catholic leaders is one work of the Catholic Foundation, but it is only a small portion of their contribution to the Church of Dallas. The Foundation’s primary function is to furnish a vehicle for those who wish to provide funds for the needs of the diocese and its many agencies. Through investments it enhances the power of charitable resources. From thesw investments it is able to provide grants in excess of five-million dollars a year to various Catholic entities.

From its modest beginnings in 1965 the Catholic Foundation has become a powerhouse for the Church. I commend the Catholic Foundation for its important contributions to our diocese and for honoring the outstanding leaders of our Catholic community.