by Bishop James Conley
In the early 1860s, during the time of the Civil War, a small brick Catholic schoolhouse was built in Nebraska City by the hands of the Catholic parishioners of St. Benedict Parish. This became the first Catholic school in the state of Nebraska.
Here we are, 160 years later, celebrating the graduation classes of 2022 at our six diocesan Catholic high schools.
The legacy of Catholic education in the Diocese of Lincoln enjoys a long and celebrated history. While we have been educating Catholic children for over 160 years in the Diocese of Lincoln, our primary goal has always been to educate students for eternity. We educate with the ultimate end in mind: heaven, eternal life, happiness forever!
For unless we know why each of us was made—to know, love and serve God in this life, so that we might be happy with Him forever in heaven—then we won’t understand the purpose of Catholic education. We aim to educate the whole person: body, mind, soul, spirit and heart. And we aim to educate for the permanent things: for truth, goodness and beauty, so that our students can live the “good life”—the good life here on earth, and the good life of eternal beatitude in heaven for eternity.
Since the first brick was laid for St. Benedict’s School, more than 160 years ago, Catholics in southern Nebraska have been committed to the apostolate of Catholic education based on a sound Christian anthropology.
The Diocese of Lincoln has long been committed to five important principles regarding each one of our 25 Catholic elementary schools and our six Catholic high schools:
First, that they should be faithful to the Gospel, and to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Our Catholic identity is the number-one priority of our schools. If we are not authentically Catholic, then we might as well pack it all up and go home.
Second, our Catholic schools should be concerned with the formation of the whole person: intellectually, morally, socially, and spiritually. We are all about educating the whole person: body, mind, soul, spirit and heart—firmly grounded in a true and authentic Christian anthropology.
Third, that they should be apostolates of the entire community, and supported by all parishes and Catholics in the diocese.
Fourth, that they should be affordable to all, and that no child should be turned away because of an inability to pay. Therefore, in addition to giving financially to local fundraising efforts, it is also vitally important for all of us to support and give to the Good Shepherd Scholarship fund as we are able, which provides tuition assistance for families who need it to attend Catholic schools throughout the diocese.
And fifth, that priests and religious should play a central role in the education of our students and the leadership of our schools.
Because of our diocesan commitment to these principles, the Catholic schools of our diocese are thriving centers of the Christian life, forming generations of students for lives of holiness and excellence. We should be proud of our schools, and grateful for the sacrifices, grace, and leadership that has made them thrive. We can see their fruit in the priests, religious, and faithful Catholics of the Diocese of Lincoln, who are earnestly striving to glorify the Lord through the holiness of their lives.
As Bishop of Lincoln, I am called by the Lord to be a good steward of our schools and their heritage: to build upon the sacrifices, lessons, and successes of our past, and to prepare our schools to continue their mission well into the future.
God made each one of us, in his own image and likeness, for truly extraordinary lives. He made us for greatness of soul, and mind, and heart. In the Diocese of Lincoln, we strive to prepare students to face a world that is often hostile to the Christian faith. We no longer live in a culture that supports our values and respects our Christian worldview. Therefore, our students need to be prepared to deal with these challenges. To be authentically Catholic today, is to necessarily be countercultural. There is no other way around it. We shouldn’t be at all surprised when we meet resistance in our society. But we should face that resistance with joy, confidence, and, above all, deep charity—the love of our neighbor. For we were made for these very times. God wants to use each one of us, with all our gifts and all our shortcomings, to bring the light of Christ and his hope, peace and joy, to a world that is filled with division, hatred and hopelessness.
Our educational mission goes far beyond conveying factual knowledge of history, science, literature, or even of the faith. Our schools are not information delivery systems. Our educational mission begins and ends with formation in holiness.
We aspire to greatness because our imaginations point us to something beyond our own experiences. Our imaginations motivate us to strive for happiness, excellence, purpose and joy.
Education is also a form of friendship. Our mission is to do the hard work of friendship—the hard work of love—to inspire, form, and lead our students, from the virtual world in which they live to the world of the true, the good, and the beautiful—the world of what’s real—where they will encounter, and glorify, the Lord. Our call, in this time, is to help our students experience the joy of being alive, the wonder of God’s creation, and a genuine love of learning.
Of course, as we continue to build on the success of our schools, we must also address the practical challenges of Catholic education in our time.
Across the country, attendance at Catholic schools has been declining for decades, and in many places, the challenges they face seem insurmountable. Catholic schools are a difficult and costly enterprise. We receive no funding from the government. We must pay for Catholic education ourselves. The good news is, we do not have to be told what to teach our children by the government. We are free to teach as Jesus taught. We are free to educate for eternity.
The Diocese of Lincoln has been blessed, and our schools are strong. Because of the excellence of our schools, the Diocese of Lincoln is uniquely prepared to address the new and pressing challenges of Catholic education in our own time with joy and confidence. But to face those challenges, we must recognize them.
Our history tells us that we can face those challenges and face them successfully. Doing so requires docility to the Holy Spirit, trust in the Providence of God, and openness to new approaches and methods.
Our priority should be to continue the important mission of our Catholic schools, for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls. And our commitment to the principles that have built our schools should be steadfast. Our schools should be authentically Catholic, academically and spiritually excellent, supported by our entire diocese, and affordable to all who wish to attend. The challenge we face is to apply those principles to the needs of our Catholic schools right here and right now.
So, on behalf of the Diocese of Lincoln, let me congratulate the graduating class of 2022. Please know that we are proud of each one of you. We hope and pray that these have been good years for you. We hope that you are grateful for your Catholic education and for all the people who have made this experience possible for you. Please thank them, thank your parents, your teachers, your priests, and your fellow classmates. And may the Lord Jesus always live in your hearts and may you always know the love of God the Father, as his beloved daughters and his beloved sons.
