By Fr. Michael Ventre,
Chief Administrative Officer,
Aquinas Catholic Schools, David City
Cardinal Francis George served the Church in America well as priest for 51 years and as bishop for 24 years until his death in 2015. His last appointment was Archbishop of Chicago from 1997-2014. As he approached his retirement, many asked a very logical question, “What will your legacy be?” In one of his final homilies to the lay faithful of the archdiocese, he gave a remarkably beautiful answer, “You are my legacy.”
The work of the Church has been likened to a farmer who plants a seed. While farmers do much to help that seed grow, scripture reminds us, “he knows not how.” “Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” I have been blessed to serve in two high schools for our diocese, Lourdes Central Catholic in Nebraska City and Aquinas Catholic Schools in David City. It is very clear that all teachers in education plant seeds and never see the final product. In fact, my teachers at St. Dominic School in Cincinnati, Ohio were shocked when the boy who talked too much and never stayed in his seat began discerning the priesthood.
What is “our legacy” in Catholic education? While we may not see the end result – and may even be shocked at the result – every graduate who leaves our schools is our legacy. What they do or don’t do, if they are loving, compassionate and seek Jesus or not, is our legacy. A vital legacy.
St. John Paul II spoke of this legacy to teachers in 1984 as he told them, “To you it is given to create the future and give it direction by offering to your students a set of values with which to assess their newly discovered knowledge. Few challenges are more exalting and rewarding than the instruction and guidance of young people, and few more difficult. You are preparing for adulthood and Christian maturity a generation who will build the Church and the society of tomorrow.”
The young minds we form and the soil we cultivate is far more than ACT scores, state championships or scholarships. Our Catholic schools give a compass in the great journey of life; a road map to unlock the mystery of love, identity, vocation and ultimately eternal life. So precious and so valuable.
Our past shepherd, Bishop Glennon Flavin, speaking to students, reminded them, “We want to educate you, ladies and gentlemen, to have a useful and happy life. We want you to be able to contribute to the world around you and we are training you for that. But more important, we want you to know God, to love God and spend eternity with Him. I expect you to be saints, scholars, and apostles.”
This spring, our diocese ordained men to the diaconate and the priesthood. For our Aquinas community, there was much pride in two of those men in a special way. Augustine Reimers, Aquinas Class of 2016, was ordained a deacon and is finishing his final year of seminary formation, in anticipation of ordination to the priesthood next May. Father Scott Nemec, Aquinas Class of 2015, was ordained a priest. He serves St. Cecilia Parish in Hastings and teaches at St. Cecilia High School.
That weekend was a moment of immense pride to watch two of our own laying down their lives for Christ and His Church. From their parents and friends sitting in the pews, to their pastors and priest theology teachers up in the sanctuary, we all watched the fruit of our labors. I could not help but be filled with joy: with help from God, look at our legacy!
That same weekend, while covering in parishes at Bruno and Appleton, I mentioned that these ordinations speak to the value of a Catholic family and Catholic education. No Catholic school is perfect. We are limited financially. We cannot always offer what other schools can, but our product — a young man or woman, academically challenged, humanly whole, spiritually enriched — is a great legacy.
Additionally, the Aquinas community was blessed when, in August, Sister Guadalupe (Marissa DeWispelare, Aquinas Class of 2013) took her first vows as a Marian Sister of the Diocese of Lincoln. While at times we focus on vocations to the priesthood, it is just as important when faith-filled women discern a vocation as a Bride of Jesus Christ. Education, especially in the United States, would be nowhere had it not been for the courageous women such as Mothers Elizabeth Ann Seton, Katharine Drexel and Frances Cabrini. Sister Guadalupe, following in their footsteps, is currently teaching at Pius X High School in Lincoln, imparting that love and knowledge to her students.
Lastly, we cannot overlook the beautiful vocation of marriage. Numerous graduates are getting married each year. Many of our graduates are beginning families, and those children will enter our diocesan schools for the first time. Here at Aquinas, we were blessed to add two graduates, Elizabeth DeWispelare, Class of 2017, and Ashley Emswiler, Class of 2018, to our Aquinas staff. This is our legacy.
This legacy is shared as co-workers with parents in education. No school can claim to be the sole reason a student lives out his or her faith. It is only with a solid family life, active participation of parish life and a school rooted in Christ that any of this is possible. It is a shared legacy together.
St. John Paul II exhorted parents, “As parents, you claim a special responsibility and privilege. You are the first witnesses and artisans of the awakening in your children of the sense of God. You bear the first responsibility of bringing them to the Sacraments of Christian initiation.” Our parishes and schools assist parents in this tremendous task. We are co-workers in the vineyard, partners in mission.
Our Holy Father challenges us, “Dear teachers and parents, the Catholic school is in your hands. It is a reflection of your convictions. Its very existence depends on you. It is one of those privileged places, together with the family and the parish community, where our faith is handed on. The Catholic school is a community effort, one that cannot succeed without the cooperation of all concerned – the students, the parents, the teachers, the principals and pastors.” In short, it is our legacy.
My dear friends, your children are our legacy. They are the future of the Church. What we do and don’t do, how we cultivate and guide them means everything. Your sacrifice is real, the challenges are real. Yet, with Jesus Christ, all things are possible. Two young men ordained to the diaconate and priesthood, a woman giving herself as a Bride of Christ, numerous men and women creating faith-filled families. Our legacy!
