Students from Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton, present the gifts of bread and wine to Bishop O’Connell during Mass. Mike Ehrmann photo
The photos and video footage capturing the very packed Catholic Schools Week schedule of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., gave every indication that everyone was enjoying the celebrations.
Conversations with some of the students and staff left no doubt they did have a great time during a week filled with many graces, blessings, smiles and memories.
PHOTO GALLERIES:
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Asbury Park
St. Jerome School, West Long Branch
Sacred Heart School, Mount Holly
Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton
“Ultimately, the Bishop is the person responsible for Catholic education in the Diocese,” Filippini Sister Elizabeth Seton Dalessio said of Bishop O’Connell’s Jan. 29 visit to St. Jerome School, West Long Branch. “We are happy to show him that our Catholic identity is strong. Bishop O’Connell inspires us by his ministry to grow in hope and joy. His joyful presence impels us to share that hope and joy with others. His presence among us proves to us that he cares, supports and is proud of our school community.”
Besides going to St. Jerome School, Bishop O’Connell celebrated Masses and engaged in an array of activities Jan. 27-31 at Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton; St. Paul School, Princeton; St. Ann School, Lawrenceville; Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Asbury Park; and Sacred Heart School, Mount Holly.
“This is Catholic Schools Week – a very special week,” Bishop O’Connell said in his homilies.
“And you’re so lucky to go to a Catholic school, because not only do we learn history and math and English, we learn about our faith and our God, who created us and loves us so much.”
On the Road
While Bishop O’Connell visited six of the Diocese’s more than 30 Catholic schools, other schools received a visit from staff of the Department of Catholic Schools – Superintendent Vince Schmidt and Assistant Superintendents Bonnie Milecki and Dan O’Connell.
After blessing the new mobile classroom on the campus of St. Jerome School, West Long Branch, Bishop O’Connell poses for a photo with Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Education; Father Marcin Kania, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish, and Filippini Sister Elizabeth Seton Dalessio, principal of St. Jerome School. John Batkowski photo
“No matter the school, there is a whirlwind of activity” during Catholic Schools Week, said Dan O’Connell, who visited Medford, where the St. Mary of the Lakes School community honored first responders from their town and treated them to breakfast. He also attended the talent show at St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, as well as Sacred Heart School and St. Paul schools.
Reflecting on this year’s theme, “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community,” O’Connell said Catholic Schools Week “gives our schools the chance to show the world that the message of the Gospel is indeed alive and well and can be experienced in each and every Catholic school in the Diocese of Trenton.”
“The week affords our schools the opportunity to demonstrate to their school communities and local communities exactly why we say that Catholic Schools have it all,” he said.
Milecki visited St. Dominic, Brick; St. Ann; St. Rose of Lima, Freehold; St. Peter, Point Pleasant Beach; Red Bank High School; Holy Cross Academy, Rumson; and Sacred Heart.
“Whenever we visit schools throughout the year, the students express that one of their favorite school traditions is the celebration of Catholic Schools Week,” Milecki said.
Bishop O’Connell and Father Christopher Dayton, pastor of St. Paul Parish, look on as a student and principal, Kim Clauss, play rock paper scissors. Mike Ehrmann photo
“It’s so clear why this tradition has a lasting impact on students. It is a time in Catholic schools when the commitment of parents, the passion of teachers, and the joy of students aligns for a full week of fun and a celebration of our Catholic faith,” she said.
“Getting to visit schools and seeing creative teachers lead events and lessons connected to our faith, and students leading at Mass, and parents bearing witness to the faith community they have selected for their children to experience – it’s powerful.”
Validating work with students
Bishop O’Connell’s week began at Our Lady of Sorrows School, where principal Maureen Tuohy noted how nice it was to have him help start the school’s 70th anniversary year.
“This is the beginning of a year of celebrating,” Tuohy said.
After the Mass, Tuohy and Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, accompanied the Bishop on a walk-through of the school, where he engaged with students and stopped in the gym to watch students playing basketball.
“He makes us feel that our work is important, and his support in our endeavors builds us up,” Tuohy said.
“Catholic Schools Week is so important because it validates all we strive to accomplish with our students.
Bishop O’Connell visited the classrooms in Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Asbury Park. Also pictured are the priests who serve in Mother of Mercy Parish, Asbury Park. John Batkowski photo
“We celebrate our faith and the impact it makes upon each individual, as well as the larger community and nation,” she said. “We use this week to reinforce our relationship with our families through the many activities we offer. We also take the time to focus on our values and mission: faith building and service to others. … This is what sets us apart from the public sector.”
After the Bishop’s Jan. 27 Mass at St. Paul School, the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade honor roll students were recognized and posed for a group photo with the Bishop. After Mass, the Bishop visited the classrooms, accompanied by Principal Kim Clauss and Father Chris Dayton, pastor.
“Catholic Schools Week is a great way to celebrate, in a big way, our faith and who we are,” Clauss said, adding that the Bishop’s presence “gives our students the opportunity to get to know the spiritual leader of the Diocese of Trenton.”
“Our children stated that they enjoy the presence of Bishop O’Connell because he relates to them in a special way,” Clauss said.
The Bishop ‘is our friend’
Bishop O’Connell was at St. Ann School bright and early Jan. 28 for the outdoor flag-raising ceremony and special recognition of community leaders. Honorees included Lawrence Township Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer, members of the Lawrence Township Police Department and the Slackwood Fire Department.
“I received the foundation of my faith and made friends that I still have today,” Farmer, said, recalling her days as a student in St. Ann School. Her alma mater, she said, “helped make me who I am today.
Lt. Kevin Reading, also a St. Ann School graduate, expressed appreciation for the school’s support, especially in his current role as the town’s interim police chief.
“I love to see the smiles on the kids’ faces. The staff is very supportive of us, and we are happy to support the school. We love participating in events,” he said.
After the ceremony, the Bishop had breakfast with the community leaders before visiting classrooms with Father Leandro Dela Cruz, St. Ann Parish pastor, and Ameriquin Delmasy-Laccetti, head of school.
Bishop O’Connell poses with a class in St. Ann School, Lawrenceville, along with Father Leandro “Lines” Dela Cruz, pastor of St. Ann Parish, and Ameriquin Dalmasy-Laccetti, head of school. Rose O’Connor photo
At St. Jerome School Jan. 29, Bishop O’Connell blessed and dedicated the new modular STEAM classroom, which Sister Elizabeth Seton described as “the culmination of years of work and preparation by our school administration, teachers, staff as well as the awesome generosity of donors who have supported this project.”
“Curiosity and critical thinking are fruits of STEAM” – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math, said Sister Elizabeth. “As a Catholic STEAM school, we will help our children experience the beautiful harmony of faith and reason so they can be a light in the secular world, both in their careers and in their lives.”
Sister Elizabeth smiled when she said the St. Jerome students took great pride in the work they did to “make this day a reality.
“The students were very happy to see Bishop O’Connell once again,” she said, then referenced one student saying of the Bishop: “‘I know him. He is our friend.’
“You can’t get any better than that,” she said.
Core values
Bishop O’Connell’s Jan. 30 Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School began with a procession of students carrying items that represented what Katie O’Meara, principal, called “the core values of who we are as a school”: a statue of Mary and Rosaries, reminders of the power of prayer and deep-rooted traditions that guide lives; symbols of service efforts – Birthday in a Bag and the Annual Warming Wall; and certificates and plaques that recognized student achievements.
Second grader Yumi Nunez said how much she enjoyed Catholic Schools Week simply because “we get to celebrate how great OLMC is.”
The Bishop’s Jan. 31 visit to Sacred Heart School coincided with the its “Special Persons” celebration, in which each student invited a special person in their life to attend the Mass and then visit their classroom afterward.
“Catholic Schools Week celebrates the hallmarks of Catholic education: faith-focused learning, strong communities and a commitment to service,” said Joanna Barlow, principal. “It’s a time to showcase our strengths and achievements, bringing our school community together in a shared purpose reflecting on our core values and traditions.
“Having Bishop O’Connell is a deeply meaningful experience for our faculty, students and families, allowing us to connect with our faith on a deeper level,” Barlow added. “His visit enables our small school to feel a stronger sense of belonging to the larger Catholic community.”