In top photo, Donna White, principal of St. Catharine School, Spring Lake, proclaims the First Reading during the Mass celebrated by Bishop O’Connell. Joining the Bishop at the altar was Father Jean Felicien, diocesan chancellor. Mary Stadnyk photos
With the new school year starting in just a few weeks, Catholic school principals and administrators from around the Diocese were given a gentle reminder Aug. 17 about the mission, and person, at the heart of Catholic education.
Photo Gallery: Convocation for Catholic School Principals/Administrators
“Catholic schools exist because of Jesus Christ,” Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., said during a Mass he celebrated that morning at the Diocesan Chancery, Lawrenceville. “They exist because he matters, they exist because the Gospel matters, they exist because every child who walks through our doors is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses a dignity that no test score or athletic achievement or academic honor or college acceptance can ever measure.”
“Academic excellence is important,” Bishop O’Connell said. “We should expect it. We should seek it. But academic excellence alone doesn’t make a school Catholic. Christ does.”
The school leaders gathered for a convocation hosted by the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools. The daylong event began with Mass in the chapel and was followed by a meeting during which representatives from various diocesan departments presented updates on policies and procedures.
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell acknowledged that “those entrusted in leadership positions are sometimes called to carry burdens that others may not see or understand.”
“And they are asked even then to be faithful,” he said. “This affects every principal [and] administrator here.”
“There are burdens you carry that your students, faculty and parents will never know,” Bishop O’Connell said, citing examples such as “difficult conversations with parents, concerns about enrollment and finances, faculty members who might need encouragement, children whose circumstances follow you home at night and decisions that have to be made, but there might not be a perfect answer.”
“Still every morning, the doors open, children arrive, teachers come into their classrooms and the mission continues,” he said.
Among the convocation’s attendees were Dr. Vincent de Paul Schmidt, superintendent; Bonnie Milecki, associate director for School Development and Operations, and Tracey Kobrin, assistant superintendent. Representatives from the diocesan Departments of Development and Finance also addressed the gathering, while Cyndi Primerano, president of the Diocesan PTA, provided an update on PTA initiatives.