By David Karas | Correspondent

The students, faculty and staff of St. Rose High School, Belmar, had another reason to be excited for the start of this year’s Catholic Schools Week.

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The school community was joined by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who celebrated Mass Feb. 1 in the parish church and shared his own enthusiasm for Catholic education with the crowd of smiling faces.

“We always have Mass as part of our celebration of Catholic schools,” said Sister of St. Joseph Kathleen Nace, principal of St. Rose High School. “The liturgy is at the heart of who we are, and we think it is an important way to open the celebration.”

The Mass provided students the chance to gather as a community, and also to hear from Bishop O’Connell about the benefits of the faith-filled education they are receiving in Belmar. During his homily, the Bishop discussed these benefits, and extended his gratitude both to the students and their parents for choosing a Catholic education.

"Catholic school is studying with your eyes open.  You don’t just imagine or wonder … you study things with a view toward the God who made them. You see more than just what’s there. You see the real thing: God’s creation. You learn the whole truth, not just part of it. That’s the part that faith brings," said the Bishop in his homily.

“It is always good to have the Bishop in the building,” said Sister Kathleen. “He just has such an enthusiasm for our schools and our students – and it is a real gift when he can be around the students.”

She added that the personal relationship that students across the Diocese of Trenton have with Bishop O’Connell is an important element of their faith development.

“They are the future of the Church,” she said, “so I think it is important for them to have a personal connection in some way to the Bishop.”

She continued, “The kids were very taken with him.”

In addition to celebrating Mass, Bishop O’Connell made sure to greet each of the students as they left the church and returned to their classes.

The annual Mass also featured a special celebration for those seniors selected for the top graduation honors. Sister Kathleen introduced and provided medals to valedictorian Maura Cahill and salutatorian Deirdre Cahill – who happen also to be sisters, and two out of three triplets attending the school.

“I talk about what it means to be in both roles, and remind (the students) that those two happen to be standing in front of the rest of us because of the work they have done consistently over the four years,” said Sister Kathleen, adding that it drives home an important message to the students about the importance of their educational pursuits.

Reflecting on Catholic Schools Week in general, Sister Kathleen said that often those in Catholic education tend to trust that others know about the great work they are doing.

“I think it is important to step back and really celebrate who we are, and the best pieces of what we are about,” she said. “We know how good it is in Catholic School – and I think it is important that we get to share that good news with everybody else.”