Hundreds of diocesan PTA members were praised for their abiding commitment to the garden that is Catholic education and urged to continue sowing and cultivating the seeds that result in a great harvest of knowledge, justice, compassion and mercy at the 87th annual conference of the Trenton Diocesan Council of Parent Teacher Associations Sept. 22.

That was the message conveyed by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., in his homily at the opening Mass in St. Mary of the Lakes Church, Medford, and echoed by diocesan officials, educators and PTA members at the conference, entitled “Renewing Faith – Our Call to Serve,” which followed in the nearby Medford Country Club.

It was well appreciated by the PTA members including Marybeth Consiglio, regent for Mercer County and Julie Tartza, president of the PTA in St. Aloysius School, Jackson.

Tartza, whose two boys attend St. Aloysius, said the day epitomizes the reasons parents send their children to Catholic school: “It is not just for one extra class (religion) a day. It’s because Catholic education is instilling our beliefs as Catholics into their lives.”

“One of my favorite parts of the PTA is the fall conference,” said Consiglio, who, with three children in Catholic school – two in Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton, and one in Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, her own alma mater is devoted to Catholic education.

“It’s a day of fellowship and re-charging, a chance for all of the PTA parents who volunteer and work so hard during the year to reflect on why they are volunteering,” Consiglio said.

Drawing from the Scripture readings of the day – St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Bishop O’Connell set the tone for the occasion stressing that grains sown in faith will burst forth and bloom into “new life that is incorruptible, glorious, powerful and profoundly spiritual.”

 “What we provide in the Catholic Church and in our diocese is receptive soil – soil that is our system of Catholic education … Our children are the plants that grow strong and vital from this seed, sown as it is in rich soil,” the bishop said.

Their parents were saluted for their perseverance and faith by Father Douglas A. Freer, diocesan vicar for Catholic education, in his remarks as the keynote speaker.

 “I know how hard you work,” he told the gathering. “I have seen the late night wrapping before a gift auction … I have seen you standing after Mass selling grocery gift cards (and) script programs, all to support the mission of your schools.”

Such toil  pales, he said, when considering “the difference that Catholic education makes in the life of a child. We can see the tremendous contribution Catholic schools have made in the life of the Church. As I work with catechists in our religious education programs, I will often ask how many attended Catholic schools? Invariably, it is the vast majority. Will that be the case in 20 years?” he asked rhetorically.

Thanks in great part to the ongoing efforts of dedicated PTA members that is likely to be the case, said JoAnn Tier, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools. She wrote in the “yearbook” distributed  annually at the conference, that the theme itself, “Renewing Faith – Our Call to Serve,” embodies “the spirit, vitality and faithfulness of the PTA membership.”

On the local level, she wrote, their commitment translates to “an energy that builds community and invites others to be part of the Catholic school experience. On the regional and diocesan level, the (PTA) structure provides the avenue to unite the membership and address issues such as school choice and tuition tax credits so more students may benefit for a Catholic school education.”

In a later interview, Tier spoke of the overwhelming generosity of the PTA in so many ways. “They devoted hour after hour this year to the new initiative, Catholic Alumni Partnership,, updating records on graduates of Catholic elementary schools back to 1925 so they may reach out to alumni,” she said.

In addition, a $10,000 check was presented by Katherine Soss  Prihoda, diocesan PTA president, which will help to cover the costs of a series of workshops aimed at increasing the skills of teachers of special needs children who attend Catholic schools. In addition, every school in attendance received $100 toward transportation for the upcoming Diocesan Eucharistic Congress, she said.

“Their generosity is astonishing,” Trier said. “We just continue to be so blessed.”