Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners,
Today we begin Catholic Schools week. The first thing Fr. Culemans did when he launched Sacred Heart Parish at the turn of the 20th century was that he started a school. The Belgium immigrants, who founded our parish, supported him and sent their children to Sacred Heart School and helped raise the necessary funds to pay the expenses. The Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception agreed to staff the school and they provided teachers and administrators for decades. Because the sisters worked for a small stipend and were very dedicated the school got a solid foothold.
The Flemish immigrants who came to Moline recognized that their children had to become fluent in English and receive a quality education if they were going to find good jobs and get into the mainstream of society. We could say that with everyone working together the goals of passing on the faith and giving parish children a quality education were accomplished. Catholic School graduates from our parish are now comfortably rooted in Moline and many have become civic and religious leaders in our area.
We need to be careful about saying mission accomplished however. The mission continues. As I work with our school children I see immigrants from several different countries in Seton School. I also know that we have many students who live below the poverty line. The parents of these students have the same dream as parents who lived in Moline over 100 years ago. They want a better life for their children. Parents also want to pass on the faith to their children and share the values they believe are important to living a virtuous life.
We need your help to continue the mission of Catholic Education. We need your support for Seton Grade School and Alleman High School. We need students. We need your donations.
The dreams have never changed for parents and children. The question is do we as a Catholic community in the 21st century have the will to support the mission of Catholic Schools? Hopefully, the answer is yes.
Blessings,
Fr. Mark