Stephanie Goodenow is a CEF Board Member and Owner of The Law Office of Stephanie Goodenow, LLC.
"Mama, Pope Francis is here!”
If I did not know that Pope Francis was on American soil from the reports via the Internet, the newspaper, and the television, I knew because my first-grade daughter told me. At dinner that evening, we discussed what our daughter had learned in her classroom that day about the Holy Father’s visit and the Year of Mercy. That evening, and each evening this week, we have discussed other important topics – Taylor Swift, the Royals’ bullpen, spelling tests, sleepovers, schedules; however, a conversation that started in a first-grade classroom about mercy and joy continued in our car, around our dinner table, at bedtime.
That conversation is why we send our kids to Catholic schools; it’s why many parents in our Archdiocese choose Catholic education.
As a CEF board member, I have seen firsthand the importance of Catholic education in our Archdiocese. Recently, I was honored to tour Our Lady of Unity school in Kansas City, Kansas with the CEF Board. I heard from the OLU principal, of how the parents of the children there joyfully sacrifice time, talent, and treasure to make Catholic education possible for their families. Her enthusiasm for the partnership between church, school, and family is contagious. At OLU, I saw in the hallways and through the students’ projects how the teachers and staff infused the curriculum with messages about the Year of Mercy. I heard that family participation at weekend Mass was increasing. Good things appear to be happening at OLU: Families are talking about Jesus, at home, at church, and at school.
As parents, we are our children’s first teachers of the faith, but the partnership with our schools in creating space to talk freely about Jesus is precious to parents at OLU, and throughout our archdiocese. I am proud of the work that CEF does to ensure that parents of all means can choose this partnership with Catholic schools, and to ensure that the conversation continues. Good things are happening in Catholic schools – just ask the kids!
