By Deacon Stephen Robbins
When I reflect on my experience attending Catholic schools while growing up, one thing that always struck me was the presence of the cross. I can recall the daily bus rides to Saint Luke/John Paul II School in Stratford, and the first image that would greet me was the enormous cross on the exterior of the gym building. Walking through the hallway or into the classroom, I would again be greeted by that most sacred image of Our Lord.
As I transitioned to my high school years at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, I again found myself constantly being accompanied by images of Jesus crucified. No matter where I went, whether it be the classroom, the field house, the cafeteria, the library or the chapel, there was always a Crucifix there. Several times each day I would walk past the statue of Saint Vincent Pallotti, who held a Crucifix in one hand while pointing to it with the other. If you drive through the back gate onto the campus of Bishop Eustace today, the first thing you see is an enormous and beautiful image of Our Lord on the cross. It was as though my entire time in Catholic school was a period in which I was given the opportunity to be formed in the shadow of the cross.
Is this not a beautiful icon of what the mission of our Catholic schools is and ought to be? What is it that is different about a Catholic education? Catholic schools provided me, as they have for so many others, an opportunity to receive a wonderful education and formation. What sets Catholic schools apart, however, is that they educate and form children not merely to make good citizens who achieve success in a worldly sense, but they educate and form children while keeping in mind that each student is created in God’s very image and likeness, has been redeemed by the Precious Blood of Christ, and is ultimately destined to live in eternal communion with the Triune God. This is the reason why we study theology, gather as a community for Mass and seek to serve others in Christian charity. If our Catholic schools are not rooted in Our Lord first and foremost, they cease to fulfill their true mission.
It was in this context that I was able to better discern my vocation to the priesthood. The fact that every class began with prayer helped me to recognize that whether I was playing badminton in gym class, doing a geometric proof, reading a Shakespearian sonnet, learning about the Louisiana Purchase or playing the trombone, everything was for the purpose of glorifying God and seeking His will. Walking past images of Christ crucified throughout the day served as a constant reminder that I was loved with a love that transcends all human understanding.
As I now stand just a few short months away from my ordination to the priesthood, I am filled with immense gratitude to my family and to all my teachers throughout the years who provided me with a Catholic education. The Catholic schools I was blessed to attend helped me to recognize my supernatural origin and destiny and helped me to discern the voice of the Good Shepherd amid the cacophony of noise with which young people are constantly bombarded today.
May the Lord continue to bless our Catholic schools here in the Diocese, and may our schools always seek first and foremost to create disciples, and everything else will fall into place. As we pass on knowledge to our children, may we, like Saint Paul, “resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Deacon Stephen Robbins was ordained a transitional deacon in 2021.
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