Malden Catholic High School welcomed Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, in celebration of their Catholic Schools Week liturgy on February 1.
“I am delighted I could be here to mark this important week,” Cardinal O’Malley said softly. “Catholic schools are an important part of our ministry in the Catholic church. There have been Catholic schools from the first century, 2,000 years ago. In our country — for over 200 years – millions of Americans have studied in Catholic schools. It has been a labor of love.”
During mass, Cardinal O’Malley described how Catholic schools help students discover their identity as children of God. His homily encouraged listeners to see the world through God’s eyes and to value the gospel.
“The mission we have is to work towards a civilization of love, and a world of justice,” explained Cardinal O’Malley. “I discussed the importance of science and technology. We need to have a vision of faith to see how to put these wonderful things in the service of God and humanity.”
Due to His Eminence’s commitments, Cardinal O’Malley attends one or two educational institutions during Catholic Schools Week. Malden Catholic was honored to have been the first to invite him to commemorate the special occasion.
“Welcoming Cardinal O’Malley was a memorable event. It was electrifying all day long with our students and staff,” beamed President John Thornburg. “It showed me how important Catholic faith is to our community. He is a symbol of that.”
Catholic Schools Week events included an appreciation breakfast and prayer service for faculty and staff; as well as a variety of campus ministry activities.
“This is an important week for us. We’re having one of our best years ever. Enrollment exceeded last year. We have a lot of great things happening,” Thornburg shared. “We’ve been celebrating the success of Malden Catholic. We couldn’t be happier with the direction of the school.”