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By Peter Finney Jr., Clarion Herald
Archbishop Gregory Aymond didn’t have to reach to catch the attention of the hundreds of students who gathered in St. Catherine of Siena Church in Metairie Feb. 1 for the annual Catholic Schools Week Mass.
Speaking about a topic he knew would be utmost in the students’ minds, Archbishop Aymond opened his homily by asking if they knew of “something important that happened” for the city about two weeks earlier on a Sunday.
“The Saints lost,” one student shouted out.
“We won’t go into why they lost,” Archbishop Aymond said, laughing. “Even though they lost, we’re very proud of them and we know they constantly give totally of themselves not only to play football but also to represent our city.”
In the same way that the Saints succeed because they are physically and mentally fit and they know their plays with precision, Catholic school students have four “plays” that they lean on in their Catholic education, the archbishop said.
Referring to the 2019 Catholic Schools Week logo, Archbishop Aymond said Catholic school students “learn, serve, lead and succeed.”
The archbishop said many people sacrifice to provide the educational playing field for the students: parents, pastors, teachers, administrators and staff.
“But who is truly the teacher of us all?” he asked. “Jesus.”
Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].