This morning the doors swung open to nearly 25 Catholic schools in the state of West Virginia as Bishop Mark Brennan began his fourth academic year at the helm of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
Brennan was installed as bishop in Aug. 22, 2019, at St. Joseph’s Cathedral and has since navigated the school system through the coronavirus pandemic that forced students to remain home for extended periods of time and learn virtually instead of in their respective classrooms. In Wheeling, students attending Central Catholic High School were in-again and out-again based on the infection ratios in Ohio County and the COVID Alert Map created and maintained by the state Department of Health and Human Resources.
These days, though, Bishop Brennan plans to visit with the students in the Diocese’s school system to enhance the Catholic education already included in the academic curricula. He also is promoting an expanded W.Va. Catholic Schools Tuition Assistance Program that’s now in its third phase and is available to families currently enrolled in Catholic schools. Up to $450,000 has been earmarked for this extension in recognition and response to the economic challenges families are facing not only in West Virginia but also in our nation.
Previously, only families belonging to a parish within the diocese were eligible to apply for TAP which distributes nearly $1 million annually. The application period ends on Sept. 2, and for more information, Bishop Brennan strongly encourages contacting a local Catholic school or going to: https://wvcatholicschools.org
“The Bishop is the shepherd of the Diocese,” explained Tim Bishop, communications director of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. “He shepherds his flock to grow in faith and love of God and neighbor. In this way, teachers and students learn from his example.
“Not only do students learn about his role within the Church,” he continued, “but about their role in helping to carry out the call to spread the Gospel to all nations.”
LEDE News: Why is a Catholic education so important to the parents of students enrolled?
Bishop Brennan: We at the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston believe that parents are the primary educators of their children. We believe that education is not only about filling the head with information but about forming the minds and hearts of young people in the faith of Jesus Christ, that they may know the truth and the truth may set them free.
We seek to form the whole child for a lifetime of blessing in service to God and human beings.
LEDE News: What are the lessons within the New Testament that are stressed the most and why?
Bishop Brennan: All of Sacred Scripture serves as a basis for our faith. Students learn to live the entire Gospel. In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ says, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Our students live this Gospel through devotion to God and service to others each and every day in the classroom and in the community.
LEDE News: Why is service to one’s community so important to Catholic education?
Bishop Brennan: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” (James 2:14-17).
As Catholics, we are called to service of one another. Through this service, our students learn not only to live the Gospel but to become more valuable members of our community. They become the peacemakers, problem solvers, builders, lawmakers, researchers, advocates, and genuine caregivers that our world needs.
LEDE News: How do athletics play a role in the overall educational experience at Catholic schools in West Virginia?
Bishop Brennan: Extra-curricular activities of all kinds, including athletics, play an important role in forming our young people. Students learn the importance of being part of a team, of sportsmanship, and of competition. The lessons learned on the field reinforce what is taught in the classroom.
