Thank you for your light
It has been inspiring to read Barbara Hughes’ column, “In Light of Faith,” for the last 25 years. She truly helped me along my spiritual journey. She greatly enriched my life. She has been a great gift. I know she has helped to bring countless people into a more beautiful relationship with God. May God bless her in her retirement.
— Kathy Binns, North Chesterfield
Thank you for the reminder on holy days
Thank you, Bishop Knestout, for your reminder about holy days (Dec. 9, 2024). Too often, we consider holy days of obligation as an inconvenience, rather than an opportunity to worship the Lord and give thanks for all he has done for us.
In addition, they make us stop and reflect on the meaning for which they are celebrated, as these are important facets of our faith life. If we take our faith life seriously, we will welcome the pause in our daily lives necessary to attend Mass at these times and actually spend time with the Lord.
Rather than an interruption, these days are times of reflection, spiritual growth, and concentration on the role of God in our daily lives. The questions of “who, what, and why” are ones we should ask ourselves, not only on holy days, but every time we attend Mass.
— Thomas Klocek, Chesapeake
School choice ballot initiatives need to reflect real choice
I read with interest an article on The Catholic Virginian website bemoaning failed ballot initiatives for school choice in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska. Through school choice, public funds are used to pay private or religious school tuition.
I believe that the failure of these initiatives reflects nagging public concern as to whether school choice would ultimately provide realistic choice for all families or choice for private or religious schools to cherry-pick the students they want and exclude the ones who present too many educational challenges.
School choice ballot initiatives would stand a much better chance of approval if they included language requiring private and religious schools benefitting from public funds to serve student populations reflecting the same approximate proportion of economically disadvantaged, special needs, and non-English speaking students as do public schools in the same geographical region.
This very reasonable provision is certainly consistent with Catholic social teaching and would not require private, Catholic, or other religious schools to change their programs or curriculum in any way. I’ve never understood why Catholic schools in particular have not embraced this more just and inclusive approach.
I’ve frequently heard school choice proponents, particularly from the Catholic school sector, talk about the need to help students “trapped in failing public schools.” What I am suggesting here would provide truly expanded choice for families of such students.
— Dr. Frank E. Morgan, Glen Allen