Students from the various Catholic schools display depictions of how they envision their future to be, after an art workshop held in conjunction with Catholic Education Sunday 2023. Photo: ACCS.
As Vicar-General (Pastoral) Monsignor Stephen Yim explained during his Mass homily at the Church of the Sacred Heart (SHC), CES reminds everyone that “Catholic education is not just preparing students to make a living when they grow up, but also forming young people into saints.”
Principal of St Stephen’s School Timothy Goh was of the same mind. “Parishes, families, and Catholic schools are all stakeholders in the future of our young people,” he said. “We should all collaborate in communion to create faith-filled communities and sacred spaces offering as many opportunities as possible for the children to encounter God in their daily lives.”
Magdalene Shew, a SHC catechist, and also a parent catechist at CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel, observed, “As Catholics, we baptise our children in church, raise them in the home, send them to school. CES is a good reminder that teachers, catechists, parents, and parishioners can provide a seamless and integrated faith formation for our young people.” (Catholic News 17 Sep 2023, pg 10 – 11)
