Pastors from parishes with schools, school principals, administrators, teachers and staff gathered at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral to celebrate the annual All-Schools Employee Mass with Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama.
Bishop Luis noted during his homily that this is a special moment in the Diocese of Raleigh as we celebrate our Centennial. And he noted the important role of Catholic schools in that history and the importance of working with young people in the diocese.
“Through all this time the Church was building what it is today, you have been a part of that building up,” Bishop Luis said. “Working with souls and hearts, helping them to understand the beauty of what we have and how we can prepare them to become missionaries for another hundred years.”
At the end of the Mass, those in attendance heard from Cynthia Hanks, the chair of the Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award. The Lewis Award was initiated in 1992 to honor outstanding educators in our Catholic schools and to recognize, promote and encourage teaching excellence. Hanks took the opportunity to encourage school students and administrators to promote the award and also encourage their school parents to nominate outstanding teachers from their schools for this year’s award.
Lytia Reese, superintendent of schools, also spoke with the group and shared that beginning with St. Mary’s School in Wilmington, which opened in 1869 prior to the formation of the Diocese of Raleigh, there has been a commitment to Catholic education in eastern NC. Equally exciting, as Catholic schools in many other parts of the country struggle, Catholic school enrollment in the Diocese of Raleigh is the highest it’s ever been.
Following the Mass, those in attendance were able to share additional fellowship over ice cream. Though the skies were grey outside the cathedral, the tropical storm entering into eastern North Carolina held off long enough for educators and clergy to enjoy time together following the Mass.
Some school staff from the outermost parts of the diocese were unable to attend due to the inclement weather that impacted travel. Those schools, however, gathered together in their own parishes and were able to view the Mass via a livestream.
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