Auxiliary Bishop Robert F. Christian, OP, has been appointed rector-president of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, effective Jan. 14, the archdiocese announced.

During my meeting on 13 September last with the officers of your Conference of Bishops, I suggested that together you make a retreat, a time of seclusion, prayer and discernment, as a necessary step toward responding in the spirit of the Gospel to the crisis of credibility that you are experiencing as a Church. We see this in the Gospel: at critical moments in his mission, the Lord withdrew and spent the whole night in prayer, inviting his disciples to do the same (cf. Mk 14:38). We know that, given the seriousness of the situation, no response or approach seems adequate; nonetheless, we as pastors must have the ability, and above all the wisdom, to speak a word born of heartfelt, prayerful and collective listening to the Word of God and to the pain of our people. A word born of the prayer of shepherds who, like Moses, fight and intercede for their people (cf. Ex 32:30-32).

This week we celebrate the mission of Catholic schools and their cherished legacy. We also recommit ourselves to assuring their future because they are critical to the life of the Church. Catholics schools are privileged places for young people to encounter Jesus Christ through Catholic faith, Catholic culture, and the Catholic intellectual tradition on a daily basis as they learn and grow and develop. Because Catholic schools are called to be, as Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, of Vancouver states, “inspired by a supernatural vision, founded on Christian anthropology, animated by communion and community, imbued with a Catholic worldview throughout the curriculum, and sustained by Gospel witness,“ they are the ideal and obvious institutions to help address a growing problem facing the Catholic Church.

I have always felt that the greatest gift a parent can give their child is the gift of a strong faith. A faith that lies at the core of a person’s life. A faith that serves as a lens where all other experiences, relationships and intellectual pursuits are viewed and examined. This is a tall task indeed given the very secular world in which we live. It is our goal in the 22 preschools, 55 elementary schools, and 13 high schools that comprise the Archdiocese of San Francisco to partner with parents, the primary educators of their children, in cultivating this strong faith in each child we encounter.

In an era of shifting enrollments and expectations, Catholic school principals, parents and pupils stand firm in their support of faith-based instruction.