By Eileen Jevis
Staff writer
When it came time for Mark and Angela Eskandar’s children to begin school, their decision to enroll them in Holy Family School in Fairmount was an easy one. Angela Eskandar said that she and her husband wanted to carry on the tradition of a Catholic education that her grandparents and parents started over 60 years ago.
“My husband and I feel blessed that our children’s education is inclusive of a religious curriculum and that they can openly worship, pray and go to Mass,” said Eskandar. “Our children are immersed in a faith-filled community where there is an emphasis on being respectful, disciplined, hardworking and grateful. They also learn the meaning of friendship, service to others and facing adversity.”
Angela and her son Sam, a fifth grader at Holy Family School, spoke to the congregation during the kickoff Mass on Jan. 29. “Our school is like a family,” she said. “As a school community, we are aligned by common beliefs and the types of experiences we want our children to have during their formative years.”
Daughter Quinn Eskandar attends Bishop Ludden Jr./Sr. High School in Syracuse as a seventh grader. She, along with over 300 students and staff, attended Mass on Feb. 1 to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. The Mass was officiated by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, who referred to Genesis 1:27, wherein “God created mankind in his image.”
“The word of God and the Scripture reading you just heard is one of my favorites. To me, it’s a very important reading because it reminds me, and hopefully, it is a lesson to you, on what this is all about. It is why you are here at Bishop Ludden,” said Bishop Lucia. “You are here so that you can discover how gifted you are. Remember, God has made you in his very image. When you look in the mirror, you are looking at the face of God. Even more than that, God has given each one of us gifts and talents so that we can help others discover their gifts. Isn’t that what our world needs?”
Bishop Lucia explained that we live in a new age of discovery and he spoke of who we are in God’s eyes. “Each one of us is gifted. As the prophet Isaiah tells us, we have been called by name. And yet as we heard at the end of our reading today, we are called to exercise our gifts. And to exercise our gifts is to exercise hospitality,” said Bishop Lucia. Referring to Genesis 18:1-15, the Bishop explained about the visitors that came to Abraham and Sarah. In an expression of gratitude, the visitors promised that Abraham’s wife, who was childless, would have a son. “What’s so significant about that encounter is that exercise in hospitality. I share this with you because that’s what happens to you and I when we extend hospitality. We meet our God.”
In keeping with the Bishop’s theme, Principal Michael McAuliff said the students took part in several commemorative events during Catholic Schools Week. “Students assembled gift baskets to give to local businesses and honored the teachers at a Teacher Appreciation Night. The Campus Ministry students in grades 11 and 12 visited diocesan elementary schools. The entire student body made and sent cards to active-duty military personnel and wrote letters of thanks to the clergy in local parishes.
The Bishop asked the students if they knew the meaning of the Latin word caritas. “The word that comes from caritas is charity, which is another word for love,” explained the Bishop. “The word that sums it up for you and me as heard in the Gospel when Jesus says to love one another as I have loved you. He invites us to exercise hospitality which also means exercising charity. That is what is important for us as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week together — to remember what we learned and what we try to excel at (as disciples of Christ Jesus).”
