Kindness + Love = Hope
DSC06065 Catholic Schools Week 2025 Mass
On the Feast Day of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop Lucia talks to students about leading with kindness and compassion.
Bishop kicks off Catholic Schools Week
[adinserter block=”1″]ABOVE: On the Feast Day of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop Lucia talks to students about leading with kindness and compassion.
By Eileen Jevis
Staff writer
Sun photos | Chuck Wainwright
Students and staff at Blessed Sacrament School kicked off Catholic Schools Week with a Mass celebrated on Jan. 24 by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia.
During his homily, Bishop asked the students if they knew what a CEO was. “He is normally the head of a company, a chief executive officer,” Bishop explained. “I ask you this because today is the feast day of St. Francis de Sales.
Students in prayer during Mass.
“Francis’s family were businesspeople and they expected Francis to become part of the family business. They sent him to law school. They had arranged for him to marry. His life was all planned for him,” he said. “But while Francis was preparing to take over the family business, he kept hearing a call from God to follow him.”
Bishop Lucia asked the students what the followers of God were named. The children replied that they were called Apostles. “And just like the Apostles, St. Francis stood his ground and told his parents that he was going to answer God’s call to be a priest; to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.”
Bishop then explained to the students the importance of leading with kindness, compassion, thoughtfulness and love. “I don’t know if you know this,” he said. “I am actually the CEO of the Diocese of Syracuse. And the most important thing I am called to be — is to be like Jesus. To show God’s kindness. And when people can feel kindness and love, they feel hope.”
St. Francis de Sales was the French bishop and was declared a Doctor of the Church for his wisdom. He was known as the Gentleman Saint for his virtues of gentleness, humility and patience. “Even though he was bishop, even though he was head of the Diocese of Geneva in Switzerland, the one thing he was most known for was being an apostle of kindness,” Bishop said. “Let us pray today that each one of us will be that apostle as well.”
For more stories on Catholic Schools Week, read the next issue of The Catholic Sun — students across the diocese experienced flurries of activity celebrating our faith, hope and charity toward others.
