Diocesan Educators Called to Sow Seeds of Faith

By Mary McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 10/24/02)

Students at diocesan schools got a day off last Friday while their teachers gathered at the annual Diocesan Education Institute at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington. Teachers and administrators gathered at the event to share ideas and advice about Catholic education. The theme this year was "Catholic Education: Rooted in Faith — Forward in Hope."

The day began with a welcome from Dr. Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools. "You will be pleased to know today you can go outside for recess. On Monday all restrictions will be lifted," he said. McNiff thanked the teachers for their skill in handling the recent restrictions put in place because of the sniper shootings. "You are the best at what we do and there is no close second. And I thank you for that," he said.

Mass was celebrated by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, who delivered the homily and addressed the teachers.

Bishop Loverde began his homily by thanking the teachers. "Especially in these days, when so much pressure and stress have been added to everything else you experience as educators, please know how much I treasure each of you and appreciate, along with our parents, all you are and do for the children so dear to us all," he said. "You are called to be partners with Christ in sowing the seeds of faith, which will one day ripen into a spirit of hope and a life of love for your students." Bishop Loverde spoke of the impact that teachers have on their students. "Through the eyes of faith, you see that what you are doing is more than a job; you are participating in the Church’s mission of Christian formation and are thereby influencing the culture by preparing students to bring to that culture the Gospel values which will transform it." Bishop Loverde told the teachers that "forming our students in a culture rooted in faith enables them and us to move forward in hope."

Major General Kevin P. Chilton delivered the keynote address. Chilton serves as chairman of the Air Force Board and oversees of all Air Force programs. He has had a distinguished career as a pilot, which included flying on three space shuttle missions aboard the shuttles Atlantis and Endeavor during his eight years as a NASA astronaut. He attended Catholic school from first through 12th grade. Chilton spoke about how his education affected the rest of his life. He is also the father of Catholic school students at Corpus Christi School in Falls Church.

Prior to Chilton’s first flight into space, he was asked to give a list of people whom he wanted to attend the launch. He immediately thought of family and friends, but then also thought of his teachers. He said that perhaps this happened because of the wisdom of his second-grade teacher. She taught her students that after communion, one should kneel, put ones head in your hands (to avoid being distracted), thank God, and then pray for ones parents and for ones teachers. At an early age, Chilton was taught to always have respect for his teachers.

From his experiences in the military, Chilton realized that on every move there are always those few boxes that are not unpacked. In his case, it is usually a box of old pictures. His favorite of these pictures, a black and white Polaroid picture of his first-grade class, only impacted him later in life. In the picture are six rows of students, with 10 children in each row. And only one nun. But at the end of the year all 60 students knew how to read and write.

All the nuns of Chilton’s school days had a tremendous influence on him. He remembers his fourth-grade teacher, of whom he said, "The life in her I’ll never forget." At lunch the boys used to play touch football. This particular teacher would join them and play quarterback. Everyone wanted her on their team, though, because, "You can’t touch the nun!"

The nuns and the lay teachers not only provided Chilton with a quality education, but also "wove their faith into my education," he said. He and his fellow students "learned respect, learned discipline, learned what it is to be loved by someone other than our parents, and we learned."

Chilton also spoke of the experiences of space flight. He said there is of course the technical awe, but then there are also very personal experiences and faith experiences. He referred to the saying that there are no atheists in foxholes, and he said, "There are no atheists stuck to the wall when the man is counting backward from 10."

Chilton said of his space flight, "Did I see God? No. Did I see things that reminded me of God? Absolutely."

On his first mission, he once glanced up and saw a perfect arc on his window. At first, he thought it was a crack in the glass and panicked. One of his crewmates told him to take a break and enjoy his first orbital sunrise. "It was the brightest most pure white light I’ve ever seen. And I thought, "This must be what the first transfiguration must have looked like to the Apostles."

General Chilton did not dream of being an astronaut as a child. "I can’t point at any one thing that led me to space flight. I do believe that as I’ve walked through my life that it’s all knitted back together and tied in to my Catholic education."

The Education Institute featured breakout sessions in the afternoon that gave teachers the chance to listen to two speeches which were geared toward either the subject or age group that they teach or to their interests.

Throughout the day exhibits were open in the gymnasium and cafeteria. Exhibitors were there to help with everything from describing benefits and insurance to the teachers to providing information on textbooks and resources.

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