Several weeks ago I had the marvelous experience of visiting the many of the religious education classes at St. Mary Parish in West Haven. After a delicious dinner at Dave and Joan Erickson’s, with Father Marin Rock, SJ, in attendance, we drove to the parish, where I chatted with about 10 classes. The children ranged in age from 8th to 12th grade. Some were preparing for their Confirmation and others were still participating in the religious education program long after their Confirmations.
I was extremely impressed with the dedication of the staff. Quite a few of the religious education teachers give up their Monday nights week after week to pass on the faith to our young men and women. The classes were all well prepared and the students were really into their studies. They had interesting questions for me, and by interesting I mean challenging! I tried not to use the dodge that everything was a mystery and we had some very good discussions. Many wanted to know if I ski (I don’t – too many ambulances parked nearby the slopes!), if I like Utah (I love it, especially the people), if it is easy being a bishop (I’ll never tell!) and what my favorite meal is (chicken and pasta). Of course, we also discussed religion!I am very grateful to the students, the teachers and the administration for receiving me so warmly. They are a great group and it is good to see our young people growing so well in age, wisdom and grace.
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