The start of the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week — observed Jan. 25 to 31 this year — was buried under snow, sleet and freezing rain. After a weekend storm produced five-plus inches of precipitation around the Archdiocese of Louisville, families hunkered down at home as temperatures dropped to below zero at times.
The archdiocesan Catholic Schools Week Mass, set for Jan. 27 at St. Lawrence Church, was canceled, and school-based celebrations had to be postponed or ditched altogether as schools pivoted to remote instruction.
Superintendent Amy Nall said the nationwide celebration of Catholic schools is an opportunity to give thanks for the gift of Catholic education. And school doesn’t have to be in session to give thanks, she said.
Speaking from her desk at the Archdiocese of Louisville Pastoral Center Jan. 27, Nall said, “Catholic Schools Week is a moment in time to stop and be mindful of the many blessings that are all rolled up in this experience of being a student, a teacher, a leader, a parent, an alum of a Catholic school.”
It’s easy, she said, to take things like Catholic education for granted. Her favorite book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” highlights the tendency to take things for granted, when the character Scout notes, “One does not love breathing.”
In the same way, Nall said, she didn’t appreciate her own Catholic education until adulthood.
“We take it for granted because it’s just our experience,” she said. Catholic Schools Week is “like a birthday. I appreciate my kids every day, but once a year, on their birthday, we stop to say, ‘I really appreciate you.’ We bring to awareness our gratitude for the gift of Catholic education.”
Nall said her appreciation runs deep when she considers the effort and sacrifice that led to the thriving Catholic school community in the archdiocese today — from early pioneers to those supporting modern classrooms.
“I think of all those people from the beginning of time — the sisters who came over (from Europe to open Catholic schools) and all the people who have made it possible for us to enjoy the gifts of Catholic education,” said Nall. “All those people who had the vision, found the resources, had the desire to bring it together and those who continue to make sure that this work of God is prospering for our children.”
Nall said she looks in particular to her parents with gratitude and to the late Ursuline Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht, an educator and leader of local Catholic schools.
On Nall’s desk sit two framed photos. One shows her dad, the late Charlie Bube, on his knees smiling, tool in hand, apparently ready to fix something. The other shows Nall and her mom, the late Charlene Bube.
“I’m looking at these pictures and feeling so grateful for this gift they gave me,” said Nall, as she discussed the gifts of Catholic education. “By the grace of God, I was born into this family with a mom and dad who had this vision for their seven kids to attend Catholic schools.”
Nall noted that she thinks her dad — who loved and worked hard to support Catholic education — would feel especially proud of her service in Catholic schools.
“It’s really a beautiful thing,” she said. “It’s a gift of our time, talent and treasure that allows the work of God to prosper. I am grateful, and I’m so proud of the good work I see in our Catholic schools.”
