By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
Educators from the Diocese of Evansville’s 26 Catholic Schools filled St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville for the 2025 Back to School Mass.
Bishop Joseph M. Siegel celebrated the annual Mass Aug. 5, which was held after the diocesan educators received a presentation from speaker Dr. Daryl Hagan, former superintendent of the Diocese of Evansville Catholic Schools, at Reitz Memorial High School. Eighteen diocesan priests at parishes with Catholic Schools in the diocese concelebrated the Mass. Deacon Dan Niemeier, president of Mater Dei High School, assisted during the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit. New principals Samantha Erny, Courtney Ethridge, Katie Hubiak, Joe Maione and Valerie Zimmer served as gift bearers.
At the beginning of Mass, Bishop Siegel said he is always grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist with educators from the Catholic Schools. It is an opportunity to say thank you to them for their generous service in providing a wonderful Catholic education to their students and helping the students’ parents in their responsibilities raising their children in the faith, he said.
During his homily, Bishop Siegel said the Gospel reading, which was from John 14:23-26, was especially appropriate as the educators prepare for another school year and pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their lives, schools, the diocese and the world. We pray the Holy Spirit will help us to use his gifts to continue the mission of the apostles in sharing the good news of Jesus with our students and families, he said.
Bishop Siegel said in this Jubilee Year of Hope, we focus on drawing our young people and their families into a deeper spirit of hope, rooted in the deeper encounter with the love of the Lord Jesus through our participation in the Mass, daily prayer and studying our Catholic faith. He said this virtue of hope nurtured by our Catholic faith should permeate every subject taught, every sport played and every activity and club that is organized. In all that we do and say in our Catholic Schools, we should be helping these young people to encounter Christ and so grow in holiness to become those missionary disciples who will use their God given gifts to live their faith and to share with others, he said.
Bishop Siegel said the teachers and administrators at the diocesan schools have a special privilege and responsibility to help parents fulfill the commitment they made at the Baptism of the child to form their children in the Catholic faith. He said by witness and example, the diocesan educators are to demonstrate to students what it means to be a follower of Christ, one who strives in holiness in ways both great and small to become saints.
Bishop Siegel said while this is not always easy, the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to help them to fulfill this great commission. Bishop Siegel said the Spirit filled the apostles in the first Pentecost with the fire to boldly proclaim the reasons for their hope, even in the midst of challenges, rooted in their faith of Christ crucified and risen from the dead. We ask the Spirit to strengthen all educators to be teachers and evangelists for our students and be a witness to a love of Jesus Christ, which endures no matter what we face in life, he said. After the Mass, diocesan educators were honored for milestone years of service to the diocese. The Years of Service recognition will run in an upcoming issue of The Message.