One of the most impressive aspects of the opening ceremonies was the joint high school choir. Students from nine different high schools throughout the archdiocese came together to perform for us. My understanding is that they only practiced a few times together before the actual convention, but they were just marvelous. You would never guess that they had really just met each other.

Catholic education is the soul of evangelization. It is not just about communicating information, but forming people in the faith and leading them to Christ. A huge part of our effort is in the Catholic school system, which is a great treasure of our Church. We are very proud of the wonderful work that is being done by our Catholic schools that exist because of the sacrifices of many of the faithful, particularly communities of religious women who helped to establish our schools. And now the lay teachers and administrators who have stepped up to the plate make it possible for this very important ministry to continue.

Annual Jesuit Dinner

It is important for us to come together and celebrate these achievements and also encourage people who are involved in promoting Catholic identity in educational excellence in our Catholic schools. Fittingly enough, during the NCEA convention there was also the annual Jesuit dinner, which this year honored the two Nativity schools that are in Massachusetts -- one in Boston, and the other in Worcester. These honored schools are doing excellent work in offering inner-city students free Catholic education and preparing them to be Catholic leaders of the future. The gala was held at the Marriott Copley Place. Over 1,200 friends and Jesuits attended. The event raised over $1.1 million to support the formation and care of Jesuits and the apostolic works of the New England Province. During the evening the provincial, Father Myles Sheehan, spoke. He gave a very good talk about Jesuit spirituality. He said the Jesuit order exists to serve Christ and to praise His name. And then the two headmasters of the schools, who received the honors in the names of their schools, gave very significant addresses concerning the mission and Catholic identity of the schools.