In his address before 400 U.S. Catholic educators at The Catholic University of America on April 17, Pope Benedict XVI specifically made an appeal to Religious Brothers, Sisters and Priests not to abandon the school apostolate. “Indeed, renew your commitment to schools especially those in poorer areas,” he said. “In places where there are many hollow promises which lure young people away from the path of truth and genuine freedom, the consecrated person’s witness to the evangelical counsels is an irreplaceable gift.”
The Holy Father also emphasized the responsibility of Catholic educators “to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief.”