Brief Background:

St. Joseph Calasanz (1557–1648) was a Spanish priest who dedicated his life to the education of poor and underserved children. While in Rome, he opened one of Europe’s earliest free schools for children who otherwise could not afford an education. He later founded the Piarists, a religious order devoted to the Christian education and formation of young people.

For Calasanz, education was not simply about gaining knowledge—it was about forming young people in faith, virtue, and wisdom.

Patron saint of: Christian schools, Catholic education, students, and educators.

REFLECTION:

I remember one occasion when I was in Kona on the Big Island for my pastoral year. During Lent, one of the priests and I were doing the Stations of the Cross. Instead of praying the Stations inside the church, we would actually walk outside around the church grounds.

As we were walking, the priest noticed something about the families who were joining us. The parents were praying and following along, but some of the kids…not so much. Some were talking, looking around, probably wondering, “How many more stations do we have?” They were there probably because Mom and Dad said, “You're coming with us.”

But the priest said something that stayed with me. He said, “This is good. Just keep bringing the kids to Mass. Keep bringing them to Stations of the Cross. Keep bringing them to these things. They may not understand everything now, but when they grow up, they will remember these traditions.”

I thought about that when I heard Saint Paul in our first reading today: “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught.”

Faith doesn't just magically appear in us. Someone passes it on. Someone brought us to church. Someone taught us how to make the Sign of the Cross. Someone taught us our prayers. Someone showed us how to kneel. Someone told us the stories of Jesus. And maybe when we were children, we didn't understand why we were doing any of it. But someone kept bringing us.

That connects beautifully with Saint Joseph Calasanz, whose memorial we celebrate today. He dedicated his life to the education and formation of young people, especially poor children who otherwise had little opportunity for education. He understood that if you want to change the future, you form the young today.

But our Gospel gives us an important reminder about what we are trying to form.

Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees because they were very concerned about the outside—the rules, the appearances, doing everything correctly—but they neglected what Jesus calls the “weightier things”: judgment, mercy, and fidelity.

So yes, bring the children to Mass. Teach them the prayers. Teach them our Catholic traditions. Send them to Catholic schools. But we also have to help them understand why.

Otherwise, we can produce children who know when to stand, sit, and kneel at Mass but don't know how to show mercy. They might know every Catholic prayer but don't know how to forgive. They might know all the rules but haven't learned how to love.

Saint Joseph Calasanz reminds us that education is formation—not simply forming the mind, but forming the heart.

Maybe those children walking the Stations with us in Kona weren't paying attention to every prayer. Maybe they don't remember every station we prayed. But perhaps they remember Mom and Dad brought me. We prayed together. This was important to my family. This was part of who we were. And years later, when life becomes difficult, maybe those memories give them something to hold onto.

That's why Saint Paul's words are so important: “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught.”

Because someday, what we teach and model today may become exactly what someone needs to stand firm tomorrow.