discourt copy - Brussels International Catholic School

BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL
21 OCTOBER 2015
BLESSING OF NEW BUILDING FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AND CONSECRATION OF THE SCHOOL TO
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Discourse pronounced on the occasion of the official opening of the new secondary school campus by Cardinal Burke
It pleases me very much to offer a brief reflection on the happy occasion of the blessing of the new building of the
Brussels International Catholic School for its secondary school department. In a particular way, I am happy to bless
the new chapel which is indeed the heart of any Catholic school and to consecrate the secondary school to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, enthroning His image as a daily reminder of the immeasurable and unceasing love of God for His children in the Church. I commend the Brussels International Catholic School on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of
its founding for its dedication to excellence in Catholic education, so that its pupils understand and enjoy more and
more the happiness for which God has given them life and which He will bring to its fullness in the eternal life which
is to come.
In a particular way, I express deepest gratitude to Canon William Hudson, Headmaster, for his dynamic and untiring
leadership over these past ten years, and to the teachers and staff of the School who carry out their duties in accord
with the high standard of Catholic education. In thanking Canon Hudson, I thank also Monsignor Gilles Wach, his
superior, and the entire Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest for their steadfast commitment to the apostolate
of Catholic education in Brussels. The ever increasing enrollment of the School over the years gives witness to the trust
which parents place it. May today’s celebration confirm Canon Hudson and all work with him in their service of the
children and young people who are the hope of the future of the Church and of all society.
Catholic education of children and youth is a complete education, that is, the development of reason through the
competent imparting of learning and skills within the context of the faith. It is an education which has its foundation
in the study of God and of His plan for us and our world, as He has revealed Himself and His plan to us. Pope Pius
XI, in his Encyclical Letter Divini Illius Magistri, described a Catholic or Christian education with these words:
La fin propre et immédiate de l’éducation chrétienne est de concourir à l’action de la grâce divine dans la formation
du véritable et parfait chrétien, c’est-à-dire à la formation du Christ lui-même dans les hommes régénérés par le
baptême, suivant l’expression saisissante de l’Apôtre: Mes petits enfants pour qui j’éprouve de nouveau les douleurs de
l’enfantement jusqu’à ce que le Christ soit formé en vous. En effet, le vrai chrétien doit vivre sa vie surnaturelle dans
le Christ, le Christ, votre vie, dit encore l’Apôtre, et le manifester dans toutes ses actions, afin que la vie même de Jésus
soit manifestée dans notre chair mortelle.
Il s’ensuit que l’éducation chrétienne embrasse la vie humaine sous toutes ses forme : sensible et spirituelle, intellectuelle et morale, individuelle, domestique et sociale, non certes pour la diminuer en quoi que ce soit, mais pour l’élever,
la régler, la perfectionner, d’après les exemples et la doctrine du Christ. Le vrai chrétien, fruit de l’éducation chrétienne,
est donc l’homme surnaturel qui pense, juge, agit, avec constance et avec esprit de suite, suivant la droite raison éclairée
par la lumière surnaturelle des exemples et de la doctrine du Christ : en d’autres termes, c’est un homme de caractère,
Ce n’est pas n’importe quelle suite ou fermeté de conduite, basée sur des principes tout subjectifs, qui constitue le
caractère, ma la constance à obéir aux principes éternels de la justice. Le poète païen le reconnaît lui-même quand il
loue sans les séparer les deux qualités de "l’homme juste et ferme dans sa résolution". C’est d’ailleurs une condition de
la pleine justice que de rendre à Dieu ce qui est à Dieu, comme le fait le vrai chrétien.
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Only such a complete education can guide our children and young people on the way of the happiness for which God
has created each of us. With the help of a sound education at home and in school, children know happiness both
during the days of their earthly pilgrimage and finally at the eternal destiny of their pilgrimage which is Heaven. It is
only such an education which can transform our culture.
The family is, of course, the first place of education, but parents depend upon the cooperation of the school in providing for the education of their children. Regarding Christian marriage and the family, and, in particular, the education
of children, Pope Saint John Paul, in his 1981 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the family, Familiaris Consortio,
declared: “La famille chrétienne, en effet, est la première communauté appellee à announcer l’Évangile à la personne
humaine en développement et à conduire cette dernière, par une education et un catéchèse progressives, à sa plein
maturité humaine et chrétienne”. Christian education in the family and in the school introduces children and young
people, in an ever more profound way, into the Tradition, into the great gift of our life in Christ in the Church handed
down to us faithfully, in an unbroken line, through the Apostles and their successors.
Education, if it is to be sound, that is, for the good of the individual and society, must be especially attentive to arm
itself against the errors of secularism and relativism, lest it fail to communicate to the succeeding generations the truth,
beauty and goodness of our life and of our world, as they are expressed in the unchanging teaching of the faith, in its
highest expression which is prayer, devotion and divine worship, and in the holiness of life of those who profess the
faith and worship God “en esprit et verité”.
The Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis, of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
made clear that the primary responsibility for the education of children belongs to parents who rely upon sound schools to assist them in providing any part of the total education of their children which they are not able to impart in the
home. The gift of children, one of the essential goods of marriage, includes both the procreation and the education of
the child. I quote from Gravissimum Educationis:
Les parents, parce qu’ils ont donné la vie à leurs enfants, ont la très grave obligation de les élever et, à ce titre, doivent
être reconnus comme leurs premiers et principaux éducateurs. Le rôle éducatif des parents est d’une telle importance
que, en cas de défaillance de leur part, il peut difficilement être supplée. C’est aux parents, en effet, de créer une atmosphère familiale, animée pour l’amour et le respect envers Dieu et les hommes, telle qu’elle favorise l’éducation totale,
personnelle et sociale, de leurs enfants. La famille est donc la première école des vertus sociales nécessaires à toute
société. Mais c’est surtout dans la famille chrétienne, riche des grâces et des exigences du sacrement de mariage, que
dès leur plus jeune âge les enfants doivent, conformément à la foi reçue au baptême, apprendre à découvrir Dieu et à
l’honorer ainsi qu’à aimer le prochain; ….
Certainly, society, in general, and the Church, in a particular way, also have a responsibility for the education of children and young people, but that responsibility must always be exercised with respect for the primary responsibility of
parents.
Parents, for their part, should be fully engaged in whatever service of education is provided by society and the Church.
Children and young people should not be confused or led into error by an education outside of the home which
conflicts with the Christian education given in the home. Today, parents must be especially vigilant, for sadly, in some
places, schools have become powerful agents of a secular agenda inimical to the Christian life. One thinks, for
example, of the compulsory so-called “gender education” in some schools, which is a direct attack on marriage at its
foundation and, therefore, on the family.
For the sake of our young people, we all must give particular attention to the fundamental expression of our culture
which is education. Good parents and good citizens must be attentive to the curriculum which schools are following
and to the life in the schools, in order to assure that our children are being formed in the human and Christian virtues
and are not being deformed by indoctrination in the confusion and error concerning the most fundamental truths of
human life and of the family, which will lead to their slavery to sin and, therefore, to profound personal unhappiness,
and to the destruction of culture.
Education which takes place first in the home and is enriched and supplemented by schools and, above all, by truly
Catholic schools is directed fundamentally to the formation of good citizens and good members of the Church. Ultimately it is directed to the happiness of the individual which is found in right relationships and has its fulfilment in
eternal life. It presupposes the objective nature of things to which the human heart is directed, if it is trained to be a
“un cœur attentif ”, that is, to follow a correctly formed conscience. It seeks an ever deeper knowledge and love of the
true, the good, and the beautiful. It forms the individual to this fundamental pursuit throughout his or her lifetime.
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May God inspire and strengthen parents and all of us in the work of forming “un cœur attentif ” in our children and
young people for their salvation and for the transformation of our culture. In a particular way, may God inspire and
strengthen the work of the Brussels International Catholic School, so that, in accord with its nature and purpose as a
Catholic school, it may serve well the families who confide in it for the education of their children.
Brussels International Catholic School, working together with parents, strives to serve the highest good of the children
and young people who receive their primary and secondary education here. Given the fundamental importance of the
mission of the School, it is right that we have asked God’s blessing upon its newest building and have consecrated the
building to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, recognizing that it is Christ, our Divine Teacher, Who alone brings to full light
and perfection the studies we pursue and the skills which we develop at school. Through the blessing and consecration,
we place the School totally at the service of Christ and ask that, through the intercession of the Mother of God and
our patron saints, He may dwell always in our hearts and that His presence be acknowledged and welcomed in every
aspect of the life of Brussels International Catholic School.
Thank you for your kind attention. May God bless you and your homes.
Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE
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