ROME | As the sun rose over St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome All Saints’ Day, I joined thousands of fellow Catholic educators in celebrating the Eucharist with Pope Leo XIV.
We were pilgrims who had traveled from the far reaches of the world to seek hope and renewal as part of the Jubilee of the World of Education. We witnessed history as Pope Leo proclaimed St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church and, alongside St. Thomas Aquinas, a co-patron of Catholic education.
The Holy Father reminded us how St. Newman’s legacy is the ultimate goal for Catholic educators as we form young people “so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity.”
THE JUBILEE OF EDUCATION: FANNING THE FLAMES OF HOPE
This moment marked the culmination of my Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome. Guided by the National Catholic Educational Association and the Fordham Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education, I had the tremendous honor of joining fellow Catholic school superintendents as part of the USA Official Delegation to the Educational Jubilee.
This Jubilee celebration was part of the broader 2025 Holy Year, which invites the faithful to under-take pilgrimages and renew their spiritual lives. The late Pope Francis centered the year on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” encouraging us to fan the flame of hope within us so that, through our witness, it may spread to all who seek it.
During the pilgrimage, I realized there could be no more fitting theme for those of us in education. At its best, education is an act of hope. Every lesson we teach and every moment we spend forming young hearts is a seed planted in trust so that God will bring it to fruition.
INSPIRED BY THE WISDOM OF ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN
Now that I have returned to the daily rhythm of school leadership, I still find myself, in quiet moments between meetings and visits, reflecting on the wisdom Pope Leo XIV highlighted during that extraordinary day.
In a time marked by the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution, St. Newman insisted that education must never be reduced to technical training or professional preparation. A true education is a journey toward wisdom. It is forming the whole child in mind, body, and spirit.
Today, our society again faces profound shifts as technological and AI innovations reshape how we work and live. We should consider St. Newman’s vision for Catholic education as foundational and as a fountain of renewal and clarity.
We go forward with confidence, knowing the essential nature of our work: to share knowledge, to form character, to help children grow closer to God.
FINDING FELLOWSHIP WITH CATHOLIC SCHOOL LEADERS
What this pilgrimage has taught me above all — both as an educator and as a Catholic — is the strength of our ecclesial body and the strength it gives us. The friendships I formed with other Catholic school leaders are among the greatest treasures I brought home.
Leadership can sometimes feel lonely, and the tasks before us are many. During the pilgrimage, we found ourselves sharing our hopes, fears, and plans for the future with each other. We came to realize that we are not alone in this work. This is the sacred promise of the Church: that we are never alone, that Christ is always with us, and through one another, His presence becomes visible.
One flame of hope is small in the darkness, but when that flame lights another, and another, the world begins to brighten.
Now that I am home, my prayer is simple: that we continue to fan the flames of hope within our communities; that we support our teachers, who pour themselves out daily; that we encourage our families, who choose Catholic education with both sacrifice and faith. And that we remain steadfast in the mission that brought us—quite literally—to the heart of Rome: to help every student “shine like a star in their full dignity.”
St. John Henry Newman, pray for us.
By Erika Wikstrom, Special to the Florida Catholic, December 19, 2025