Thirty administrators from the Diocese of Columbus Office of Catholic Schools, led by Bishop Earl Fernandes, traveled to Rome at the end of October to take part in the Jubilee of the World of Education. The event drew thousands of Catholic educators from around the world for prayer, reflection and renewal in their shared vocation. The Columbus delegation was, in part, supported by generous funding provided by The Catholic Foundation.
The pilgrimage was an opportunity to step back from daily responsibilities and be reminded of the deeper purpose of Catholic education — that our schools exist not only to provide academic excellence but to form disciples who know and love Christ.
The group included principals, assistant principals and members of the Office of Catholic Schools staff who traveled together with Bishop Fernandes. We spent time in prayer, shared conversation, and celebrating Mass at some of the most significant churches in Rome, engendering a spirit of fraternity and common purpose.
Throughout the week, Bishop Fernandes encouraged us to see the trip not simply as an educational conference but as a moment of renewal. “When educators have an experience like this — meeting the Holy Father and seeing the global Church — they begin to understand more deeply that this is not just a job. It is a calling,” he said in an article published by Vatican News.
That message set the tone for the days that followed. As we visited holy sites and participated in Jubilee events, I found myself reflecting on how easily the pressures of administration can obscure the spiritual dimension of our work. In Rome, it became clear again that Catholic education is fundamentally a ministry of evangelization.
Hearing the Holy Father:
Interiority, unity, love, joy
The central event of the pilgrimage was the audience with Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. His address to educators was characteristically clear and deeply rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. He spoke about four essential qualities that define Christian education: interiority, unity, love and joy.
When the Pope reflected on interiority, quoting St. Augustine’s words, “The sound of our words strikes the ears, but the Master is within,” I was struck by how countercultural that idea has become. In an era where the pace of life is constant and the noise of technology ever-present, helping students to listen to the voice of God within them may be one of the most radical and necessary things we can do.
His emphasis on unity also resonated deeply. Referring to his episcopal motto, In illo uno unum (“In that One, we are one”), he reminded us that education is always relational. We learn and teach in communion with others. As I listened, I thought about the faculty and staff in our schools who work together, often quietly and without recognition, to build authentic Catholic communities. That daily labor of unity is the true foundation of Catholic education.
The Pope’s reflections on love and joy were equally pointed. He reminded educators that teaching is an act of love before it is an act of instruction, and that joy — especially when tested — is a sign of faith. His phrase “those who educate with a smile” stayed with me. It was not sentimental; it was a challenge to bring the joy of the Gospel into our classrooms, even when circumstances make it difficult.
Afterward, our group discussed how those four qualities might shape our leadership back home. We spoke about the need for schools to cultivate silence and reflection, to build unity among faculty, to lead with love in moments of conflict, and to witness to joy even when we face institutional or cultural challenges. Those conversations were honest and practical — rooted in our shared reality but guided by the Pope’s vision.
On the Solemnity of All Saints, Pope Leo presided at the Jubilee Mass for Educators in St. Peter’s Square. In his homily, he described education as a “pilgrimage of hope.” He spoke about teaching as participation in God’s creative and redemptive work, and about the need for educators to help students see the world through the light of faith.
At one point, the Pope posed a question that has stayed with me: “Are the weak of lesser value as human beings?” He made clear that the answer to that question defines not only the moral direction of education but the character of society itself.
Lessons for Catholic educators
Throughout the week, the Holy Father’s message was consistent: The renewal of education begins with the renewal of educators. In his Oct. 31 address to teachers and leaders, he described educators as “craftsmen of humanity,” called to form hearts open to truth and goodness. He spoke less about programs and structures, and more about the formation of the person — both the student and the teacher.
That emphasis struck a chord with many of us. It was a reminder that professional competence alone is not enough for those who lead Catholic schools. We must cultivate the interior life, practice unity and live the joy we hope to instill in others. As one of our principals put it during a reflection session, “We can’t give what we don’t have.”
Throughout our pilgrimage, our group prayed together and discussed our individual experiences and takeaways from what we heard and where we visited. Those conversations were perhaps the most meaningful part of the pilgrimage. The setting was Rome, but the substance was local: how to continue strengthening the Catholic identity in our schools; how to form our teachers spiritually; how to keep Christ at the center of every decision. The week created not just personal renewal but a shared sense of mission among our leaders.
Returning home with purpose
By the time we returned home, what struck me most was the coherence of the Pope’s vision. Across his homily, his address and his writings, he returned again and again to the same conviction: Education is not merely about transmitting knowledge but about forming persons capable of seeking the truth and living it in love.
That conviction will shape our work in the months ahead. The pilgrimage clarified what it means to be a Catholic educator today — not simply someone who works in a faith-based setting, but someone who teaches and leads in the name of Christ and in service to His Church.
Rome also made visible the global scope of this mission. Speaking with educators from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America underscored how shared our challenges are, and how essential it is to keep our work grounded in the universal life of the Church.
For me, the most lasting grace of the pilgrimage is a renewed sense of our purpose. Catholic education exists to form disciples who know the truth, live in charity and radiate joy. Everything else — curriculum, operations, planning — flows from that.
As Pope Leo reminded us, “The true teacher is within.” That insight captures what we carried home from Rome: that Christ Himself is the one who teaches in every Catholic school, forming hearts through our words, our witness and our work.
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