“Learn Jesus, succeed spiritually,” Bishop Burbidge tells students

Bishop Michael Burbidge visited all eight grades at the Basilica School of Saint Mary on Tuesday, January 30. His visit was a part of Catholic Schools Week, which is conducted yearly to promote and highlight Catholic Education in the United States.

Bishop Burbidge began the morning by celebrating Mass with Fr. Andrew Haissig. “Learn Jesus, serve with forgiveness, lead with courage, succeed spiritually,” he said in his homily. “If I unite my cross to yours and we are convinced he has not abandoned us, Jesus will see us through.”

After Mass, he met with each grade individually for about 15 minutes, answering any questions they had about him or the faith in general. A few students asked him how he became a priest, while others wanted to know who he was cheering for in the Super Bowl. Other questions included how one becomes a bishop, what’s a normal day for a bishop, if he gets nervous celebrating Mass, and what his favorite color is! He fostered an authentic two-way conversation with each grade of students, and gave them a chance to have a dialogue with him. He explained that his favorite thing about being a bishop is the chance to visit all the schools in the Diocese of Arlington.

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