I’m proud to be a part of Catholic education

FATHER DAVID MONTELEONE

One of the greatest gifts my mom and dad ever gave to me was the gift of a Roman Catholic education. My formal education began at St. Patrick School, Smithtown, N.Y. The school was staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, N.Y. They were excellent educators and certainly left an impression on my young mind. Sister Patricia Ann Kenny was my first-grade teacher who taught us to love Jesus and His Blessed Mother. On the lighter side, she also taught us all about leprechauns! Her love of all things Irish left an impression on this Italian American!

Sister Charlotte Maria taught me in second grade and instilled in my class how important the Blessed Sacrament would be in our young lives. She also explained why the statue of St. Joseph in our parish church was holding a jug in his hand. She said we should all put our troubles and problems in his jug, and he would bring them to his foster son, Jesus. I think I put more problems in there than anyone else in my class!

Sister Mary Edith taught Social Studies in the seventh and eighth grades. She kept order in her class and made the world come alive for us. How wonderful that all three religious sisters were at my first Mass years later. Mrs. DeGraw taught seventh and eighth-grade English. To this day, I know how to diagram a sentence! Monthly classes taught by our parish priests and first Friday Masses enriched my faith life and experience of worship.

This great foundation was laid over an eight-year period. The sisters and the lay teachers I had all made an impact on my early years. The weaving of the faith into all subjects was a blessing and made us think of God and how we fit into the world. My education not only prepared me for St. Anthony’s High School, South Huntington, N.Y. but also for life. Without my faith, my life would be adrift in a secular world. Being taught that God has a plan for all of us gave me hope when I did not know what career I would choose in college. My elementary education and high school education was a sacrifice my parents made for my siblings and me. My parents believed it was money not spent but invested in the education of the whole person. I could not agree more.

Since my ordination in 2013, I have made it a point to visit the parish school and teach the eighth grade in every assignment. This experience has made me a better priest, and I pray to encourage a vocation or two. A priestly presence is vital for a Catholic school. To teach is to touch the future and encourage participation in the faith life of the Church. I have been greatly blessed to teach for the past nine years (soon to be 10) and be a part of the future. It is my hope and dream that Catholic education continues to thrive in the Diocese of Paterson, and I am proud to be a small part of it.

Father David Monteleone is the pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Parish and St. Philip Preparatory School in Clifton.