My dear friends, grace and peace of God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Summer has passed so quickly and already we find ourselves in the beginning weeks of a brand-new school year. I'm so grateful for our new students across our school system; our dedicated faculty, staff, and administration; our parents; and our benefactors who come to us with high hopes of what this school year can accomplish. We, too, have high hopes for a successful new year already underway across our diocese. Here are some of the other things that make me hopeful. 

First, everyone I speak to has a renewed energy [and] enthusiasm for Catholic education. This year, a new Catholic school opened at St. Thomas Parish in Montevallo, and we are engaged in a serious and constructive conversation about another very promising opportunity on the northern end of our diocese. There's a general optimism for what we are doing. Thanks be to God. 

Second, the CHOOSE Act is opening up new opportunities for many of our parents to consider Catholic education in our schools as something truly affordable and available for them. Thank you for making use of this new support.

Third, our dedicated faculty, staff, and sports teams are aligning themselves for mission, so we are focused, committed to the values of a truly Catholic educational system. 

Fourth, I pray that parents will seriously consider and look again at Catholic education for their children. Many already have, and I'm hearing about increased enrollments across our diocese.

Of course, there is much more one can say about the value of a truly Catholic education. Indeed, every journey in education begins by fostering a dream, a purpose, and a vision. And our vision is clear. Everything we do must be focused on and aligned with being a disciple of Jesus Christ - from our intellectual formation, our physical education courses and sports, our arts, and our life in living a Christian faith to become truly and amazingly free persons who are filled with hope and joy. This means that we are deeply dedicated to excellence. We're ready to exceed expectations, and I thank our superintendent Margaret Dubose and her team for supporting, encouraging, and cheerleading for Catholic schools at all levels around our diocese.

Today, we're making a difference in our parish communities and society. May God, Who has begun this good work all around our diocese, make it fruitful for our parishes, our communities, and society. May God bless all our efforts across our amazing Diocese of Birmingham. May God bless you all.