My dear young friends, students from our Catholic schools across the Diocese of Birmingham, faculty, parents, and friends in Christ, what a joy it is to welcome you to this beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. You have come here today from many schools and communities, but we gather as one—united in faith and united in community. That is not just this year’s theme. It is who we are. With the dedicated leadership of Margaret Dubose, our superintendent, events like this illustrate our unity in faith and community. We are united in Jesus Christ, our Lord!

In our reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, we hear a powerful reminder: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.” In Baptism, we were given that light – many of you have your baptismal candles at home. The priest said: “Receive the light of Christ. … This flame of faith is entrusted to you. Keep the flame of faith alive in Christ Jesus.” That is a bold statement. St. Paul does not say you merely have light. He says you are light because you belong to Christ.

Let’s think a moment about light. Light does something quite important: it reveals. It helps us see clearly. When the light is on, we know where to step, where to go, and what is real. When we turn away from the light, everything becomes uncertain—full of shadows, confusion, and sometimes fear. St. Paul, our patron, tells us that living as children of the light means producing goodness, righteousness or justice, and truth. These beautiful words are the visible signs that Christ’s light is alive within us.

Jesus helps us understand how this light grows in the Gospel. He speaks of a farmer who scatters seed on the land. The farmer sleeps and wakes, day after day, and the seed grows “he knows not how.” Then Jesus speaks of the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, which grows into something large enough to shelter others. The life of Jesus grows like the mustard seed. First a shoot, then a branch, then finally a full plant that yields new fruit for a future generation.

This is how the life of faith works. When you stay close to Christ, through prayer, through the sacraments, through learning in your Catholic school, Christ’s light grows within you. Often, that growth is quiet. You may not notice it from one day to the next. But it is real. It is definite. And over time, it changes you.

Every prayer you say, every act of kindness you choose, every time you stand up for what is right—even when it is hard—Christ’s light grows stronger in you. And like the mustard plant in the Gospel, that light is not meant just for you. It is meant to give shelter, hope, and encouragement to others.

Catholic schools exist for this very reason: to help you stay close to Christ so that His light can grow in your hearts and minds. In your classrooms, on your athletic teams, in your friendships, and even online, you are learning how to live as children of the light—how to choose goodness over selfishness, justice over unfairness, and truth over lies.

But St. Paul also gives us a warning. When we turn away from Christ, when we drift from prayer or forget who we belong to, what remains is not freedom, but darkness—shadows and uncertainty. That is why our unity matters so much. United in faith and community, we help one another stay close to the Light. We remind each other that we belong to Christ.

My young friends, you belong to Christ. Never forget that. The world is watching: not to see if you are perfect but to see if you live differently-if you live with hope, courage, and love. By the way you speak, the choices you make, and the care you show for one another, you demonstrate that you are Christians and prove yourselves to be so.

As we celebrate this Catholic Schools Week, ask the Lord for the grace to stay close to Him. Let His light grow within you. Day by day, quietly but powerfully, so that together, as one diocesan family, we may truly be united in faith and community, living as children of the light.

May Christ, our Light, guide you always. Amen.