My dear young people and guests, Catholic Schools Week is a fitting occasion to welcome you to the Cathedral of St Paul. I’m sure that for many of you this is the first time you’ve been here. It may or may not look like your home parish churches, but the Cathedral is, in a sense, the parish church of the entire diocese. We welcome you here whenever you have a chance to be in downtown Birmingham to join us.

Of course, you will find many things that are similar to your parishes: pews; windows, some with stained glass and others clear; an organ, which for us is new this past year; an altar; a tabernacle where the presence of Jesus remains with us; candles; statues reminding us of our extended family who are part of the communion of saints – our Blessed Mother, St. John Vianney, St. Paul our patron, St. Joseph, and others. The other uniqueness of this building is the chair where the bishop sits. Formally, it is called the cathedra, or chair. It is the formal place from where the bishop teaches for the entire diocese. From the word for chair, cathedra, we get the name Cathedral, or the building that houses the chair where the pastor sits and teaches, which is one of the main functions of the bishop.

Thank you for taking time to join us today and to be a part of this community where you see each other from our several Catholic Schools. I thank you principals and teachers who have enabled us to gather together today. In a special way, I thank Margaret Dubose, our superintendent, who oversees the educational mission of our diocese.

Today, the church commemorates St. Blaise, another bishop who is attributed to saving a young boy who was choking on a fish bone. He was martyred as a bishop serving in Armenia in 316 AD and is connected with cures of diseases of the throat. Overall, the saints give us hope that the mission of Christ is possible. Typically, we have the blessing of throats today, which we will do as a group gesture at the end of the Universal Prayers.

In a few years, you will be joining other parishioners to be confirmed. You will choose a saint that is important for you and who will guide you.

I remember helping out at a retreat some years ago. One young retreatant said to me, “Msgr., I really want to be saint!” Honestly, no one had ever said that to me before. She had her eyes set not only on what she would do in this life but also on where she wanted to be for eternity.

Our Lord is calling you to become truly yourself. You may raise all kinds of objections – so did many of the saints! But, they had met something so powerful, so amazing, that they couldn’t ignore it. It was Christ calling them to become truly what God wanted them to be in this world. You have that chance to say “yes” or “no” to God’s invitation. Some may be called to religious life – priesthood or sisterhood. All I would say is listen to the voice of God in your heart. Come before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer. Beg the Lord to share His dream with you. Like St. Francis of Assisi, you, too, can pray, “Lord, what do You want me to do for You.” You’re not going to get a direct answer on Instagram or have the answer in lights on a billboard on the way home. Nevertheless, through your quiet prayer – before the Blessed Sacrament, at night, or when you’re on a walk – if you tune into the Lord, you will hear what God’s dream is for you. Sometimes you’ll hear or read something that will give you pause and make you think. It may even be a scripture verse that you hear during Mass or read by chance. It all factors into the decision you will make about your future.

So, I tell you, “I want to be a saint!” I know I’m not perfect. Like them I, too, am a sinner in need of His mercy and salvation. I have a long way to go to be totally open to God’s life in me. But, through your presence as fellow pilgrims – through this Mass, through the encouragement I receive as part of the Christian community – I want to be [a saint], and I’ve decided to answer the Lord’s invitation affirmatively to be on this amazing journey with His friends. The outcome is too important not to consider seriously, too great to ignore, too amazing to shortchange. Yet, many things will try to pull you away from it. The saints persevered and stayed the course. I don’t regret the journey.

Finally, we hear in the Gospel the charge to “go into the whole world.” They did. They had spent about three years with Jesus – not as much time as you! They were told, “Go!” And they did! We are the recipients of their missionary zeal. They shared with those who would listen to the Good News (there was no written New Testament at the time). They shared their experience – they met a man who changed their life because He told them all about themselves and their deepest desires.

My dear young people, during this Catholic Schools Week, we come together to motivate our faith, our excellence, and our service. We grow day by day to become God’s dream in the world. I pray that you will hear the Lord speaking to you and sharing His dream for you!

May your patron saints accompany you, as well as the patron saints of this diocese, St. Paul and St. John Vianney, and our Blessed Mother. Blessings to all!