MICHIGAN CITY – What is good about a rainy day?
Bishop Robert J. McClory posed that question to students during an all-school Mass on March 5 at Queen of All Saints Church. The bishop explained to them that, despite the gloomy appearance rain can create, it is needed to help plants grow and crops thrive.
Water, the bishop shared, can be used to represent people’s relationship with God. In the day’s reading, Jeremiah 17:5-10, the prophet gives the analogy that a person who dismisses God’s love is like a barren bush in the desert, but someone whose hope is in the Lord is like a tree planted beside water that “fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green.”
“It means that as we live our lives, rather than just thinking we can do work all on our own, we know that God is with us, and we trust in God,” Bishop McClory said. “When we do that, we don’t just think it in our hearts and in our heads, but we try to live that out.”
The bishop shared that one of the ways the students are growing closer to God is by attending a Catholic school. To be at Queen of All Saints, he said, is to be in an environment where, in addition to learning, the students are building upon their relationship with God. That love for the Lord is then to be shared with others.
“We end up bearing fruit,” he said. “We not only feel better, but there's something that grows out from us and allows others to receive the fruit.”
Just as Bishop McClory presented a few questions to the students during his homily, he closed his talk by inviting the students to think of questions they might want to ask him. He took time to answer those questions when he visited classrooms following the service.
As the bishop stepped into each classroom, he was asked a variety of questions that included “When did you become a bishop?” and “How did you become a bishop?” The bishop explained he became a priest first and was later chosen to be the Bishop of Gary in 2019. He was ordained and formally installed Feb. 11, 2020, on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Other questions posed by the students dealt with the bishop’s attire, such as why he wears several hats during Mass. He explained that one hat he wears, small and violet in color, is called the zucchetto. That hat is worn in reverence to God. The other, a taller pointed headdress, is called a miter, which is a symbol of his spiritual authority within the Church.
One student inquired about the cross Bishop McClory wears around his neck. He shared that it is called a pectoral cross – a symbol of Jesus’ suffering and a reminder to imitate Him by “carrying the cross.” Making the connection to their own lives, several students responded by sharing details regarding their own cross necklaces.
“A cross is a really good reminder of God’s mercy,” the bishop told them.
Students also got to know a few personal details about Bishop McClory when they asked what sports he likes, what his favorite food is, and what his favorite animal is. After answering their questions and before leaving each room, he gave a special blessing, praying over the students and their teachers.
QAS Principal Kim Gondeck said that as the students continue to learn about the structure of the Church, it was appropriate for them to visit with the shepherd of the diocese. She added that she hopes the school’s three core beliefs of Unity, Faith and Diversity showed through during the bishop's visit to the school.
“We accept everybody, and we offer them that Catholic education that they come to look for,” Gondeck said. “Through that, they help each other strive for excellence in academics.”
There are 17 elementary schools and three high schools in the Diocese of Gary. A list of schools and more information is available at https://dcgary.org/office-catholic-schools. For more information or to contact Queen of All Saints School, visit https://www.qas.org/school.
