Education is Priceless

Education is priceless

Education is priceless
Children vaccinated against river blindness in a school in Ewoku. Ghana. Photo by Lynn Johnson for the National Geographic.

There is an Arabic proverb about Education that goes like this, “Seek education from the cradle to the grave.” This is very true indeed. I have seen some arguments and sentiments about whether attaining education in a secular or sacred institution make a difference in ones life. Well, I cannot speak for another but myself. But before that, fellow IGNITUM TODAY contributor, Anna Williams, has a superb piece on the issue of Catholic Education. I’ll love to borrow her quote here:

Education is defined more by the student than by the teacher, because what you bring into the classroom affects what you get out of it. If you bring faith into your secular studies, each realm can light up the other. History, literature, art, politics, philosophy — your faith gives you a new perspective on all these, and all these give you a new perspective on your faith.

Read her piece over here.

Now back to my own experience. First of all, I have NEVER attended any Catholic school/institution. I, like the above photo depicting some student in a public school in somewhere in my country Ghana, went to a public school most of my life. The public schools I attended were a bit better than those in the picture though :). Non of those public school were affiliated to any religious body. They were secular in nature but with many openness to the Divine.

The story changed when I got admitted to a private Methodist University. It’s for me the finest Christian school to pass through. That’s where I started to know what is and is not Catholic. I was challenged, provoked and forced to do some serious research on Catholicism and almost everything about my Catholic Faith. It was as though I was asleep until fellow student caused me to awake and think and know and act Catholic. I have covered this over here some months ago on IGNITUM TODAY. You can check it out at here.

Isn’t it quite ironic for the saintly Archbishop Fulton Sheen to say, “I tell my relatives and best friends, ‘If you want your children to fight for their faith, send them to public school. If you want them to lose their faith, send them to Catholic school.’”?

“Jesus is your friend. The Friend. With a human heart, like yours. With loving eyes that wept for Lazarus. And he loves you as much as he loved Lazarus.” Saint Josemaría Escrivá — Godwin Delali Adadzie is a Catholic living in Ghana, West Africa. A former smoker (Fish smoker now a Vegetarian) but still loves to drink a lot (of water). He attempts to blog at the Fair (HubBlogs with GADEL), the Good (Blessed Virgin our Mother Mary Immaculate), the Bad (GADEL Said What?) and the Ugly (Catholic Fiction: Responding to Myths & Half-Truths)

Godwin Delali Adadzie

Godwin Delali Adadzie

You can call me GADEL. Apologetics and theology are two of my favorite subjects, and you can read some of my work in these areas at Catholic Answers 101. I also care a lot about gun safety. Remember to pray always. Thank you.

Leave a Replay

5 thoughts on “Education is Priceless”

  1. Edward Radler Rice

    Godwin,

    You offer your readers a quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
    In which speech or document from the archbishop did you find this quote? I have looked for it and not been able to discover its origin…

    I read in another of your posts that you are a member of the Legion of Mary. Now, although I greatly appreciate and encourage the work of Catholic homeschoolers and recognize the work of faithful Catholics in government schools, I also believe that blatantly Catholic educational institutions, which wholeheartedly adhere to the authority of the Catholic Church, are essential to the well-being not only of the Catholic Church, but also the surrounding society…

    The Legion of Mary as a spiritual and educational association of the faithful beneficially affects society, too, does it not?

    The Catholic School as it is understood, designed, and enlived by the Catholic Church has a mission that is broader and yet similar to that of the Legion of Mary…

    If you are interested, I left some links regarding the Church’s understanding of education in my post at K. Peterson’s “All for the Good” symposium.

    Sincerely yours in Christ,

    Edward

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit