With September well under way, here in the United States the final students are returning to school. Catholic schools usually mark that return with a Mass, but Catholic students in other schools should also begin or renew their studies with prayer. And those of us who have left our schooldays far behind can—and should—still join them. Education isn't a private matter, and it doesn't end when we finish our formal schooling. We should not only support the students in our lives but constantly strive to continue our own education.
And so I have chosen A Prayer for Students as our novena this week. Addressed to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of students, this prayer reminds us that the ultimate goal of our intellectual education is the same as the goal of our spiritual education: eternal life.
More on Saint Catherine of Alexandria:
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria (from About.com Women's History)
- Prayer to Saint Catherine of Alexandria
- St. Catherine of Alexandria (from The Everything Saints Book.) N.B.: That page incorrectly states that Saint Catherine's feast is November 29--it is November 25--and that it was dropped from the liturgical calendar in 1969. The feast remains on the calendar as an optional memorial.