We are here today because of what happened 130 years ago this past fall. The bishops of the United States, 75 in all, met for the Third Council of Baltimore from Nov. 9-Dec. 7, 1884, and among other things decreed the following with regard to Catholic schools: Yes, we are here because of that legacy of commitment made 130 years ago and renewed in every generation since then. At the heart of their commitment is a three-fold conviction: first, that education is mediated by communities in which the adults sacrifice and make demands of each other for the benefit of children; second, that they as adults are linked to a tradition of passing on faith and knowledge that works; and third, that there must be an intentional aim of giving youth the tools to be the next generation of adults who will continue that legacy for the good of the church and society. My point is simple. Our system of education works; it benefits society and deserves support so that it can continue. We are proud that the Archdiocese of Chicago school system has the largest number of National Blue Ribbon schools of any system of schools, public or private, in the country. We are equally proud that each year the archdiocesan family, through the Annual Catholic Appeal and our parish contributions, provides over $30 million dollars of financial support to our schools, and that is beyond the good work that other organizations like Big Shoulders Fund, religious communities, foundations and other partners are providing. Financial aid is needed because of the large number of financially needy students we educate. We value that diversity; it makes us better. While there is justifiable pride in how far we have come, there must be an equal humility as we move into the future. We are humbled that we have come so far because of the great sacrifice that religious women have made since the early days of the church in this country. They built our school system and we should never forget that; We are humbled that this legacy of sacrifice continues today. Presently we are able to operate at lower costs, sometimes at half the rate of other school systems, because our teachers and staff take a fraction of the salary allotted in other school systems; We are humbled by the increasing attraction our school system has for minorities and low income families, who have the aspirations of all parents, to better the lives of their children; We are humbled by the challenges of shifting demographics that place pressures on our parishes and schools, calling for creative and imaginative solutions that go beyond past parish boundaries; We are humbled that much of our infrastructure built decades ago has to be a factor in making decisions about the future; and We are humbled that today people relate to their parishes differently than in the past, due in part to greater mobility in the work force and the loss of ethnic loyalties that once bound communities together. This new kind of relationship, at times, can cause tensions as pastoral leaders try to understand how their schools fit into the mission of the parish. Yes, there are challenges that humble us, but they are nowhere near the ones that faced the church 130 years ago. We have the human and other resources to address them, but we need to do this together and, in all humility, invite new partners. Making our system of education stronger and particularly more available to families in need of financial aid, are at the heart of the To Teach Who Christ Is campaign. Its aim is to bolster and sustain the tuition assistance we provide to tens of thousands of children who attend our 240 schools, served by over 7,000 tax-paying teachers. Yet, there is a limit to how much we can do. While it is true that nationwide Catholic schools save taxpayers over $20 billion each year, it is also true that the likelihood of continuing this legacy is in doubt without some adjustment that will give families a choice through government cooperation. There are promising signs that many citizens in this country and in our state recognize in greater numbers the benefit of giving school choice to families. They see that if the state were to lose more Catholic schools, it will increase the burden on taxpayers. I am aware that many good people associated with Ed Choice, which I fully support, are working with many of our elected officials on legislation that will provide tax incentives for individuals and corporations to increase donations to scholarship providers for parochial schools and significant additional dollars to public and charter schools. I want to be clear. This is not about pitting private/parochial schools versus public and charter schools; the effort aims to support all three sectors so that all families have access to a high quality school, no matter what sector they choose. That is my invitation to all the citizens of this state and especially our elected officials. Let’s remember that they are all our children. We bring to the table our tradition of challenging each other as adults to sacrifice and make demands of each other for the benefit of our children. We bring to the table our tradition of passing on faith and knowledge that works for the benefit of our children and society. We bring to the table our tradition of intentionally aiming to give youth the tools to be the next generation of adults who will continue that legacy for the good of the church and society. We ask others to join us in that tradition and vision by supporting the To Teach Who Christ Is campaign and by partnering in the efforts to give all parents and families a choice when it comes to the education of their children. We have a proud past, but we are equally humble about the future. In humility, we recognize that we have many reasons to be thankful for the sacrifices of so many in the past. We also understand that new partnerships are necessary to continue the legacy handed on to us. I welcome the challenge of making the case for the new partnerships and the opportunity to invite you to join me in building on all that we have received. Your presence today makes me proud but keeps me humble in knowing none of us can do this alone. Thank you for your support.