This month, OAPCE welcomed Dr. Anne Jamieson from the Institute for Catholic Education for a virtual Faith Webinar for parents across the province titled, “Leading in Hope: A Parent’s Gift in Challenging Times” in which she discussed how hope is still on the horizon and needed now more than ever in these challenging times, as well as a reflection as we begin the Lenten journey.
She began by inviting us to reflect on the Jubilee Year that has now concluded, asking a simple but profound question: Now what? The Holy Door has closed. It is sealed. The formal celebration has ended. And yet — our call as parents has not.
Dr. Jamieson walked us through the history of Jubilee, beginning in the Jewish faith — a time of restoration, forgiveness, renewal, and letting the land lie fallow so that it could regain strength. It was a reset rooted in justice and mercy. When the Catholic Church embraced the Jubilee tradition centuries ago, it carried forward that same spirit: reconciliation, pilgrimage, forgiveness, and hope.
But the closing of a Jubilee year is not an ending — it is an invitation. In these modern and often challenging times, we are reminded that parents are not passive observers in the life of faith. We are leaders. Not because we have everything figured out, but because we model trust. We model hope. We model where to look when life feels heavy.
One story Dr. Jamieson shared struck listeners deeply. She recalled a New Year’s Day family gathering many years ago. In the midst of celebration, news came that an uncle had passed away. In that moment of shock and sorrow, her mother — small, frail in stature — quietly took charge and led the entire extended family in praying the rosary. Despite her tiny frame, she led with steady faith. That moment imprinted itself on Dr. Jamieson’s heart.
It reminded me that in our toughest and most uncertain moments, our children are watching. They look to us to see how we navigate grief, fear, disappointment, and stress. When we lean on Christ — when we pray aloud, when we pause, when we whisper, the Sacred Heart Prayer, “Oh my Jesus, I put all my faith in you” — we are anchoring something far deeper than the situation at hand. We are anchoring faith in the hearts and minds of our children.
Dr. Jamieson spoke about hope as lifting our eyes to the horizon. When life feels overwhelming, when responsibilities pile up, when the world feels divided or uncertain, hope stretches what she called our “faith muscle.” Just as our eyes need to look into the distance to relieve strain, our souls need to look up and out — toward Christ.
She reminded us that ‘Parents are the first teachers’. We lead by witness. We lead by example. We lead not only in calm moments, but in the storm of daily life and the challenges that we face.
In conclusion, she reminded us that although the Jubilee door may have closed, the work of hope continues in our homes. This is a time to be intentional — intentional in our prayer, intentional in our words, intentional in how we respond in front of our children. When we fix our eyes on Christ, we teach our children where to fix theirs too.