Catholic schools gather to honor Bishop Kevin Boland

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Bishop Kevin Boland

By Brooke Kelley - bio | email

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - It's Catholic Schools Week, and that means thousands of schools across the country are taking time to reflect on what it means to be Catholic.

Today, 20 schools from across southeast Georgia came together to honor someone very special.

Schools from Savannah, Valdosta and Columbus packed the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to celebrate.

"We are celebrating service, service all our parents, teachers and staff do," said St. James principal Pam Dufrain.

Principal Pam Dufrain says this is the first time in 20 years that all the Catholic schools in the southeast were in the same place worshiping together. "It brings us together I think it's wonderful for students far away to see they are in our community with students in Savannah," she said.

And the man they honored, Bishop Kevin Boland for his 50 years of service to the Catholic faith.

"He loves the children and loves being with them and we thought this would be a wonderful way to honor him,"said Boland.

Students like Jacqueline Britten think so too. "We are happy to be apart of this and see other schools do the same thing," she said.

Just as the mass was ending the students presented Bishop Boland with several gifts.

"A spiritual bouquet and this book with leather bound things representing things like he has been involved with," said Dufrain.

The Bishop told the students the best gift they can give him would be to celebrate their Catholic faith with their hearts, hands, and voices.

A gift they fulfilled almost immediately.

Students also gave the Bishop a $5,000 check to donate to the Catholic Relief Services. Bishop Boland is planning to take the money with him as heads for Zimbabwe on behalf of the Catholic Relief Services.