An invitation to unplug, explore, and encounter God this summer.
Geoff Andrews, Superintendent of Schools
As another school year comes to a close, I find myself looking forward to summer for two reasons.
First, as Superintendent of Catholic Schools, I know how hard our students, teachers, staff, and families have worked throughout the year. Summer is a well-earned opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy a different pace of life.
Second, as the father of a 12-year-old son, I know these summers are precious. Childhood moves quickly. Every year seems to pass a little faster than the one before. As parents, we only get so many summers to watch our children discover who they are, what they love, and who God is calling them to become.
That is why I hope this summer is filled with adventure, joy, creativity, and free play.
In his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that while technology can be a useful tool, we must never allow it to replace what is most deeply human. He challenges us to protect our capacity for wonder, authentic relationships, creativity, and encounter. Technology should serve people, not the other way around.
Summer offers us a wonderful opportunity to reclaim these gifts.
I hope our children spend more time looking at sunsets than screens.
I hope they ride bikes until they’re tired, drink from the garden hose, play Wiffle ball with kids they just met, spend long afternoons at the pool, and hear Mom or Dad call them home when the streetlights come on.
I hope they get dirty. I hope they get bored. And I hope they discover that boredom is often where imagination begins.
Many of us grew up in a time when summer wasn’t scheduled every minute of every day. We made adventures out of ordinary moments. A vacant lot became a baseball field. A creek became an expedition. A cardboard box became a castle. We learned creativity because we had the freedom to explore.
Our children still need that freedom today.
As Catholic families, we can make summer even more meaningful by drawing inspiration from Jesus, His Apostles, and the Saints. Take a family hike and talk about Jesus in the desert. Sleep under the stars and reflect on Abraham’s trust in God. Visit a nursing home, help a neighbor, or care for creation at a local park. In these simple moments, children learn some of the most important lessons of Catholic Social Teaching: every person has dignity, we belong to one another, and we are called to serve.
The Apostles did not become saints because they stayed comfortable. They became saints because they followed Christ into the unknown. Summer gives children opportunities to do the same, in small but meaningful ways, to try something new, to fail, to laugh, to learn, and to grow.
One of the greatest adventures your family can take this summer may only require a small detour.
As you travel to baseball tournaments, family reunions, vacations, or weekend getaways, make it a habit to visit Catholic churches along the way. When you arrive in a new town, find the local parish and step inside. Slow down. Look up.
Notice the beauty of the stained-glass windows. Study the paintings and statues. Follow the Stations of the Cross. Admire the craftsmanship, history, and faith that generations of Catholics poured into these sacred spaces.
Every church tells a story. More importantly, every Catholic church contains a treasure greater than any museum, landmark, or tourist attraction: Jesus Himself is there.
Right here in Salina, I am blessed to work across the street from Sacred Heart Cathedral. Whether I’m admiring the carvings outside or sitting quietly inside beneath the stained-glass windows, I am reminded that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves, a faith handed down from generation to generation and entrusted to us today.
For many Kansas families, summer means loading up the vehicle and heading west toward Colorado. The next time you stop in Colby to fill the gas tank, consider spending fifteen minutes at Sacred Heart Church. Let the kids stretch their legs on the playground, step inside the church, say a prayer together, and thank God for the journey.
Or take a short detour to Pilsen, the hometown of Venerable Emil Kapaun. Visit the church where he was raised and share with your children the story of a Kansas farm boy whose faith and courage inspired countless others. Holiness isn’t reserved for distant places. Sometimes saints come from towns that look a lot like our own.
These simple stops transform a road trip into a pilgrimage.
In a culture that often measures travel by how quickly we arrive at our destination, these moments remind us that the journey itself can draw us closer to God.
Kneel before the tabernacle and pray for your family, your parish, and our Diocese. Pray for vocations, and ask the Holy Spirit to help our young people listen for God’s voice and courageously follow wherever He leads.
Sit quietly in His presence and allow your children to experience something our noisy world rarely provides: silence before God.
Parents, don’t feel pressure to create the perfect summer. Children do not need constant entertainment. They need opportunities. They need freedom. They need relationships. They need time with family. They need moments that cannot be captured in a social media post because everyone was too busy enjoying them.
As a father, I know how easy it is to get caught up in schedules, travel plans, camps, tournaments, and activities. Those things are wonderful and often become cherished memories. But some of the moments I treasure most are the simple ones: shooting hoops in the driveway, grilling in the backyard, taking the dog for a walk, talking in the car, or simply sitting on the porch at the end of the day.
Those moments often become the foundation upon which faith, character, and relationships are built.
Years from now, our children likely won’t remember every score, every tournament, or every destination. But they will remember how summer felt: the freedom, the laughter, the adventures, and the faith that accompanied them along the way.
This summer, let us give our children the gift of presence.
Let’s unplug more often.
Let’s pray together.
Let’s play together.
Let’s explore together.
Let’s serve together.
And when August arrives, may our children return not only taller and older, but more joyful, more resilient, more creative, and more aware of God’s presence in the world around them.
The mission of Catholic education extends far beyond our classrooms. It continues on baseball diamonds, at swimming pools, around campfires, on family road trips, in neighborhood cul-de-sacs, and on front porches across the Diocese of Salina.
So go outside.
Get dirty.
Make memories.
Discover something new.
Listen for God’s voice.
And remember: every adventure, big or small, is another opportunity to become a disciple of Jesus on mission.
Have a joyful, blessed, and adventurous summer.
Together, let us be disciples of Jesus on mission.