by Father Mark Goldasich
Some experiences in life have a treasured place in your memory. One of mine is a visit to the Leaven office from managing editor Anita McSorley’s youngest child many years ago.
This precocious youngster, maybe 3 years old at the time, began to type on my computer keyboard. What appeared on the screen was line after line of something like: kljjawqdudygllkdkullytldn.
Looking up, the little angel said, “What does this say?”
I answered, “Hm, I really don’t know!”
To which came the disgusted reply: “And here I thought you could read!”
That day made me realize what a blessing it is to be literate. Do you ever marvel at how astonishing it is to be able to read? This story reminds me of how it started:
In ancient times, a king wanted to honor the greatest person among his subjects. A man of great wealth was singled out. Another was praised for her healing powers, another for his wisdom and knowledge of the law. Still another was lauded for his business acumen. Many other successful people were brought to the palace, and it became evident that the task of choosing the greatest would be difficult.
Finally, the last candidate stood before the king. It was a woman. Her hair was white. Her eyes shone with the light of knowledge, understanding and love.
“Who is this?” asked the king. “What has she done?”
“You have seen and heard all the others,” said the king’s aide. “This woman was their teacher!”
The people applauded, and the king came down from his throne to honor her. (Story found in Brian Cavanaugh’s “The Sower’s Seeds.”)
I took for granted all the teachers who helped me understand that letters can form words, then sentences, then paragraphs. Reading and writing opened whole new worlds.
Sadly, in the world today 250 million children and youth are out of school, and 763 million adults are illiterate. According to the National Literacy Institute, some 21% of adults were illiterate in 2024 in the United States, and 54% of adults read below a 6th grade level.
No doubt it’s alarming statistics like this that are the reason the U.N. General Assembly has designated Jan. 24 as the International Day of Education. It asserts that education is “a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. . . . Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.”
I was reminded of how isolating and limiting illiteracy can be when traveling to the Holy Land a couple of years ago. How could people decipher the “squiggles” of the Arabic language or the Jewish script of Hebrew? And how in the world do you learn to read from right to left instead of the other way around?
Obviously, it’s teachers who are at the forefront of helping people become literate. As illustrated in the story above, teachers truly are some of the greatest — and generally unsung — heroes among us. Take time to sing their praises!
By a happy coincidence, Jan. 24 is the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists. His icon sits prominently by my computer. I’m sure that he’s tired of hearing from me each deadline Tuesday . . . but he never fails to help.
Celebrate your ability to read — and Catholic Press Month in February — with The Leaven. Maybe read a page you normally bypass. Or how about teaching a young one how to read using stories in The Leaven.
Why read? The beloved Dr. Seuss says it well: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
