St. Joseph Calasanz

By Ashley Lahr

St. Joseph Calasanz (or Calasanctius) is a name that encompasses so much more than I expected. When I used a search engine to find out feast days for saints for August 25 or 26, I didn’t expect to find such an extraordinary man like St. Calasanz.

Born in 1556, Calasanz had a life that was completely selfless with a single goal: to educate the poor. Even though he was a priest with extensive training in theology and canon law, he put aside his career in order to address the needs of the community. After many failed attempts to get funding for education, he recruited personal companions in order to provide a free education. At this point in history, this was a revolutionary idea. With an overwhelming response, Pope Clement VIII agreed to build facilities for the community. Just with any new idea, free education became a contradictory topic. But Calasanz persevered and continued his mission.

Despite all odds, St. Calasanz put aside his career and challenges in order to assist those in need. He looked at the community as a whole and worked to figure out what areas needed assistance the most. At the time, education for the poor was an important need to Calasanz. In a different era, it could have been a different need. Regardless, it is people like St. Calasanz who are able to see a need, work to find a solution and help the community simultaneously. Despite differing views from his peers and neighbors, he looked past the discrepancies and worked for free education.

He was ultimately credited as the founder of the Pious Schools and the Order of the Piarists. He also had a close relationship with Galileo and defended his controversial view of the cosmos.

At Catholic Charities, we work around the clock to figure out different strategies to help the community, not only immediately, but also in a way that can benefit them years down the road. We strive to level ourselves with those who need assistance and help them find answers even when it seems there isn’t one. It is important to find the root of the problem within the community instead of creating a short-term “fix” to the problem.

We have all seen the words “in these economic times” in countless media outlets but it is time to start working toward a long term goal. Goals that can help keep individuals in a healthy financial state now and in the future, regardless of their economic background. Finances are an important part to our survival as a society and as individuals. Not in terms of how much we make a year but in ways that we can work toward creating budgets, understand the ins and outs of buying a home, mortgage, buying a car, calculating retirement funds, and everything else and in between.

In order to address this issue, we are offering a new series of workshops to help create “Financial Fitness.” This series will help individuals and families increase their knowledge and skills in budgeting and money management. The four part series called “Financial Fitness” combines an FDIC nationally approved curriculum, Money Smart, and specialized instructors from the financial field to give participants valuable tools to help them stabilize financially and overcome debt.


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