Bishop Perez visits Hoban and engages the hearts and minds of students

Bishop Nelson Perez, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, visited Hoban to celebrate the first Mass of the school year with the students and faculty on Wednesday, Sept.12. in a cool Barry Gymnasium, courtesy of a generator-led air conditioning system set up for the special event.

The Mass, commemorating the feast day of the patroness of Holy Cross, Our Lady of Sorrows, is celebrated yearly at Hoban as part of the Holy Cross tradition.

In his homily, Perez engaged the student body by asking them to tell him about the school. He casually posed the question:  “Tell me about Hoban?”

The room erupted into chatters as students raised their hands to offer up remarks.

“Mum day,” one student said.

“We have no air condition,” another student on the other end of the room added.

The Bishop walked along the aisle and engaged the students, speaking to them as individuals.

“Educating hearts and minds,” senior Abby Griffith said.

“I think we got more of a spiritual aspect because he was here with us,” freshmen  Steven Ross said. “He brought the Mass to life and made it more entertaining.”

Perez went on to speak about courage and about Mary’s yes to God. He spoke on the student’s level, making  jokes and constantly smiling.

As if the Bishop’s presence wasn’t enough to excite the student body, it was also the Mass which installed 40 seniors as eucharistic ministers.

“I was very excited to learn that the Bishop would be installing us,” senior eucharistic minister Brianna Mccarron said. “With the Bishop present, I realized just how significant becoming a Eucharistic minister was not only to my own faith, but to our entire Church community.”

After Mass, Perez sat and ate lunch with several of the students in the Holy Cross Room. He asked about their favorite parts of Hoban and they asked him questions about being a Bishop.

“It means a lot to me to learn how the Bishop influences the Diocese of Cleveland,” sophomore Aaron Bielecki said.

The Bishop’s presence in Catholic schools proves that he is a Bishop for the people. The way he shows interest in the students impacts them profoundly.

“We were all amazed,” freshmen Clay Horning said. “We thought it was so cool that he would go out of his way to be there for us.”

Bishop Perez plans to continue his journey around the Diocesan schools, continuing to engage students in the near and distant future.