If you walked into a Catholic school in Kansas City this school year, you might see a group of teachers huddled together, discussing the significance of a Scripture like this one: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3 RSV-CE). Or this one: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:24 RSV-CE).

That’s because—with support from Bishop James Johnston, the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph, and American Bible Society—more than six hundred Catholic school teachers are digging deeper into the Scriptures this school year. These teachers aim to help their collective twelve thousand students better grasp how the stories of the Bible relate to their day-to-day lives.

Through the faithful prayer and financial support of partners like you, American Bible Society is providing each teacher with a copy of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, The Gospel of Matthew and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, The First and Second Letters of Saint Paul to the Corinthians. In addition, teachers will be given resources for further analyzing the Scriptures—including the Church’s guidelines for understanding the Bible as well as topical essays, word studies, charts, maps, and study questions.

Dr. Dan Peters, the Superintendent of Schools in the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph, explains, “We are very grateful to be able to use the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible for the Gospel of Matthew and 1st and 2nd Corinthians. The teachers and administrators for the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese will deepen their understanding of the Bible and hopefully also deepen their relationship with Christ. We will follow up on individual reading of the Scriptures by using these study materials during two hours of Bible study and faith formation each month.”

As teachers weekly read and discuss sections of Scripture, our prayer is that they would remember the significance of God’s Word in their lives and in their classrooms. We also pray that truths from Scripture would permeate these teachers’ schools, inspiring students to read God’s Word with fresh eyes and hungry minds.

Please Pray with Us

• Pray that as many Catholic teachers in Kansas City commit to engage with Scriptures together this school year, they will experience God’s love in an ever-new way and will see God at work in their lives and in their students’ lives.
• Pray this Scripture engagement project in Kansas City will inspire dioceses in other cities to adopt this model of increased Scripture engagement and to incorporate it in their religious education curriculum.
• Pray for the Catholic Education Department and the Religious Education Department as they provide leadership for the principals, teachers, and students in Kansas City. Pray that they would be models of Scripture engagement and would keep Scripture reading as a key component of their religious education program.