This August feels especially significant in my house. Like so many others, I am gathering school supplies and preparing for a new routine. This year, however, I am stepping into a classroom of my own for the first time.
As a brand-new teacher, I have spent my summer planning engaging lessons, arranging files, and praying for my future students. Alongside the excitement come some questions: Will I have the wisdom to teach well? Will my students know they are seen and loved? Will I be the teacher God is calling me to be?
Whether you are packing your child’s backpack for the first day of Kindergarten, dropping off your high school senior, sending your college student back to campus, or— like me—walking into a classroom as the teacher, the beginning of a school year is an invitation to entrust ourselves to the Lord. We prepare as best we can, but we do not start this school year alone.
The Saints are more than holy figures from a long time ago. They are brothers and sisters in Christ who intercede for us.
As Saint James writes, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you” (James 1:5). What better way to begin the school year than by asking for that wisdom through the intercession of the Saints?
Five Saints for a New School Year
As we start a new school year, these five Saints remind us that every lesson, every challenge, and every ordinary school day can become a chance to grow in wisdom and holiness.
Saint Thomas Aquinas: When Learning Leads Us to Truth
School can easily become about grades and checking assignments off our to-do lists rather than pursuing its true purpose: growing in knowledge and understanding.
Saint Thomas Aquinas gently reminds us that education has a greater purpose: to seek the truth. One of the Church’s greatest theologians, Aquinas understood that every truth propels us closer to God.
Whether we are learning the alphabet, solving math equations, or studying AP literature, we have an opportunity to marvel at the beauty of God’s creation and grow in wisdom. Aquinas even composed a prayer before study, asking God to enlighten his mind and strengthen his memory. What a beautiful reminder that wisdom is not something we earn on our own but a gift we receive from the Lord.
As students, parents, or teachers, perhaps we can begin each school day or homework session with a simple prayer, asking the Lord to guide our learning with humility and use our knowledge to love Him and serve others.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino: When School Feels Difficult
Let’s be honest—not everyone loves school. Some may struggle academically. Some wrestle with test anxiety or learning differences, while others compare themselves to their classmates. Even adults can feel inadequate when they are learning new things.
As I prepare for my first year of teaching, I often wonder if I am ready. And that is why I find such comfort in Saint Joseph of Cupertino.
He struggled throughout his education and faced many setbacks before eventually becoming a priest. His life reminds us that God is not looking for perfect report cards or prize-winning science fair projects. He is asking for faithful hearts that continue showing up, even when things get difficult.
If your child comes home discouraged after a tough exam, or if you are facing challenges in your own vocation as a parent or teacher, ask Saint Joseph to pray for perseverance. Our weaknesses are often where God does some of His most beautiful work.
Saint Carlo Acutis: When Technology Becomes a Tool for Holiness
For today’s students, the school day extends far beyond the classroom. Homework is submitted online, research begins with a search engine, and friendships are formed through social media.
While technology is an incredible gift, it can also become a distraction, making it easy to lose sight of what truly matters.
That is one reason why I love Saint Carlo Acutis.
Rather than avoiding technology, Carlo embraced it. A gifted computer programmer, he used his talents to create a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles, believing that the internet could become a place to share the beauty of the Catholic faith. Carlo understood that every gift God gives us, including technology, can be used to draw others closer to Christ.
In a world that constantly encourages us to compare ourselves online, Carlo’s words feel especially relevant: “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies” (source). He reminds us that our identity is not found in our grades, our accomplishments, or the image we create on a screen. Our identity is found in being beloved sons and daughters of God.
As another school year begins, perhaps Saint Carlo Acutis invites us to ask a simple question before we reach for our phones or open our laptops: Will this help me grow closer to Jesus and love others well? When we use technology with the right intentions and keep a Christ-centered mindset, even our screens can become places where His light shines.
Saint John Bosco: When Friendship Becomes a Gift
One of the biggest concerns at the start of the school year has little to do with academics. It’s questions like: Will my child make friends? Will someone sit with them at lunch? Will they be kind to others?
Saint John Bosco dedicated his life to serving young people because he knew they flourished when they experienced genuine love and encouragement. He saw education as being about more than forming brilliant minds—it was about forming holy hearts.
The classroom becomes a place where students can practice generosity and compassion just as much as they learn reading and science. As parents and teachers, we can pray not only that our children succeed academically, but that they also become the kind of students who reflect Christ’s love to everyone they encounter.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: When the Little Things Matter
Most school days are not extraordinary. Rather, they are filled with spelling practice, completing extra-credit assignments, answering homework questions, grading papers, and driving to sports practice.
These mundane activities are precisely where Saint Thérèse of Lisieux invites us to find Christ. Her “Little Way” serves as a reminder that holiness is not just found in grand gestures, but in simple acts of love offered faithfully each day. As Scripture says, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
Where Christ Leads, We Follow
As I prepare my own classroom, I know there will be lessons that don’t go according to plan and days that leave me feeling tired. Parents know this feeling as well. Some mornings will be rushed. Some afternoons will end with unfinished homework. But none of those moments are wasted when they’re offered to Christ. The mundane school days—the ones that feel repetitive—are often where God forms us into the people He created us to be.
As another school year begins, perhaps choose one of these Saints to accompany your family. Learn about his or her life, celebrate a feast day together, or simply ask for that Saint’s intercession on the drive to school each morning.
I am starting this school year with a classroom full of students I will soon come to know and love. You may be beginning the year with a child taking brave first steps into a new classroom or onto a college campus. Wherever this season finds us, we can trust that Christ goes before us and the Saints walk beside us.
May this school year be one marked by deeper wisdom, new knowledge, and hearts that grow closer to Jesus.
