ARLINGTON -- The smell of incense perfumed the packed sanctuary of St. Agnes Parish in Arlington on Jan. 27, where Archbishop Henning celebrated Mass to mark the beginning of Catholic Schools Week.

As the line of faithful snaked through the aisles to receive Communion, and an angelic hymn came down from the choir in the balcony, Lucas Sousa was putting on his own vestments, of sorts. To the sound of "O Sacrum Convivium," Sousa, a junior at Arlington Catholic High School, donned the fluffy head, paws, and suit (complete with six-pack abs) of the Arlington Catholic Cougar mascot. (On account of the cold weather, he was far from the only person in fur that day.)

Sousa has dressed as the cougar for school sporting events and other occasions for the past two years, and said it was "very fun" to do so for the archbishop.

"I love him," Sousa told The Pilot. "He's a great person, great guy. I hope to see more of him in the future."

Sousa has always attended Catholic schools, first entering St. Agnes School in Arlington when he was five.

"It's helped me find God better," he said through the oversized cougar head he was wearing. "It's helped me become a better person, and overall, better human being."

Catholic Schools Week is from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1 this year, and Archbishop Henning celebrated Mass at several Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese to mark the occasion. In his remarks at St. Agnes, the archbishop said that he personally asked Father Marc Bishop, pastor of Arlington's Catholic parishes and schools, to celebrate Mass there.

"I'm so impressed by the level of support for Catholic education we found here in Arlington," Archbishop Henning said.

The Mass was attended by students, families, and staff from St. Agnes, Arlington Catholic, and other Catholic schools in the area. Students served as lectors, altar servers, and gift bearers and read the prayers of the faithful.

In his homily, Archbishop Henning referenced the many times that the name Agnes has come up in his life. Along with being the patroness of his former Diocese of Rockville Centre (and the name of his pet dog), it was the name of Sister Agnes, the principal of St. Peter of Alcantara School in Port Washington, New York. St. Peter was the first parish Archbishop Henning was assigned to.

"Just a remarkable educational leader, but also a true disciple of the Lord and good shepherd to the children that she served, as well as to their families and to the whole parish," the archbishop said of Sister Agnes.

St. Peter's School had over 600 students, and Sister Agnes knew all their names, as well as their parents' names, by heart.

"In some ways, she taught me how to be a priest," Archbishop Henning said.

While Archbishop Henning was a priest in the parish, its staff were helping to come up with a mission statement for the school. The statement they created was almost three pages long, frustrating the archbishop and Sister Agnes. Work on the mission statement went on for months until Sister Agnes wrote one that was only three words long: "We teach Christ."

"It was brilliant," Archbishop Henning said. "Everyone could remember it, even the smallest children. And she took that mission statement, and she used it to shape that school community and beyond. She used it when she was forming her own faculty members. She reminded the children every day of this central truth of St. Peter's School."

That was one of the many lessons Sister Agnes taught the archbishop.

"It's one I would like to share with you today," he said, "both to talk about the importance of Catholic school, where Christ is in the center, but also in light of our readings today, to remind us that in the life of the church, it is the person of Christ who is truly at the center."

He said that "We teach Christ" may not be the official mission statement of Arlington's Catholic schools, but it is an accurate description of what they do. He added that the first and most important Catholic school is the home and that through their baptism, parents are called to live the faith and pass it on to their children.

"I'm so grateful for the parents who are here today with their children, drawing them to the heart of Jesus," he said. "But every Catholic school is, for the family of the church, that same truth. For we as a family wish to draw the young to the truth of Jesus, to the person of Jesus."

After Mass, Archbishop Henning asked Catholic school students, faculty, and volunteers to stand up and be recognized. Father Bishop gave the archbishop a "swag bag" of Arlington Catholic merchandise.

"I know every time I visit Catholic schools, and visit them a lot, you can just tell something different about them and how you achieve that," Archbishop Henning said. "So thank you for that."