In the Gospel of Matthew 13:44, Christ was speaking with his disciples, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” When I read this parable, my thoughts immediately go the great treasure in the field and how wonderful it must be. It doesn’t take long, however, before I also begin to think about the field that holds the treasure.

What if that field represents something that nurtures the treasure and the reason the treasure is buried in the field is to give value and purpose to the field? After all, the man had to first be in the field to find the treasure before working hard to fully reveal it.

Similarly, digging deeper into our Catholic faith through Catholic education provides us the opportunity to see the “treasure” and increases the value of the field, which, of course, holds the “ultimate treasure” — the kingdom of heaven. And who among us does not dream of obtaining the ultimate treasure, not only for us but for our entire family, all our friends, and our struggling world?

When the treasure is found, what does the man do? In his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Numerous parents in the Archdiocese of Detroit do the same thing by choosing to send their children to a Catholic school. These families follow canon law, (the body of laws and regulations that govern the Catholic Church and its members), specifically Canon 798, which states that parents are to entrust their children to those schools which provide a Catholic education.

So if the Catholic Church is asking all Catholic families to send their children to Catholic schools, why aren’t all our Catholic schools full? The reason given most often is affordability.

In the initial heyday of Catholic schools (circa 1960) the number of religious nuns, priests and brothers committed to Catholic education worked for little or no compensation. As fewer women and men entered religious life, there were less religious available to dedicate their lives to Catholic education. As alarming as this situation was, it also posed a great opportunity for the lay faithful to become more involved in Catholic education.

Today, there are countless dedicated and faith-filled laymen and women working in our Catholic schools. This shift in the workforce brought many benefits, but also some practical challenges such as providing fair compensation that allows faculty and staff members in a Catholic school to make a career of Catholic education.

Typically, faculty and staff compensation and benefits represents one of the largest expenses, if not the largest, on a Catholic school’s financial operating statement. In most cases, tuition alone does not cover all the expenses associated with operating a school. Diocesan parish schools have traditionally received funding from the parish community, while independent private Catholic schools have relied on philanthropic gifts to fund operations.

Making Catholic education affordable becomes a straightforward problem to solve if every Catholic, not just the families who are currently sacrificing to have their children in Catholic schools, took canon 800.2 to heart: “The Christian faithful are to foster Catholic schools, assisting in their establishment and maintenance according to their means.”

One might ask: “Why would any Catholic give money to a Catholic school if their child or grandchild is not attending one?” The answer is because they know the importance of the field. They know that by increasing the number of people in the field, they are multiplying the number of people who will have the opportunity to discover the treasure.

If the Catholic Church is truly going to thrive and not just survive, every Catholic needs to invest in the “Field of Dreams,” which is Catholic education. Like the man in the parable who found his joy, let’s buy this field for the future of the Catholic Church, our children and their children, and watch the Church grow.

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Michael J. Nalepa is president of Everest Collegiate High School and Academy in Clarkston.