My dear children, there are two things I want you to remember about our patron, St. Edward.
First, is the Church we see him holding. St. Edward had a great devotion to the Church. It was more than the money he gave to have the Church built, but it was also his devotion to the people he was sent to serve. The Church is where we meet Jesus and coming to Sunday Mass is the most important thing we could ever do.
Second, I want you to remember the ring that is part of the St. Edward story. The ring he gave to feed and clothe the poor. It stands as a symbol of his generosity and his ability to see what needed to be done, and then to go and do it.
So we are the people who have St. Edward as our patron. So we too will have a devotion to this church and especially to the Most Holy Eucharist which is celebrated here. And we too will see to serve the poor, most of all, to see what needs to be done, and to do it with great generosity of heart. That is what will make us the people of St. Edward.
Kind of odd question, but do you really address them as "my dear children" in your homilies?
If so, how wonderful!
I'm assuming you don't when you just drop by the school and talk to a group of students, and so it imparts a marvelous formality to the homily, a reminder that it is still part of the Liturgy, while at the same time the words of the homily are well geared to an audience of grade-schoolers.
(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)
The four masses for which I presided, the content of the homily was addressed to the children who were being enrolled in the Communion program at these masses.