Yesterday we celebrated the school's 60th anniversary together. After Mass in the auditorium, we enjoyed the sock-hop themed lunch in the cafeteria where a display of photo albums and other memorabilia gave students a chance to appreciate the history of our school. Seeing pictures of the school when there was no auditorium, the current library was an outdoor courtyard known as the "bus port," and the faculty included more than 20 IHM Sisters and 20 De La Salle Christian Brothers helps students grow in their appreciation of a place and community with a rich history -- one of which they are now a part and to which they are now contributing, something larger than themselves.
As part of a class assignment, the yearbook class was about the building this week capturing candid photographs. It was part of a scavenger hunt exercise designed by the teacher to emphasize the importance of good protocol for archiving material. When these students stopped to speak to me, I couldn't resist the opportunity to provide a micro-lecture of sorts on the importance of their work as the authors of the next chapter in the history of our school.
Today as I write this, one of our buses is warming up outside my window. It is filling up with the classmates and teammates of senior Nate Smith, all of whom wish to support Nate and his family in their grief as they mourn the passing of Nate's mother, Tasha. When these students reflect back on their time as students at O'Connell, they will remember this day clearly. A moment when they recognized the powerful need to support another through their suffering -- a chance to be the face of God for a friend in need. A chance to feel the power of Faith and to share it together.
Please pray for the Smith family and all in our community who are suffering pain or loss.