Right after the new year, I taught an ‘intersession course’ at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley entitled: ‘Parish Administration and Finance.’ Intersession courses cover a semester long course in a very short period of time each January. I taught the required 42 hours of classroom work in seven days. A facet of parish administration that I cover in this course is always the presence of Catholic Schools which we celebrate at our parish this week.
I welcome all visitors who will tour our school building and classrooms today. I hope you will enjoy meeting students, teachers, administrators and parents of our school and the marvelous work they do each academic year in educating the whole person. Catholic schools started in the time of St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton, a convert to Catholicism who simply wanted a safe place for her children to go to school when the public schools at the time ridiculed and treated Catholic students as less than the rest.
Today a national network of schools from pre-Kindergarten through graduate schools are a gift to the whole nation. Back to my administration class, I invited our retired principal, Katie Murphy to present the background and mission of Catholic Schools. She affirmed what I have said that the goal and mission of Catholic schools is not simply to educate a child or adult in the required academic subjects, but to gift and empower any person in our schools to grow in body, mind, and spirit.
Reflecting on our recent listening sessions, a staff member commented that we need to continue to empower and engage people who join our parish to know that each person is a beloved child of God endowed with unique traits and gifts that they possess. The challenge ever present, like the goal of Catholic schools is how we can identify and help what each of us does best to become an empowered strength that will benefit the rest of us. Whether we do this for our children or the most senior member of our parish community, we acknowledge God’s love and the call that God’s love has for us as individuals and a parish community.
I hope as you celebrate Catholic schools, you will also know the call to each of us to always grow in body, mind and spirit. Know as a school and parish, we are committed to helping that happen!
I want to say, ‘Happy Lunar New Year’ to all who celebrate! Another sign of getting past Covid is the return of the ‘Chinese New Year Parade’ in San Francisco. I know several parish families are planning to attend this event which has not happened since the pandemic put a hold on so many of our joyful and cherished occasions.
It is very sad and difficult to say this as I write just hearing of the news of a mass killing and shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay and Oakland. These and every tragedy like it can and should be fixed, but here we are again, praying for victims, and voicing all sorts of theories except a clear path to prevent it.
As members of our parish, one of the perks of membership is that we come together and act with fast, generous and amazing care when someone among us is in need. And we pray for one another as we travel through life’s joys and sorrows. Let’s pray for the families whose lives will never be the same due to these most recent tragedies and pray that such evil will always be kept very far from our families and lives!
Mark your calendars and join the parish/school community in celebrating “Homecoming”. The annual auction which benefits our school will be a night not to miss in our Event Center on Saturday, February 25! Also put April 29th on your reserve list for our Irene Crosetti Ravioli Feed. Both events demonstrate that as a parish we know how to pray and how to enjoy each other’s company at social events.