Values for a Lifetime

The first days of August are already upon us, and we will soon welcome the start of the 2011-2012 school year. In some schools, teachers are already in classrooms preparing their courses and attending in-service meetings. School offices are already buzzing with phone calls and photocopies. Students will be back in some schools as early as next week. In short, the school year is set to begin.

I greet this school year with great excitement and anticipation. This school year, we have adopted the theme of “We are One Body”. As St. Paul reminds us in the 12th chapter of First Corinthians, we all come together to form the living body of Christ. Although our schools represent diverse locations and populations, we are united in the common ministry of Catholic education. We all possess different strengths and weaknesses, yet we come together as integral parts of Christ’s Church in the modern world. This unity is a reflection of Holy Communion, in which we join with Christ in the sharing of his Body.

In our second year of our visioning effort, we will be closely examining how we can better come together to form the Body of Christ in our Archdiocese. As this vision comes together, we must define how we will uphold each school’s unique identity and personality while establishing a common future.

Although our schools are different, we are unified in one dynamic Body. In the coming year, I look forward to witnessing how we will continue to define this Body, and draw ever closer to the living presence of the Father.

May God bless our schools this coming year, and endow our school communities with vibrancy, happiness, and success.