On Being Family

Many readers of my blog know the four fundamental themes of Holy Cross education:  Being Family, Building Respect, Educating Minds and Forming Hearts, and Bringing Hope.  For the past 176 years, Holy Cross Brothers, Priests and Sisters have been providing this foundation in their educational missions and are present today in 14 countries spanning 5 continents.  Hundreds of thousands of young people have been influenced by the teachings of Fr. Moreau as carried out by the lay and religious women and men that teach in our schools.

This topic of "Being Family" is one that struck a chord with me this past week as I spent a week away from my own family while attending a class for my doctoral program.  Each night I lied in my quiet room, alone, missing my family, and thanked God for the wonderful family that I have...my wife and children, my parents, my brother, my aunts and uncles, my extended family, my friends, and of course, my Bishop McNamara family.  It also dawned on me that many of our young alums are heading off to college, many leaving their families for the first time.  I remember leaving my family to go to college.  Oh the homesickness, I thought I'd never make it and oh did I want to quit and go home.  But my family encouraged me, maybe even pushed me, and in due time I was ready to be on my own.  It also made me think back to some of the things our past President, Mrs. Heather Gossart, used to say at the annual Baccalaureate Mass when we said farewell to our graduates as she quoted Jonas Salk and said that just like good parents, a school community gives their children roots and wings - roots to know where home is and wings to fly off and practice what has been taught them.

What are those things that have been taught?  As our young people leave our homes and leave the "creature comforts" behind, get out of their comfort zones and begin the journey ahead of them, what do we hope they take with them?  What are those things that we have sought to impart on them while living under our roofs?  At Bishop McNamara we've sought to teach them personal responsibility, the ability to think creatively, analytically, and critically, the ability to lead, and the ability to communicate effectively.  But we've taught them so much more than that too.  We've hopefully taught them unconditional love, inspired in them the desire to stamp out injustices in the world, to respect all people regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, religion, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.   Most important, I hope we've taught them that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them, and that to whom much is given much is required, and that just as was stated in Jeremiah 29:11-12:  "Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you, Yahweh declares, plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  When you call to me and come and pray to me, I shall listen to you."  For, as Mrs. Gossart always said, "The best is yet to come."

So as we bid farewell to the class of 2012 and send them off to college we want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.  You are well prepared and now it is time to go off and make a difference in this world.  Remember always where you came for, be grateful to your family, pay it forward, and go out and do great things!!

As we send off this class of graduates, we also welcome to our family 227 new members of the class of 2016 and so the cycle begins for them as they begin the four year journey of high school.  From their first day of orientation we will, with the grace of God, inform them of everything they should know and form them in the way of the Gospels, so that as they leave our doors four years from now they too will have the ability to transform the world!