As a follow-up to last week’s launch of “Called By Name” we wish to thank those of you who offered to call a Zacchaeus out of his tree, and certainly if you find or know of any more out there, please let us know. This is not an easy time to consider a religious vocation, and a religious vocation is itself never easy, but then nothing great is ever done by only taking an easy road. We are all on the journey to eternal life, and we need the assistance and support of a community of faith – a family of faith – to help us to get to Heaven. Our prayers for vocations – the priesthood, the diaconate, and as religious brothers, nuns, and sisters, as well as those called to the married life – is the work of the entire church and the entire church benefits from their witness and service. Sadly, those who abuse their vocation in any way, diminish the body of Christ and offer scandal to the faithful. We continue our prayers for each other so that we might be a source of strength and hope during times of trial and times of great joy.
It seems that, with little fanfare in the midst of everything that is going on, this Friday marks the 100thanniversary of the end of “the war to end all wars” – World War 1. I remember some of those ancient relatives when I was a child – and by ancient I mean my Grandparent’s brothers, who had fought in the war. Today, of course, there are no living veterans of this war, while it is estimated that on average 1,000 veterans of WWII die each day. As we honor Veterans next Monday, let us be ever mindful of those many thousands of veterans who are still suffering the effects of the wars and conflicts in which they fought. One of my Mother’s cousins, who did several tours in Viet Nam, has suffered from the effects of Agent Orange and PTSD for the last fifty years. His life, as with so many others, was a life lost while still alive. We pray for all our veterans and we are proud that next Monday the students in SBS will get a chance to hear the stories of veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day.
Speaking of the school, you will see pictures and an account of the groundbreaking for the Out Door Learning Center which took place on Friday, November 1st. This innovative project will greatly enrich our programs and enhance our student’s in their ecological awareness. This is in keeping with both sound educational principals and the teaching of Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclicalLaudateSi. On September 12th, Pope Francis undertook an initiative to form an international and interreligious alliance which he described as “global village” to educate each child and promote care for the earth.
The Pope commented: “Never before has there been such need to unite our efforts in a broad educational alliance, to form mature individuals capable of overcoming division and antagonism, and to restore the fabric of relationships for the sake of a more fraternal humanity.”
He continued, “I renew my invitation to dialogue on how we are shaping the future of our planet and the need to employ the talents of all, since all change requires an educational process aimed at developing a new universal solidarity and a more welcoming society.”
It is our hope that through this learning center that this vision can be instilled in our students here as well.
The education of the whole person has always been a hallmark of Catholic schools – who that whole person is has changed over the years and it continues to change even now. Today we cannot educate the whole person without situating the student in the environment – in the world in which they live, and the world that they will inherit from us who have stewardship over it today.