Brick by Brick

Tennis, Anyone?

Nice article and photos in the most recent edition of The Barnstable Patriot. Click here to check it out.

Cleaning Up for a Good Cause

JPII students and staff pitched in on a bright sunny morning to help clean up Main Street, Hyannis. Great job!

Getting Out Of The House

Now that the weather's turned (April Recess...Awesome!), its time to get out and enjoy some good weather. Thursday, May 1 provides a great opportunity. First, we'll gather in Our Lady of Fatima Chapel for Ascension Thursday liturgy, then a few academic matters, followed by our school's participation in the Community Clean Up Day sponsored by Hyannis Main Street Association. This event provides a great opportunity to be of service to the community and join with students, businesses ,and agencies from the Main Street area toward a common goal.

After lunch on the Hyannis Green, we'll return to school for a fun Students vs. Staff Softball Game at McKeon Park. When we last met, the staff pounded got the best of the students in last fall's friendly touch football game. Softball might not be so kind to us staff members...who knows...care to comment?

Let Me Say a Few Words...

Last week I was asked to speak at a gathering of teachers and administrators from all the schools in our Diocese to be held on Friday. Specifically, I was asked to focus on Cape Cod as part of the larger story of Catholic education in the Diocese of Fall River and its attendant lessons of birth, death, and new life (For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven [Eccl 3.1]).

Despite (or because of...) the tight leash of time (2-5 minutes...I can't clear my throat in that time!), this little assignment's got me in a reflective way as I dwell on how our Cape 'trees' color and change the Diocesan 'forest.'

I'm told that the duty's mine in part due to remarks given at the Cape-Wide Catholic Schools Week Mass held at St. Pius X Church in January. This special liturgy featured students, teachers, and guests from all five Cape Catholic schools and was celebrated by Bishop Coleman.

Read those remarks here: Download csw_mass_remarks.pdf

Our Saint Is Dead!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 marked the third anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. We observed this occasion with remembrance and an all-school liturgy celebrated by our friend, Fr. George O'Brien. I told our students that we're lucky; JPII's a great guy and a great namesake. I am grateful to have the such an life and example for our school to emulate.

May we always be worthy to be known as Pope John Paul II's high school.

Read Fr. O'Brien's homily: Download 20080404144210745.pdf 

Spring Open House

Each day, it seems, we learn what brick by brick really means. It means building a school happens one family at a time, one accomplishment at a time, and one event at a time. Pretty soon, however, you look up and see that these bricks really do add up. Our terrific Open House yesterday was a great opportunity to show new families what we've accomplished. I was pleased with the turnout of prospective families and proud to see, through their eyes, what we've accomplished.

Here's the cool ad (created by Mr. Al Catelli) that ran in the Cape Cod Times earlier in the week...

The Wonderful Cross

The paradox of the cross -- a tough idea to 'get' both intellectually and emotionally -- is at the heart of our faith and central to how we can approach Holy Week. The paradox of the cross, the idea that it is in giving that we receive and that it is through dying we are born to eternal life, helps us accept the inevitable sufferings of life in a way that unites us with the life of God. 

I was thinking about this idea as our school prayed the Stations of the Cross (as re-formulated and prayed by Pope John Paul II in 1991) today. I watched our students struggle with mystery of Holy Week as they move from a childhood sense of Christianity into a more personal, adult, appropriated faith.  Not an easy journey at all but one that is the core of our mission as a Catholic school.

Watching this struggle also makes me wonder what struggles Holy Week has for me. We're all freshmen in high school, at least in God's eyes.

Wishing all the joy of the Resurrection this Easter season! 

Ready On Day One?

Monday, March 17 was the first official day of spring sports, and of course, the first day for our tennis program. Despite the high winds and 30-degree temperatures, JPII athletes took to the courts under the direction of Head Coach (and Math teacher) Mr. Joe Gaudet and assisted by Ms. Ashley Seidel (a veteran tennis player). I am delighted to have such strong leadership for this nascent program (Mr. Gaudet: 2002 Boston Globe E. Mass. Tennis Coach of the Year) and the enthusiasm of our student-athletes. As with many things, these first days and first steps promise great things to come as our athletic program and school grows.

Special, behind-the-scenes kudos go to Mr. Ernie Christian, Maintenance Director, for the extra time and effort required to bring the school courts back to life.

A Waiting Game

Guess it's raining up where you are.

I know this because Mr. Al Catelli, Advancement Director, and I are waiting out flight delays amid our return to Boston. At the moment, we're passing time in the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. While it's not tough duty to spend time in south Florida, the waiting's got me thinking about, well, waiting.

What does waiting invite us into? Folks waiting alongside us are spending time with families, reading, plugging into technology (such as your humble blogger), or perhaps sleeping. One inevitable reality -- and benefit, I would say -- of waiting is the opportunity to slow down and spend time in our own minds and hearts. Forced alone time, even amidst lots of other people, can give way to unexpected thoughts, new ideas, and maybe some realization of God in my life. Soon, it'll be back to the familiar busy-ness and distractions of everyday life. For now, it'll be whatever might come from the free, forced gift of unexpected time.

It's What's On the Outside That Counts

An anonymous donor helped "gear up" our students with the gift of fleece jackets for all -- each complete with the embroidered school seal and student's name. The jackets, distributed today, were a big hit with students.

Earlier in the day, a woman came to the school wanting to see the Chapel. A longtime supporter of the dream of Catholic high school education on Cape Cod, she told me that, though her own son is now out of high school, she is deeply gratified to see this kind of education available for Cape families and has been looking forward to the opportunity to visit the Chapel and pray for our school. I was glad to meet this longtime supporter of our school.

For me, these two events are connected, and not just because they happened an hour apart. The donor's free fleece and our longtime supporter's first steps in the building tell me that this school carries the hopes and dreams of many and receives the support and prayers of many. We, the first students and staff, are not alone. We are part of something larger -- and today's gift/visit shows us the care of the wider community. It was a good day.