Mission Moment

Jesus in the World Today

We wrapped up our Grade 9 Theology class this week with a simple question:  “Where can we find Jesus in our world today?”  If we were to go with a response suggested by St. Therese of Avila years ago, we would have an equally simple answer:  “Look in a mirror”!  God made us in His image, after all!  We each carry a spark of divinity.  With our baptism, too, we become members of the Church and join in Christ’s Mystical Body.  We are meant to be reflections of God’s love.

We looked a bit further into the topic.  What does it mean, then, to reflect God’s love?  St. Paul captured the thought perfectly in his First Letter to the Corinthians in a passage familiar to many of us, often read at marriages:  “If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal....Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous; love is not pompous; it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails....when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away....So, faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13).

For the final portion of our conversation, we considered how our world today so often lacks these manifestations of love and so critically needs them.  We considered an article titled “The Rise of Incivility in America”  (Ray Williams, 2018: https://raywilliams.ca/the-rise-of-incivility-in-america/)  Williams traces the word “civility” from the Roman Republic, where “civis” meant “citizen,” and, he says, “it matured into ‘civitas,’ meaning “the rights and duties of citizenship.”  He explains one theory about the fall of the Roman Empire:  that it lost its respect for the rights and duties of citizenship; people stopped treating each other with respect.  He suggests that a loss of civility is a step toward anarchy, where individualism reigns supreme, people doing what they want, when they want, because they want to, without much thought to consequences.

Most of us, of course, probably don’t need Williams to tell us about incivility.  We have daily encounters with it, either personally around town or in the workplace, or in watching the news or reading the paper. There are many interrelated causes of incivility:  example set by political and business leaders, the stress of uncertain days – only exacerbated by our pandemic; isolation; economic inequality, materialism, racism, inflated self-worth as well as its opposite, low self-esteem; injustice, and the disintegration of community, among others.

Christianity, done “right,” has always been counter-cultural, a call to care and to community, a call to love. Our prayer for our students is that they have heard that call here at MC, that they have the courage to reflect to others the love that God has shown them, and that the face in their mirror is always bright with God’s joy.  Wishing you summer blessings!

In Praise of Docility

Latin scholars take note!  I am going to invoke the Latin root of the word “docile”!  It’s doceo, docere – to teach.    I do so more than just to bribe Mr. Kissel to have his Latin students read this article! Rather, I would like to celebrate the docility of the great majority of our Malden Catholic students. For a teacher, docile students are a wonderful gift!  And we’ve got them!

It’s not unusual, though, that when I mention to someone in the general public that I work with high school students, they cringe, put on an empathetic face, and console: “Oh, that must be awful.  I don’t know how you do it!”  I don’t get it!  Perhaps they never outgrew the “Welcome Back Kotter” (ABC 1975) vision of the American high school with Vinnie Barbarino (a teen-aged John Travolta) and the Sweathogs!  That’s not our Malden Catholic.

In our world of MMA and super action heroes, “docile” gets a bad rap.  To many it may suggest servility, submissiveness, passivity, and weakness.  Even its secondary dictionary definition is “to be easily led.” Docility, however, at its root, in its truest sense simply means “teachable.”  What teacher doesn’t love having students who are teachable, open to learning?!  There’s a hopefulness suggested in docility; a “readiness,” as though one is on the verge of something about to happen.... a blossoming, a sudden breakthrough, an “ah-hah” moment in the classroom, possibility poised.

Out on the baseball field yesterday, Ms. Foley, Dr. Baccari, and I offered a blessing to our Varsity Baseball Team and distributed a religious wristlet, as we’ve been doing with teams throughout the year.  The young men in uniform, stood quietly in semi-circle for the short ceremony, towered gently over Ms. Foley as she handed each a wristlet, joined respectfully in a closing prayer.  I couldn’t help but think, quite simply, “Isn’t this nice.” Moments of grace during a busy day.  We walked to the JV field where Dr. Baccari, who coaches the Freshman Team, sat them on the turf and spoke to them for a few minutes about the meaning of “team” and commitment to goals and using their talents optimally.  In relaxed positions, they listened.  Docility! They quietly absorbed the words.  “Ok, take a lap,” concluded Coach Baccari. They rose and ran.  “Aren’t they great!?” Coach Baccari beamed enthusiastically to us.  They are!

The day before, on Wednesday, I had met face-to-face with my 10-person sophomore advisory group. All other meetings this year had been on line.  I joked with them, asking them to forgive me if I didn’t recognize them, as I had known many only by the tops of their heads or their ceiling fan!  I hadn’t seen any of them otherwise throughout the year.  We circled the desks and spent a pleasant half hour, them responding to some questions I posed to them about how the year went, what their pandemic experiences had taught them, what they hoped for their future.  I was amazed at how politely they listened to me and how sincerely they shared some thoughts and feelings, each one taking his turn.  Docility! “Aren’t they great!?” I thought.  

Earlier that day, Ms. Foley had been reflecting how much fun it was to teach her Grade 9 Girls, how they seem ready to learn, unjaded, malleable in their willingness to take instruction, joyful in their partnership with her in learning.  Docility!   “Aren’t they great!!?”  In this, my first year EVER teaching Grade 9 Girls, I’ve had similar experiences.  Our Xaverian tradition is to find God in the ordinary, unspectacular flow of everyday life.  Our students, in their docility, make that remarkably easy.  These tendencies in our students, though nurtured by faculty and staff, do not “come from nowhere.”  They must have their start right at home.  So, parents, take a bow!  Aren’t you great, too!?”   Happy end-of-school-year!  Summer blessings to you!

Now What?

Life presents us with occasional “Now What?” moments.  They are decision-making moments – sometimes sudden and surprising, sometimes long-awaited but still perplexing; perhaps the end of something and the start of something new; perhaps a fork in the road; perhaps a death; perhaps a lottery win; perhaps a graduation!   Ten days ago we commemorated the Ascension of Jesus, the end of his physical presence on earth.  Imagine the turmoil in the minds of his apostles as they saw him go.  Now what?!  Their leader was gone.  Fortunately, they did not have to wonder for long.  Jesus had told them, “I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).  True to his word, ten days after his ascension, as the disciples were gathered in a room in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit descended upon them in wind and tongues of fire.  We celebrate this event as Pentecost, the “birthday” of the Church. Immediately, the disciples were fortified, inspired, and emboldened to preach without reserve.

The Holy Spirit remains active in our world each day.  Many of us, in fact, have had special access to the powerful influences of the Spirit through the sacrament of Confirmation.  The Church teaches that seven unique gifts flow from the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Additionally, St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Galatians (5:22) that there are 9 “fruits” (resulting benefits) that emanate from the Holy Spirit.  These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.   Those who are open to the movement of the Spirit in their lives are fortunate, indeed, to experience and to practice these values. 

There may be times when each day seems to pose its own “Now what?” questions to us – sometimes to the point of overwhelming!  When facing our own “Now What?!” moments, whatever they may be, how assuring it is to know that the Holy Spirit is always with us to guide and inspire.   In a world of intense change, frenzied pace, and daunting complexities, how good it is to be anchored in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Pentecost blessings to you!

From Mission Impossible to Mission Accomplished!

September 8, 2017.  I looked at the young man seated in the third row of the auditorium at our freshman orientation for the Class of 2021.  He was fidgeting and whispering to the guy next to him during our Headmaster’s welcome.  “This won’t end well,” I was thinking.  Sure enough, as soon as the Headmaster was done, Mr. Smith, positioned in a side aisle near the front of the room boomed at him, “You think something’s funny?!”  You could hear a pin drop as everyone half-looked in Mr. Smith’s direction, hoping not to make eye contact.  Somewhere from the third row a timid “No” could be heard, followed by Mr. Smith’s, “That’s right, so be quiet.”  And we went on.  Teachers in the audience may have wondered if they had just witnessed, and were soon to be part of, the first episode of “Mission Impossible”!    But here we are – four years later – and this weekend we proudly proclaim “Mission Accomplished”!  Commencement!

So, just what has happened over the past four years?  That student and his classmates have attended somewhere in the vicinity of 640 English classes and similar numbers for Theology and Math.  We hope they have been actively engaged participants!  They’ve become drivers, have had jobs, have cheered at dozens of school sporting events, have been accepted at some colleges and rejected at others, have experienced exhilarating personal athletic triumphs and heart-breaking disappointments, have sent 5,000 text messages.  They have fed the hungry, raised money for ALS, written letters to veterans and nursing home residents, provided toys to kids at Christmas, and have been invited to be God’s face of love to others.  Some can write a great essay; some can’t … yet.  Some are perfectly at ease speaking in public; others aren’t… yet.  They have experienced one of the most unusual years in the history of American education – in fact, one of the most unusual and rancorous years in American history.  All have been given the tools to think critically and communicate effectively and live morally.  They use these tools according to their personal gifts and inclinations.   Most now have the sense – and we hope the discipline -- not to interrupt the Headmaster at an assembly!

They have grown into young men in turbulent, exciting times.   It has been exciting to journey with them!  We’ve told them they were building the house they would live in…. and we think it has solid foundation!    We can be sure in saying that all know that they are loved and valued; that all have an idea that simplicity, humility, compassion, trust, and zeal can be important guiding values in their lives; that they can call themselves friends and brothers; and that though they leave 99 Crystal Street, they remain part of a lifelong community that they can call home.  We wish our graduates God’s rich blessings as they continue to use and develop their personal gifts to His greater glory.  Thanks, Parents!  Thanks, Teachers and Coaches!  Congratulations, Graduates!  Mission Accomplished!

Reflection On The Accession

“He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”   We hear these words often and pray them ourselves as part of our Creed, our public statement of beliefs.  This Thursday we commemorate the Ascension and the transforming power that we recognize through this event. 

During the 40 days that Jesus remained on earth after his resurrection, sharing meals with his disciples and teaching about his Kingdom, his full glory as God was still veiled in his humanity.  In Jesus’s Ascension and return to the Father, however, he was glorified; he was transformed; and as in so many other instances, Jesus provides for us a model, leading the way for us to heaven, showing us the goal of our journey to closer union with God.  

We, too, can be transformed.   And – maybe even more amazing -- we can help cause the transformation of others!

Jesus did not abandon us when he ascended.  He promised us the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, who would descend upon humankind ten days later at Pentecost, to work among us each day.  When Jesus’ disciples were watching in astonishment as Jesus ascended heavenward, two angels appeared, asking, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky (Acts 1:11). They were reminding the disciples that God’s work is here on earth, right before them, every day!

So, Jesus’s work on earth is now in our hands. We are his hands; we are his feet.   We have opportunity to reflect Jesus in our daily lives……. Or not to…… The choice is ours!

In a few short days, we will be sending forth our graduating Class of 2021.   I am sure that our seniors and their teachers and coaches have transformed each other over their four years in mysterious ways that many of them cannot even recognize yet.   This miracle of love will reveal itself over time.  And as we ourselves near the close of this school year, we can be sure, too, that we each have played some role in transforming the lives of others.  In every relationship, we change our world. I hope that, in our limited ways, we have been the face and hands and heart of Jesus to others.

As we publicly proclaim this week the Ascension of Jesus and the fact that in his return to God, he gives us the direction for our own journey, let us be mindful of and thankful for the people in our lives who have been transforming forces this year; let us be thankful for the transforming events that have made up our year at Malden Catholic, and pray that they lead us closer to God. 

Earth Day, April 22

One June day in 1969, the Cuyohoga River caught fire.  The decade had also seen a major oil spill in Santa Barbara, growing concern for extinction of whales, Rachel Carson’s influence through her best-selling Silent Spring, and issues with freeways cutting through the vital centers of major cities.  Environmentalism had been something of a sidenote to the mass anti-war protests of the late ‘60s, but law student Denis Hayes and Wisconsin Senator Gaylor Nelson wondered whether they could harness some of the youthful energy of the day – before internet, before cell phones, before email – to raise an environmental call to action on a grand scale.  They proposed a national “teach-in” for April 22, 1970, where cities around the country would focus on local environmental issues.  The day, in fact, with the help of newspapers and mimeographs, caught on world-wide, and approximately 20 million people participated in Earth Day activities 51 years ago.   Not long after, The Environmental Protection Agency was started (December 1970), 7 incumbents with poor environmental records were voted out of office, and the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act were soon to come.

A Catholic community, of course, has only to look to the opening chapters of Genesis to be reminded that when God “spoke” our world into being, it was “all good,” and He gave man and woman “dominion” over it all.  We have not always been the best stewards; in fact, our planet faces environmental challenges today like never before.  As with any problem that seems incredibly overwhelming and complicated, one wonders how to respond.  Any easy answer is that something is better than nothing!  We can, of course, review personal daily habits that either help the environment or hurt it;  we can advocate for legislative action that protects our world and searches systemic issues;  we can support others who do the same.

Formal Vatican recognition of environmental issues and climate change date back at least 50 years, too. The National Catholic Reporter tells us that in 1971 Pope Paul VI “…described ecological concerns as ‘a tragic consequence of unchecked human activity.’ He added, ‘Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this degradation.’ "  All pontiffs since then have taught the moral imperative of environmental concern.  Both Pope John Paul II and Benedict Vi, sometimes known as the “Green Pope,” have stressed ecological justice.  Pope Francis II recently spoke of ecological sin as an act or an omission against God, community, and environment, saying, “It is a sin against future generations and is manifested in the acts and habits of pollution and destruction of the harmony of the environment.”  We know, too, that inasmuch as climate change most impacts the poor and marginalized who have little resource to recover from natural calamity, environmental protection is both a social and a moral issue.  May this week’s Earth Day be for each of us a call to awareness and to action to be worthy stewards of the planet that God has left in our care.

Mission Moment:  The Unsettling Message of Easter

Mr. Bob McCarthy, our Advancement Director, reads a lot. He often passes along to me interesting articles that catch his eye.  A recent one from the Vatican News was written by a Cardinal whose title is “Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Human Integral Development.”  I was amused.  I may have seen the word “dicastery” twice in my life (it means “court” or “organization,” “a department of the Roman Curia”), and the whole title conjures up for me an image of a fusty old Church mired and entrenched in hierarchy and bureaucracy   I myself have been reading Sister Helen Prejean’s new book River of Fire, which traces her life-journey toward social activism – her pre-Dead Man Walking days.  A group of MC colleagues were fortunate to meet virtually this week with Sister Helen for a “book talk”! The book also expresses her experience of the joy, the exhilaration of the Church’s “opening of windows” mid-1960s with Vatican II reforms. (I hope those reforms have hit the Dicastery!)  Anyway, I thanked Bob and suggested that a new title for him might be Director of the MC Dicastery for Advancement.  I can never remember his full title – it’s long -- and changes annually! 

I did not read the dicastery article!  But I did read another he had sent along: “The Unsettling Power of the Easter Story,” a New York Times opinion piece by Esau McCaulley.  (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/opinion/easter-celebration.html )

McCaulley, a black man, hearkens back to his vibrant Southern boyhood experiences of Easter and then shares his more adult understanding of the occasion.  He invites us to consider the meaning of Easter and asks us to think about “the disturbing prospect that God is with us.”   I thought that a provocative phrasing.   I liked the article and shared it with the girls in my Grade 9 Theology class, asking them for their slant on what might be “disturbing” about the thought that …    

 

…  God is with us.  They had some good insights!

Anne said, “If God is with us, it forces us to find hope and actually change…. it is scary to believe in everlasting love and forgiveness, because others might think we are fools.”

Orla explained: “It dares us to dream of a land where most of the time this kind of hope isn’t encouraged. It’s hard to live your life in perfect faith, never straying from God and choosing to believe in him 100%. If God is with us, then we need to dedicate ourselves and our love to him.”

 

For Louise, “God is always present and watching; therefore, we need integrity at all times, even when sin is inevitable.”

And Victoria thought, “It is disturbing because the same God that created us calls us to the horrifying world filled with racism and hatred. God calls us to hope and to fix a world that’s so desperately in need of healing.” 

 

Not bad insights!  Easter places a responsibility on us: to figure out what to do with hope.  It dares us to hope for new beginnings and renewal and to risk looking like fools for nurturing such hope for compassion and forgiveness in a world staggeringly unkind.  But more than that, it challenges us to put hope to work.  To love!  Jesus left a lot of work for his followers!   Fortunately, Easter is more than a day: it’s a season that extends 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.  More than that, though, our call from God is to make Easter a lifetime.  Happy Easter!

Holy Thursday …..  Reflection.

Though folks at home will be reading this on Easter or later, I am writing on Holy Thursday; so I would like to reflect on this day, marking the start of the Easter Triduum, the summit of the Church’s liturgical year. In fact, I’d like to think back one more day, to my Wednesday afternoon Theology class. We had been talking about “Who is the person Jesus?” We established that Jesus was undeniably a real person in history. There are references to both him and his followers in writings of Suetonius and Pliny and other Roman and Hebrew historians. These place him during the reign of Tiberius when Pontius Pilate was governor of Galilee. Then, there are, of course, the Gospel accounts by men who had lived and travelled with Jesus.

When our attention turned to questions of “Who is Jesus to us today, and how do we know him or ‘connect’ with him?” we considered that we can know Jesus through his words in Scripture, we can speak with him in prayer, we can see him in one another, and we can share in his graces in the sacraments. No sharing is more intimate than the one in Holy Communion. There, he gives us himself: body and blood. Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist at his Passover supper that we commemorate on Holy Thursday.

Holy Thursday is rich in symbol and ritual. It remembers Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, where He instituted our sacrament of Eucharist, a word that means “thanksgiving.” Holy Thursday combines the Jewish Passover-supper’s theme of freedom-from-slavery – recalling how the Angel of Death passed over the homes of Israelites on the eve of their escape from Egypt -- with Jesus’ lasting reminder to us of how he wanted to be remembered when he was gone. He told us: “Do this in memory of me.”   There were two things to remember: not only the sharing of bread and wine – his real body and real blood -- but the washing of feet: humble service to others! 

As we conclude what could have been 40 days of reflection, prayer, good deeds,

Holy Thursday questions for us, then, might be –

• What enslaves me? What occupies much more of my time than it should. (“Where my heart is, so, there is my treasure”: ie., I value most what I most spend my time doing!) Do I find through Jesus freedom from those things that tend to make me a slave each day? Too much of this… or too much of that?  
• Do I liberate others? (How do I actively encourage other to “be themselves” with me? How might I be a burden to others?)
• Is my typical attitude one of “thanksgiving”….Eucharist? Am I the joyful hands and face of God to others in service? 

A recent survey of Catholics found that very many do not know nor believe in the concept of the “Real Presence” of Christ in the Eucharist: the belief that at Mass consecrated bread and wine are substantially changed into the real body and real blood of Jesus. On this topic you might find a 13-minute video conversation with Bishop Robert Barron both fascinating and instructive. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJjW3LXuHzo

I encourage you to watch it!

Let us conclude in prayer:  Almighty God, as we commemorate your Son’s last Passover Supper with his disciples -- mindful of his supreme sacrifice for our redemption, and grateful for his gift of Eucharist to us -- may we share in His Easter Resurrection, and may You bless each of us, our families, our Malden Catholic community, and the intentions we carry within our hearts. Amen.  

Happy Easter!  

“The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.” 

Two very simple lines from the prayer “The Angelus” announce the coming of the biggest event in human history! It’s hardly possible to understand the magnitude of it. But try! Can you imagine – out of the blue – getting a phone call from somebody really really important, sharing with you some incredibly wonderful news?  If not that, at least all moms can appreciate the wild range of emotional responses possible upon learning of a first pregnancy.

On the Feast of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, exactly nine months before Christmas, we celebrate that God’s emissary, the Angel Gabriel, “declared unto Mary” that she was to give birth to God’s Son. The announcement set in motion the human enactment of a plan prepared by God from all eternity that He would enter our world as Man. This arrival of Jesus would bring to fulfillment centuries of salvation history, allowing men and women to regain the possibility of the Paradise lost in Adam & Eve’s fall from grace.

Think of the infinite number of ways God’s Son could have entered our world – appearing miraculously, full-grown, poof -- out of thin air! …. descending from heaven in a hot-air balloon! … showing up on stage at a Super-Bowl halftime! But He chose to enter exactly as each of us come into the world: as a helpless baby. God made Mary special as the partner in this act of Incarnation. We praise her for saying “Yes!” “Be it done unto me according to thy word.”  He makes us special, too -- becoming like us in every way, dignifying us as creatures who share in the life of our God.

Our Campus Ministry has arranged that “The Angelus” be offered by students to the School community at noon each day. Thanks to Ms. Deirdre Foley for setting this up on Instagram with willing participants! We invite you, also, to share in this devotion.

Please join Jordyn Meehan ’24 and her younger sister for a praying of “The Angelus.”

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

    Hail Mary, full of grace,

    The Lord is with Thee;

    Blessed art thou among women,

    And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

    Holy Mary, Mother of God,

    Pray for us sinners,

    Now and at the hour of our death. Amen

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

    Hail Mary, etc.

V. And the Word was made Flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

    Hail Mary, etc.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

SLEEP DAY

I’m writing this on Friday, March 19. You’re probably reading it on Sunday. But I’ll stick with “today” for me and say Happy St. Joseph’s Day! I wrote about St. Joseph and St. Patrick last week so will turn attention elsewhere. Did you know that today is also “World Sleep Day”? I know! I had the same reaction….. WORLD SLEEP DAY! What next? I pick up these little tidbits from radio news on my 12-minute drive to MC in the morning, and, yes, I was amused to learn that there even IS such a thing as World Sleep Day. It had me wondering for a few moments, “Well, that must be a WILD holiday! How do you celebrate ‘Sleep Day’?” Yep, you guessed it ... SLEEP!

Before this little radio-news “shout out” to World Sleep Day was done, I had learned that the day intended to remind people about good “sleep hygiene”!  OK, there’s another two words I would never put together! But on those groggy mornings when we reluctantly drag ourselves out of bed, not quite awake for the next hour, and desperately wanting to nap for the rest of the day, I’m sure we can all appreciate what it means to get a good night’s sleep ... Call it what you will!

There is, in fact, quite a bit of science on sleep. Good sleep, at deep levels, stable bedtimes and rise times promote brain health, better mood, better psychomotor performance and academic achievement.  The website of the World Sleep Society (https://worldsleepday.org/) tells us: ... sleep is involved with many physiologic systems such as memory consolidation, control of inflammation, hormone regulation, cardiovascular regulation and many other important functions; therefore insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality will be associated with several significant adverse health outcomes. Reduced sleep duration has been shown to cause impairments in cognitive and executive function, while poor sleep has been associated with poor mental health.

Tips for good sleep habits can be found at the website.  The timing of World Sleep Day – a reminder to good health -- seems right on the money, at least for me! Middle of March… end of winter… fingers crossed that we’ve seen our last snow… poised for spring… ready for Resurrection… for students end of the 3^rd marking period… and all of us closing in on the end of a long year of pandemic challenge. Let’s not forget, too, that we played with our circadian rhythms just a few weeks ago in changing the clocks!

Let’s celebrate today as a gentle persuasion to self-care! And, thanks, Mr. Thornburg, for helping that along in granting the School a Headmaster’s Holiday today! So, Happy World Sleep Day! If you’re reading this from bed right now, Congratulations! Go back to sleep!

Joseph and Toxic Masculinity: Celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph

The penalty for adultery in 1^st-century Judea was death by stoning.  This could have been Mary’s fate, for she was pregnant during her betrothal.   “Betrothal,” according to the laws of the day, “was the first part of the marriage, constituting a man and woman as husband and wife. Subsequent infidelity was considered adultery. The betrothal was followed some months later by the husband’s taking his wife into his home, at which time normal married life began.” (The New American Bible (Fireside), Mt. 1 note). 

The Gospel of Matthew tells us, though, “Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her’” (Mt. 1:19-20).  So, Joseph chose to stay with Mary.  In today’s idiom, one could say that Joseph was “a stand-up guy.” He did the right thing.

Very little is known about Joseph in the Bible. A common assumption is that Mary and Joseph were in their teens when Jesus was born and that Joseph had died before Jesus began his public ministry at age 30.  The lore around St. Joseph, a carpenter by trade, is that he was a steady provider, a model for a dutiful husband, a caring father, a conscientious worker.  In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared Joseph the patron of the universal Church.  Many countries revere him as a national patron, labor unions hold him in esteem as a patron of workers, and the Xaverian Brothers claim St. Joseph as a patron, too.  We celebrate his Feast this Friday, March 19.

Imagine if you can, the psyche of an 18-year-old whose life is turned upside-down by a startling, embarrassing, personal revelation as God breaks into that life in an extraordinary way.   Imagine your own reaction! One must assume a great maturity to Joseph, a great faith, an unswerving integrity.  Men today – including the young men of Malden Catholic – would do well to emulate the model of Joseph.  His example counters what we commonly associate with toxic masculinity:  machismo, aggression, misogyny, violence, repression of emotion, preoccupation with sex and dominance. We can be pleased that two of our featured boys’ leadership speakers this year, Judge John Broderick and Caylin Moore, have similarly pointed our students toward wholesome models of masculinity, one that allows them to admit to the personal challenges of mental illness and the other that invites them to avoid negative peer pressure and pursue positive relationships.

In a world at times hungry for role models, may St. Joseph remain for us all a model of true male leadership and care.  Happy St. Joseph’s Day!

Margaret Thatcher once famously said, "If you want something said , ask a man; if you want something done , ask a woman." Today, March 8, on International Women’s Day, celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, I would like to recognize the central role that women have played and continue to play in American education, particularly at the elementary and secondary levels. Approximately 75% of the teachers in American public schools are women. In Catholic education, the ratio tilts even further toward women, representing about 88% of the teacher workforce. Malden Catholic, with a single-gender male identity for its first 85 years, followed the pattern of all boys’ schools, with a majority of male teachers – and for half of that history, mostly Xaverian Brothers -- but the current gender ratio for our professional staff is 58% men and 42% women. 

 

We have a wonderfully dedicated female faculty and staff at Malden Catholic today. They have as their models the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who ministered lovingly at Girls Catholic from 1908 to 1992. American Catholic education, in fact, owes a great debt of gratitude to the many congregations of religious sisters who had as their mission to educate youth. From the 1840s through the 1960s these devoted women largely ran our schools. 

 

Though ministries and missions change, women are still making tremendous impact as Catholic educators, whether as models in the classroom or – thinking of “teaching” a little more broadly – as models in the larger world. Malden Catholic, in fact, has been fortunate to have had a special relationship just this week with two such inspiring people. They are Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, and Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.   Both are ardent advocates for Catholic social justice teachings. Sister Helen’s interest is to abolish the death penalty and to call to light the racial bias in the enactment of capital punishment; Sister Norma helps immigrants and refugees on our southern border. 

Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Dustin Batista (for Sister Helen) and of Dr. Stephen Baccari (for Sister Norma), they have shared their stories with us.  Sister Helen, who spoke to our students several weeks ago, met virtually last week with those MC staff interested in discussion of her new book River of Fire.  She will return to this group in about a month. Sister Norma will meet next Sunday with participants of yesterday’s Women’s Day of Recollection, which previewed the themes of her ministry.  Mrs. Katheen McGourthy and Mrs. Deb Walsh, working with Campus Ministers Ms. Deirdre Foley and Dr. Stephen Baccari, and with Ms. Dianne James, orchestrated a wonderful Women’s Day program. I thank them!

 

Today, in recognizing Women’s achievements, let us not be slow to appreciate those women in our own midst and beyond whose contributions of service to Malden Catholic, to Church, and to the world at large remind us – men and women -- of all we can be as people of Gospel values and followers of Jesus.

Roger McGuinn and Wisdom in Ecclesiastes

Solomon wrote the lyrics 3000 years ago; Pete Seeger wrote the song; The Byrds popularized it with the mellow, compressed sound of Roger McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker; and dozens of others have covered it over the years: Turn, Turn, Turn. All things pass. Everything has its given time. 

In my Grade 9 Theology class last Friday, the girls were continuing their presentations on various books of the Old Testament, and Emerson and Orla had just finished a very nice job on the book of Ecclesiastes. Naturally, I could not resist sharing the song with them, mentioning that I had first paid attention to Ecclesiastes – as probably thousands of other “young folk” in the 1960s did – through The Byrds. Before class, I had previewed some YouTube renditions of the song but thought the ‘60s Carnaby Street fashions and hair styles of the older videos would be too silly and distracting. So I told the class I had gone with a more current 2009 video of Bruce Springsteen joined by Roger McGuinn. I had forgotten, of course, that 2009 is a century ago to 15-year-olds! Maybe some had heard of Springsteen! Anyway, they indulged me!

We always begin class with a short mediation, followed by a prayer, written and offered by each student.  I let the girls know that through Lent we would draw from Ecclesiastes. Today, we’ll use the verses below. You, too, might find reflective Lenten wisdom in this reminder that God is working in everything and that we do not know His plan. We can waste our energies – and opportunities – in needless fretting, in concern for things over which we have no control. Whether pandemic-weary or good-time cheery, we will find greatest fulfillment, I trust, when we have the humility to let God be God.

“When the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth.

Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, wherever it falls, there it shall lie.

One who pays heed to the wind will never sow,

And one who watches the clouds will never reap.

Just as you do not know how the life breath enters the human frame in the mother’s womb,

So you do not know the work of God,

Who is working in everything.

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hand be idle:

For you do not know which of the two will be successful,

Or whether both alike will turn out well.”   (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZx-QYNBTug

A Reflection on Black History Month

Last June, after receiving expressions of prayer and concern from Pope Francis about the killing of George Floyd, Cardinal Sean sent to all parishes a pastoral reflection about racism. Shared at all Masses, it encouraged us to pray and work for justice, peace and reconciliation.  I invite you to read the full reflection: http://cardinalseansblog.org/2020/06/05/. It is a thoughtful and powerful assertion that racism, overt in action or implicit in attitude, essentially denies the humanity and dignity of others that we proclaim as Christians.

 

“Catholic moral teaching,” he writes, “is based on the fact that all people – without regard to race, religion, ethnicity or nationality – are created in the image of God. This teaching rejects any form of racism, personal or systemic. Our faith calls us to leadership in breaking down barriers and standing against injustice. To violate human dignity is to dishonor the presence of Christ in each person.”

 

Much racism, of course, especially when it is structural or systemic, goes unrecognized or unacknowledged. We sometimes don’t easily see it or admit to it. A large part of the challenge to those who wish to work for justice is to educate oneself to subtle ways in which racism may be at work. A Catholic school should be the perfect place for that education, that call to awareness.

 

Cardinal Sean writes, “Going forward, the reality of racism in our society and the moral imperative of racial equality and justice must be incorporated in our schools, our teaching and our preaching. We must uphold the commitments to equal dignity and human rights in all institutions of our society, in politics, law, economy, education. Catholic teaching on social justice measures the way a society acts fairly or not. Our work will not be done until African American men, women and children are treated equally in every aspect of life in the United States.”

 

One of my privileges this year has been to co-moderate our new MC Diversity & Inclusion Club. We have about 15 “regulars” who discuss the racial optics of the day and help to build community by trying to understand one another. It is humbling and inspiring for me to learn through them. As a Catholic school, we are true to our Mission through such conversations. May we all continue to learn from one another with open minds and hearts, and educate ourselves to the systemic underpinnings of racism, so that one day soon our world will reflect the simple truth that Black Lives Matter.

Mission Moment …. St. Valentine & Gestures of Love

It was 270 AD. Roman Emperor Claudius II was known as Claudius the Cruel, so don’t expect this story to have a happy ending! Claudius, worried that men were not joining his military forces in sufficient number because of their strong commitments to wives and families, banned all engagements and marriages in Rome! A local priest by name of Valentine disobeyed this decree and secretly continued marrying young lovers. It cost him his head – literally! Claudius was not amused and had Valentine beheaded on February 14! 

 

Well, that’s one story. Actually, there are many. Some say Valentine was a different man – a bishop who met the same fate. Others identify multiple Valentines. (Spoiler alert: Because of the historical ambiguities, the Church discontinued liturgical veneration of St. Valentine in 1969, though his name remains in the catalogue of saints.) We can probably thank medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer for inspiring our February 14th celebration of romance. In a poem he wrote around 1375, Chaucer linked the Middle-Age tradition of courtly love with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Feast Day.

 

Yes, we’ve made quite a leap from a 3rd-centry beheading to our contemporary images of flighty, cuddly cupids, but isn’t it wonderful that we pause to recognize love. February 14 is not just about romance; we generalize it today as an occasion to show care. In our socially-distanced day-to-days, isn’t that more important than ever? 

 

We can be proud that a typical year at Malden Catholic is replete with gestures of love, not reserved just for Valentine’s Day. Tomorrow, for instance, Campus Ministry and the Theology Department conclude their “Buy-A-Bed” campaign, collecting money to provide beds to children in need. Our Make-A-Wish Club has been hard at work arranging for candy-grams – tokens of thoughtfulness that will both brighten the day of classmates and friends and further the goal of granting a special wish to a severely ill child. Our recent donation of dozens of winter coats and food baskets to local charity has been another gesture of love to our Malden community. The generosity of those who support our Annual Fund is similarly an expression of care, allowing us to strengthen our Mission. Each day, too, our faculty and staff show care in remarkable ways; students do the same in forging lasting friendships. May this February 14 remind us that gestures of love are ours to make each day! Let’s not miss the chance to do so!

It's Catholic Schools Week, let’s see who answered the questions right and knows our MC History!

1. In what year was Malden Catholic founded?  1932

 

2. In what country did Theodore James Ryken begin the Xaverian Brothers?  Belgium

 

3. Who was the founding Principal of Malden Catholic?   Brother Gilbert

 

4. What name was Malden Catholic also known as in its early years?   Boys Catholic

 

5. What parish was Malden Catholic originally part of?   Immaculate Conception, Malden

 

6. Name 4 other Xaverian Sponsored Schools in Massachusetts.   

  Xaverian Brothers HS (Westwood), Lowell Catholic, St. John’s Prep, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)

 

7. How many Xaverian Sponsored Schools are there in the United States? 13

 

8. Name two other countries where the Xaverian Brothers have some presence.   

Kenya, Congo, England, Belgium, Haiti

 

9. In what year did MC open its doors for classes in our current building on Crystal Street? 1968



10. What does CFX mean?   

Initials for Latin words meaning Congregation of Xaverian Brothers [Frateri]

 

11. What was the nickname for Lancers Hockey in the 40’s and 50’s? Blue Blades

 

12. How many Catholics are there around the world? 

Choices: 1 billion   100 million    2.5 billion   500 million

 

13. What continent has the highest Catholic population?  South America

 

14. What country has the highest Catholic population?   Brazil

 

15. What graduate of Malden Catholic is a US Senator?  Ed Markey

 

16. What graduate of Malden Catholic won a Nobel Prize?   Dr. Eugene Fama

 

17. What graduate of Malden Catholic played in the NHL and had two sons playing there?  

Keith Tkachuk

 

18. About how many Catholic schools are there in the United States?   

    Choices:  1000…..   3000….    6000……   9000…….   20,000

 

19. What percentage of professional staff at Catholic schools are sisters, brothers, or priests?

    Choices:  0.5%       3%      8%     12%    16%

 

20. What percentage of Catholic schools are single-gender boys schools?

Choices:  2%    6%      12%     16%      20%

 

21. What percentage of Catholic schools are single gender girls schools?

Choices:  2%   6%      12%     16%        20%

 

22. What is the percentage of non-white students at Catholic schools in the U.S.?

Choices:  10%     21%   35%   More than 40%  

 

23. Which is false? In the 1970s, Malden Catholic

a. generated its own electricity   b. had a swimming pool

c. had tennis courts encircled by a track d. had a television station

 

24. Of 18 Malden Catholic Headmasters, how many have been Xaverian Brothers?   14

 

25. Who from this list of MC faculty/staff is NOT an MC alum? Mr. Eamonn Casey, Mr. Jeff Smith, Mr. Dustin Batista, Mr. Robert Bucchino, Mr. Matt O’Neil, Mr. Dave Murray, Mr. Chris Cleary, Mr. Tim Endicott, Mr. Matthew Lee-Masiello, Mr. Sean Hurley, Mr. Nick Hurley, Mr. Mike McCarthy

As we approach Catholic Schools Week at the end of this month, let’s test some of our MC-and-Catholic-Schools knowledge! We’ll share answers next week! Bet you can’t get them all! 😊 

 

1. In what year was Malden Catholic founded?  



2. In what country did Theodore James Ryken begin the Xaverian Brothers?   

 

3. Who was the founding Principal of Malden Catholic?   



4. What name was Malden Catholic also known as in its early years?   

 

5. What parish was Malden Catholic originally part of?   

 

6. Name 4 other Xaverian Sponsored Schools in Massachusetts.   

 

7. How many Xaverian Sponsored Schools are there in the United States?  

 

8. Name two other countries where the Xaverian Brothers have some presence.   

 

9. In what year did MC open its doors for classes in our current building on Crystal Street?   

 

10. What does CFX mean?  

 

11. What was the nickname for Lancers Hockey in the 40’s and 50’s?

 

12. How many Catholics are there around the world? 

Choices: 1 billion   100 million    2.5 billion   500 million

 

13. What continent has the highest Catholic population?  

 

14. What country has the highest Catholic population?  

 

15. What graduate of Malden Catholic is a US Senator?   

 

16. What graduate of Malden Catholic won a Nobel Prize?    

 

17. What graduate of Malden Catholic played in the NHL and had two sons playing there?  

 

18. About how many Catholic schools are there in the United States?   

    Choices:  1000…..   3000….    6000……   9000…….   20,000

 

19. What percentage of professional staff at Catholic schools are sisters, brothers, or priests?

    Choices:  0.5%       3%      8%     12%    16%

 

20. What percentage of Catholic schools are single-gender boys schools?

Choices:  2%    6%      12%     16%      20%

 

21. What percentage of Catholic schools are single gender girls schools?

Choices:  2%   6%      12%     16%        20%



22. What is the percentage of non-white students at Catholic schools in the U.S.?

Choices:  10%     21%   35%   More than 40%  

 

23. Which is false? In the 1970s, Malden Catholic

a. generated its own electricity

b. had a swimming pool

c. had tennis courts encircled by a track

d. had a television station

 

24. Of 18 Malden Catholic Headmasters, how many have been Xaverian Brothers?

 

25. Who from this list of MC faculty/staff is NOT an MC alum? Mr. Eamonn Casey, Mr. Jeff Smith, Mr. Dustin Batista, Mr. Robert Bucchino, Mr. Matt O’Neil, Mr. Dave Murray, Mr. Chris Cleary, Mr. Tim Endicott, Mr. Matthew Lee-Masiello, Mr. Sean Hurley, Mr. Nick Hurley, Mr. Mike McCarthy

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality.  I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."

 

Sometime about 12 years ago, while in Atlanta for an NCEA Convention, I made a pilgrimage with fellow Xaverian Brother Brian Davis and MC alum/teacher (now State Rep.) Steve Ultrino to the Martin Luther King National Historic Site, which includes King’s birthplace, his grave, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he worshipped and preached. I don’t think any of us knew that the Atlanta rapid transit system would not drop us off near the site, but perhaps a mile away. There must have been bus routes, but we had no interest nor ingenuity to figure them out. So, maps, in hand, without benefit of GPS, on a hot, sunny day, we wandered through quiet blue-collar neighborhoods, not unlike parts of Malden – three white guys feeling a little bit out of place. 

 

To this day I could not tell you the social “climate” of the neighborhood, but I did wonder now and then whether I should feel unsafe. I don’t typically feel unsafe, even when I’m the only white face on the “A” train rumbling toward lower Manhattan from the Bronx’s Washington Heights. Why should I? I’m male … and white.  I am an heir of unearned white privilege never experienced, never enjoyed, by those who would have once heard Reverend King from the pulpit of the Ebenezer. That status gently embarrasses me on occasion, because I believe that we are brothers and sisters through a God who loves us equally.

 

Well, when we finally made it to the site, I spent a good 40 minutes in the Church. The National Park Service that supervises the Church regularly plays recordings of full sermons of Dr. King. His voice crackles across the empty wooden walls, and one can sit in the pews, close one’s eyes, and imagine the dreams inspired there, the solace of hopes offered there, the power of “unarmed truth and unconditional love.” The words brought me chills and tears. 

 

Prophets take the long view. They look beyond current conditions to what can be, what ought to be. So Dr. King, so deeply immersed in the present, could also peacefully await the “final word” and acknowledge that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” He knew, however, it does not bend by itself!

Driving in this morning, I learned from a radio diet ad that there’s a thing called “Quitter’s Day,” the first Friday after New Year. Studies show this to be the day by which most people have abandoned their New Year resolutions! We’ve already passed that date – January 8 – and the riotous Capitol events only two days earlier, might tend to weaken, or at least discourage, one’s resolve for justice. Sunday’s reading from Isaiah, though, reminds us that God commissions us not to quit: to “bring forth justice,” not just to some but to “the nations” – to ALL; to do it not shouting in the street, but with the gentleness of one who can handle a fragile plant carefully enough so it won’t break; or with the patience of one who blows on a smoldering wick till it fans to flame.

 

Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. (Is. 42: 1-4; 6-7)

 

Filled with God’s spirit, formed for the very purpose of bringing light to those who live in darkness, we can take heart that God guides us even as He challenges us not to quit until we “establish justice on the earth.” May we continue to be instruments of God’s peace.

“Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

 

How wonderful that through times of challenge we can always be heartened by our Scriptural messages of hope and confidence! The glory of Christmas is that God is among us… divinity has touched us and our world. Each of us is blessed with just such a spark of divinity, and with it we can share light with others. We welcome a new semester at Malden Catholic – an unusual start to the New Year, for sure, with students learning from home, the building missing their smiles and energies. But the good work continues: some students are beginning new courses this week; all are starting a 3rd Quarter. Clean slate! Hopes alive! Student-athletes are preparing for Winter Season. 

 

For those on hand at 99 Crystal Street today – administrative and business staff, communications and admissions folks, custodial staff, and a half-dozen or so teachers who have made their classrooms “home-base” for the distance learning of the next two weeks – there’s a bounce in the step, a New Year’s smile and cheerful greetings. Down the hall from me, a committee is reviewing 8th-grade applications, anticipating a robust Class of 2025. Happy New Year to you! Thanks for being part of our Mission! With a sense of the blessings that are ours and the wonder of renewal, let’s rejoice in the words of Isaiah:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Raise your hand if you think the Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the virgin birth. If you raised your hand…. Wrong! It doesn’t. But with the word “conception,” and the timing just weeks before Christmas, and Luke’s Gospel where the angel Gabriel tells Mary she is going to have a child, and she says, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man,” who could blame you, if you got it wrong!

 

The Feast, established in 1854, is really about Mary herself having been conceived without sin: pure. It precedes her September 8^th birthday by nine months.

Gabriel’s first line, which we pray every time we say a “Hail, Mary” sets us in the right direction: “Hail, full of grace!” he says. We all know what “full” is, right? You can’t fit even the tiniest bit more. Well, in anticipation and honor of the role Mary would play as Mother of Jesus, God filled her with grace. No room for sin – either Original Sin (our inclination to assert self over God), or any other sin during her life. From the time Mary was conceived, she had God’s special favor: she was immaculate, a second Eve. You and I participate in grace, God’s gift of love. It’s available to us; but Mary’s full person is graced.

 

It is this fullness of grace that allows the teen-aged Nazorean girl without husband to accept unquestioningly the angel’s incredible message. She says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” We all know Christmas as a “season of giving” at many levels. Mary models that attitude perfectly in “giving” herself wholly, unconditionally, selflessly, courageously to God and His plan for our salvation. Her love brings her to the foot of the Cross 34 years later. Looking for a heroine for today? Look to Mary.

The liturgical season of Advent, we know, calls us to a condition of “watchful readiness,” “preparedness” not simply for the birth of Jesus at Christmas but for his return as “king” and “judge” when, in the last days, we will all be called to judgment. There’s certainly an irony that this call for thoughtful reflection comes during days that for many of us have become frantic with activity – busy with work, family, shopping, decorating – and the list goes on! I suppose precisely because of that “busy-ness,” there is no better time to take some reflective breaks! The start of Advent gives us several special opportunities to pause and put things in perspective. Those occasions are the December 3rd Feast of St. Francis Xavier – embedded in what we call “Founder’s Week” at our Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools -- and our December 8th observance of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

 

Founder’s Week marks the November 26, 1871 death of Theodore James Ryken, founder of the Congregation of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier, and celebrates the work he started, and we continue today. St. Francis Xavier’s Feast puts us in touch with our School’s deepest roots, through the qualities of one of the Church’s greatest missionaries, the person whose zeal became part of the founding impulse for Ryken’s Congregation. Through remembrance of Xavier, we express thanks for the Brothers who have ministered in his name and for the schools like Malden Catholic they have established. We celebrate, too, the legacy of dedicated laymen and women who now continue the Mission. 

 

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception – through the Gospel reserved for December 8^th -- reminds us of Mary’s willingness to empty herself of personal interest and become the vessel for bringing Jesus into the world. Her humble reply to God’s will, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word,” invites us to listen for ways God may be speaking to us each day and to respond in selfless ways. 

 

Thankful for models like Mary, Xavier, and Ryken, may we begin this Advent season with a continued “watchful readiness” for ways we can act on God’s plan for us. The wonder of Christmas is that our God is among us, and that God has so graced us that we are able to share His love. May the preparations of Advent remind each of us of a God near at hand – Baby, King, and Judge – who invites us to manifest His care to a needy world. 

What’s in a name? A friend happened to tell me that this past Friday, November 13, was World Kindness Day, observed since 1997 in over 25 countries. I learned, too, that today, November 16, is the U.N.-recognized International Day for Tolerance. I wonder if it’s more than coincidence that “Kindness” and “Tolerance” embrace the same weekend on the calendar. The two certainly go hand-in-hand. And don’t we need more of both?! One day invites us to “make kindness the norm,” for instance, sending an uplifting text to a friend, or delivering an unexpected birthday card, or simply going out of one’s way to make someone smile. The Day for Tolerance asks each of us to make space for others’ opinions and diversity, to solve conflict by avoiding it. Simple, right? Apparently not, in our age of incivility! As educators (at home and at school) we have much to do to teach our children and students how to respect the “other.” We do so by modeling. Respect is at the core of our Malden Catholic code.



One may ask, “Why name a day for kindness or tolerance?” Shouldn’t both be second nature? Of course, but they’re not. So, why name? Well, there’s great power in naming! Did you know that the magical word “Abracadabra” that we first heard as children can translate in Aramaic as “I create what I speak”? Many of our mythic stories show that we hold power over who or what we can name. In many ways, something becomes real when we name it. So, let’s take a day to name those qualities we should live

24/7/365… and create what we speak!

Thank You Veterans

On a sunny September 16, 2015, morning, a Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopter landed on the infield of our baseball field, and 600 Lancers stood in review, creating a pathway from the field to the Doherty Gymnasium, where we greeted U.S. Army first-lieutenant Brian Thacker and second-lieutenant Walter Marm, recipients of our nation’s Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor-in-action against an enemy force. It was our special honor to thank these veterans for their service.    Less dramatically, Malden Catholic has regularly made outreach to our veterans a part of our ministry through ventures such as iPods for Veterans and Wounded Warrior projects.    Veteran’s Day, originating as Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, the first anniversary of the end of World War I, became a national holiday in 1938. Malden Catholic joins all Americans in thanking veterans for service in war and in peace, praying:   God, our Father, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all veterans of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your grace; strengthen them in their trials; give them courage to face the perils that beset them; and grant them your abiding presence wherever they may be. In time of conflict, help them to protect the weak and innocent, and help all men and women everywhere to contend against evil, establishing justice and peace. May those who have died in service of peace and liberty, now rest in your close presence, and may we always honor and respect those whose sacrifices have secured the freedoms we enjoy. Bless our veterans today and always, Amen.

Yesterday, November 1, the Church celebrated All Saints Day, and today we remember All Souls. The Feast of All Saints originated as a celebration of martyrs. In fact, our word "martyr" comes from the Greek word for "witness." The Church has always honored those early Christian witnesses who gave evidence of their faith by their very lives! 

Though we know the names of some of these martyrs, there were thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God, and over time there have been countless others who really are saints -- who are with God in heaven -- even if their names are not on some list of canonized saints. 

 

Let us honor All Saints today in prayer:

Loving God, we thank you for the goodness of those who have journeyed before us in faith; who modeled holy lives worthy of our imitation; who struggled as we struggle, to seek you and find you in all that we do, and who now enjoy Your close company. We ask today that All Your Saints pray for us: that we too may become living witnesses -- a personal evidence -- of Your love at work in the world; that each of us can be the saints we are called to be! We remember with love all deceased member of our families and of our Malden Catholic-and-Xaverian communities. May they continue to work your loving purposes. We pray these things through Jesus and All your Saints… Amen.

Last Friday, under beautifully bright, blue sky and unseasonable autumn warmth, 115 MC Lancers “walked the walk,” participating in our 2020 Malden Catholic ALS Walk in support of the Leonard Florence Center for Living. Following a kickoff webinar (Click Here!), our girls and boys, along with parents, faculty and staff, hit the streets for their individual 3-mile routes and raised over $5,870 to support programming and care at the nonprofit Center, located right in Chelsea and known as a national model for innovative healthcare for those with physical disabilities. 

 

In this our 7^th year of participation in the Walk, we surpassed last year’s number of official walkers and more than tripled earlier annual donations! Great job, Lancers! Thank you!

We also want to thank, Campus Ministers Ms. Deirdre Foley and Dr. Stephen Baccari, who coordinated the event, and we share our appreciation with Coach Bill Raycraft and those other coaches who encouraged participation.



On behalf of my Xaverian community members Brother Joe Comber, an ALS resident at Leonard Florence, and his daily care-taker Brother Tim Hoey, former MC teacher (27 years), Social Studies Chair, and Mock Trial Team founder, I thank our MC family for the generous spirit and care that distinguishes us. We are most attuned to our Mission when we are in service of others, when we lead in modeling actions that are gestures of hope, proclaiming our belief that we are brothers and sisters – all God’s children, all created in God’s image – worthy of dignity and love.

Sign Up for MC's Virtual ALS Walk

MC's Grade 9 Theology classes these days are starting their journey into the Old Testament. One of the early stories of the book of “Genesis,” you will recall, tells of Cain’s slaying of his brother Abel. To God’s request of Cain to account for his brother’s whereabouts, Cain gives us the memorable, guilt-ridden reply, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The resounding answer, of course, is “YES!” We ARE called to care for one another. Catholic social teaching flows from this bedrock conviction that as brothers and sisters, all children of God, we owe one another care. We each can manifest care in many ways, whether simply in being thoughtful of members of our family, or helping a stranger in need, or even just wearing a mask because helps the common good. At MC, we understand “care” in our spiritual value of “compassion.” We teach it; and we model it.   This week you and your sons and daughters have an opportunity to model care by participating in our annual ALS Walk for Living in support of Chelsea’s Leonard Florence Center, a residence for people with ALS and Multiple Sclerosis. This year, the walk will be “virtual,” done independently, with a donation being made in the name of the Malden Catholic Walk Team. On Friday, October 23, (a Faculty Retreat Day, no classes), we will have an online kick-off event and invite students and others to complete a three-mile walk along a route of your choice. We will ask for a minimum $10 on-line donation. Students donating $15 by this Thursday will receive an official t-shirt.    Last year's Walk was dedicated in honor of Brother Joe Comber, CFX, a member of the Xaverian community and Brother Tim Hoey, former MC Social Studies Chair and MC veteran of 27 years, who took leave of teaching three years ago to care full-time for Brother Joe. He is, indeed, his Brother’s keeper in humble, heroic way. Other members of our immediate Lancer community have family and friends challenged by ALS, too.   Please help your son or daughter with donating to the Malden Catholic High School Team. (It will require a credit card) Many thanks for caring!   Brother Puccio   To sign up and donate please click here. (On the registration page, right column, select “Join a Team,” and then use the dropdown menu to select Malden Catholic High School.)