News & Notes: June 8, 2010

June 8, 2010

Dear Parents,

God’s peace!

This past Sunday we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. On Saturday evening at 4:00 PM Mass at our parish Church, our eighth graders joined the St. Rita Parish community in gratitude for the support we receive from our parishioners. Our eighth graders read, participated in the presentation of gifts, and served at the altar. I took that occasion to thank our parishioners for the many ways they support our school, and at the same time I shared with them some of the many reasons we are proud of our students. ( I will attach a flyer that was shared with the parish community that included a few highlights of the school year). In speaking with our parish community, I shared with them that these accomplishments are, indeed, a source of pride for all of us, but that these statistics do not reveal the whole picture.

Often many intangible signs of what makes us a vibrant school community get lost in statistics and other measureable means of quantifying success. Let me share with you two examples that are quite simple, and yet profound illustrations of what is truly at the heart of our school.

I shared the following with our parishioners:

“Friday we celebrated the First Communion of one of our fourth grade students. It was a wonderful event. We witnessed Christ’s life being welcomed ever-more deeply into the life of this young man. Our third grade students prepared the liturgy, read, and participated in the presentation of gifts while our Kindergarten students led us in song with a Communion meditation, and some of our Middle School boys sang the offertory hymn. So many participated and joined their prayer to the many prayers offered throughout the liturgy. It was a wonderful experience of life…of true communion… of oneness in Christ. As students were being dismissed to return to class, I noticed something that captured the experience of Eucharist for me. Two eighth grade boys approached the first bench where the young man who had just received his First Communion sat with his family. They extended their hands to congratulate the young man on this sacred event in his life…and then they walked to join their class and continue their day…an extraordinary moment almost lost in its simplicity.

Another experience that occurred this past week involved a teacher who came to me with a pile of papers in hand, moved by what her students had written. One essay from a fourth grader spoke of Mary, Christ’s mother as a young girl participating in a foot race…the fourth grader wrote of Mary’s applying herself…working hard… and finally winning the race and capturing the trophy. I would imagine in many cases the story would stop here, but this young writer went a bit further… she wrote of Mary looking back at the course she ran only to find a little girl lagging far behind… a little girl who wanted to win more than Mary did. In the next moment the young writer had Mary striding toward the little girl, encouraging her and gifting her with the trophy she herself had won. The young fourth grader ended the narrative by sharing simply… that the young girl whom Mary encouraged was the writer herself.

There are countless stories like these that reveal what is at the heart of our school.

We are certainly proud of our young people’s gifts and talents as well as their application and sharing of them… but what makes our students unique is described best in the simple stories that reflect what many might see as merely insignificant experiences… but each hand reaching out…each story written to reflect one’s heart…each act of charity…each expression of compassion does make our school…our parish…our town…our world a better place.”

We do have much for which to be proud at St. Rita School. We are learning how to live each day…in the midst of challenges…accomplishments…shortcomings…activities. We are the Body of Christ…living, breathing, and sharing the love that we have come to know.

May your week be filled with simple experiences that help you to see Christ alive in your midst.

In prayer,

Sr. Maureen