Celebrating Our Cultural Diversity

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system and over the school-wide intranet for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Friday, 9 February 2018)

Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God—

Being a senior at La Salle, I have been in the America for four years. These have been the most unforgettable four years of my life, because I started to imagine studying in the US when I was a kid. It is the most powerful country in the world, so I thought everything here is going to be perfect. The people here are more open and friendlier. After so much effort and getting the support from my parents, I ended up here eventually.

The years I spent in America taught me that there is no such thing as a perfect place. It is not easy to be a part of the community made up of others who were born here. The loneliness is the biggest suffering for me and all the international students. Especially when the most important festival, the Chinese New Year comes around, the lack of family makes the situation worse. Luckily, this year everything began to change. I realized the best way to pull each other closer is to open up yourself. The best thing I can think of is to introduce Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, to the community. Next week, there is going to be a Chinese New Year celebration at La Salle. Hopefully, it will show the community a general idea of the Chinese culture. Hopefully, it will bring all of us closer. Hopefully,  it will give everyone a  joyful week of experiencing the Chinese culture.

曾有人问我你做这件事真的有人会在乎吗,真的有意义吗,我想我现在内心有了答案。我坚信总有人在乎,而且这件事本身就是意义。在新春来临之际希望所有国际生在新的一年里辛福快乐。

People have asked me: “Do you think there are people that really care about this or that it will have a meaningful result?” I think I have the answer right now. Regardless how many people care about this, doing this thing itself is meaningful. Moreover, I truly believe people care.

Let us pray,

May we all be welcoming of the different traditions and celebrations that others hold dear. May we respect one another and the cultural values we hold. And may we one day come together to celebrate the cultures that make us who we are.  Amen.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Grace Chen—Class of 2018

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