Good morning La Salle,

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

I heard a quote on a commercial I saw over break and I think it is a fitting description of greatness. It was in the context of Google’s Year in Search for heroes in 2019. The quote reads, “for those using their powers to empower others, search on…” I recommend watching the video on youtube if you have not yet seen it. Toward the end of break, like many of us, I found myself watching the end of the Patriots season last Saturday night. While it is not the end we had hoped for, and certainly have not one we have been used to, I think we have been blessed for the past 20 years to witness greatness in the form of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. At least those of us who are Patriots fans.

While the future seems uncertain for Patriots nation, I think the turn of a new year and a new decade is a good time to reflect on what true greatness is. After all, that’s what we are called to be, great. I think the most inspiring athletes and people are those who use their powers to empower or elevate others. While this may come easier to some of us on the field or on the court, on the ice, in the classroom, on the stage, in the soup kitchen or at home, we all have unique gifts and talents that we have been given to inspire and uplift those around us. Let us aim to use our powers this year to do just that.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, bless us this new year with the humility and a renewed willingness to use our gifts to serve the people you have put in our lives. You remind us that greatness in heaven is reserved for those who use the gifts you have given us to serve the least of us. Help us to be like your son Jesus by making it our mission to serve.

Google Year in Search 2019

Saint John Baptist de la Salle, pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.

Morning Prayer January 7, 2020:  Anthony Russo, Religion Teacher

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

There is something intangibly magical for a kid at Christmas. Everyone knows what it feels
like to be a kid on Christmas Eve, searching the starry winter sky for a flying sleigh and tossing
and turning all night in anticipation for the morning. I remember it so clearly, seeing the bites out of
the cookies we left out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, and feeling the world fill with magic.

As I got older, obviously the Christmas experience changed from those nights dreaming of
Santa. Still, even though I’ve grown, every time Christmas comes around the magic I felt as a kid
never fails to raise my spirits. The only difference is that my magic of Christmas, like me, has
grown. As a child I always got caught up in the idea of gifts and elves and Santa, but the older I
got the more magic I found in the giving . This year especially, as I have taken over most of the gift
giving for my mom, I have found so much joy in putting in time and effort to make her Christmas a
little more special. This season always seems to make people give a little extra, whether that be
their time, kindness, service, or even an extra present.

No matter what it is, it seems that Christmas
magic is always there to lift people up and bring them together. That being said, I think that for me,
Christmas is all about the magic. No, I don’t mean the magic from when I was a little kid, though
that was great while it lasted. I am talking about the magic of giving, when people go out of their
way to give a little back or to appreciate all that they have. That’s what I think is the real meaning
of Christmas. So, make sure that this season, among the gifts and the hecticness of it all, you take a
moment to take a breath and a step back to recognize where the spirit, the real spirit of Christmas
comes from. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and Happy Birthday Jesus!!

St. John Baptist de La Salle …Pray for us!!

Live Jesus in our Hearts …Forever!

Morning Prayer Wednesday, December 18, 2019:  Marina Rouse, Class of 2020

Let Us Remember….

That we are in the Holy Presence of God.

Earlier this September I was watching Serena Williams play a match at the US Open. During an on-court interview after a win, when asked (and I’m paraphrasing here) about how she manages her tennis, fashion business, and motherhood, she answered with a quote written by another tennis great, Billie Jean King. She said “pressure is a privilege”. For Serena the pressure of center court, and the expectations on her to win is not something she takes lightly, in fact she considers it an honor, but it is also something she does not allow to defeat her. 

Now let’s be clear, I am no Serena Williams. If you know me you no I am no athlete and if you’ve seen me you know that my wardrobe, full of hide the fat cardigans, is no match for Serena’s style and individualism. But like Serena I consider my life a privilege. 

Look, pressure or stress or anxiety, or whatever you want to call it is a constant in our lives. We will never be without it. It makes us supremely uncomfortable, causes heart palpitations, sweating, hyperventilation, tears, and a number of other physiological responses from our nervous system. We have been taught from a young age that pressure is a terrible thing. But instead of being taught how to cope we have somehow gotten the message that in order to be happy, there should be sunshine and rainbows. Always. If not we are doing something wrong. 

Let’s consider the pressure we are under…

Are you the first in your family to be on a college track? 

Are the expectations high to be successful like your mother, father, sibling, etc?

Do you have to perform well at school and work a full time job because your income contributes to tuition and rent and food for your family?

Are you close with someone suffering from drug/alcohol/mental health issues? 

Do you have a mental health issue of your own? 

A learning disability? 

Relationship problems? 

Or are you simply a procrastinator, disorganized? 

How about all of the above? 

How can we stop focusing on our weaknesses, which stress us out, and focus on what we are good at? Is it as simple as saying I’m privileged to be here in this life, right now? With all the pressure that comes with it? I believe it takes owning our weaknesses but not letting them blind us to what we get right. It takes moving our weaknesses to the side or behind us. Don’t let them lead the way. Easier said than done, I know, but an honor and a privilege to even have the opportunity to try when so many others do not. 

As we begin our testing, I’ll leave you with a final Serena quote: I just come out and do what I can.

Do what you can, try your best. It’s all that we can ask of ourselves. 

Let us pray:

Slow me down, Lord!                                                      

Ease the pounding of my heart

By the quieting of my mind.

Steady my harried pace

With a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me,

Amidst the confusions of my day,

The calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves

With the soothing music 

Of the singing streams

That live in my memory.

Remind me each day

That the race is not always won by the swift;

That there is more to life 

Than increasing its speed.

Slow me down, Lord,

And inspire me to send my roots deep

Into the soil of life’s enduring values

That I may grow toward the stars

Of our greater destiny.

Amen

 

St. John Baptist de La Salle. 

Pray for us…

Live Jesus in our hearts

Forever…

Morning Prayer October 16, 2019 – Kristine Chapman, Social Studies Teacher

Good Morning.  Let us remember we are in the holy presence of a God who loves us.

As Christmas approaches I always set up my nativity scene with the manger on one side of my living room and the Three Kings on the other side.  Each week of Advent I move the three men closer to the crèche as Christmas nears.  I have always been particularly fond of story of The Three Kings.  I mean what’s not to like, these guys roll up on their camels, blinged out in their gold chains, crowns and fur robes, carrying awesome gifts, paying for stuff straight up with gold, they are totally boss.

And while I love me some treasure, as Lasallians I call on you today to remember these men not for their riches, but as they are more appropriately referred to, as wise men.  In the Gospel of Matthew we hear that these men follow the star that was prophesied until it stopped over the place where the child was.  To achieve such a journey at the time of Jesus, these had to be men of education.  They were researchers, scribes, scientists, mathematicians, astronomers, philosophers, mapmakers, and world travelers.  These were clearly men devoted to knowledge.  But there is so much more to understanding what truly makes them wise.

Picture it, after a journey of thousands of miles over rough terrain, these men of royal birth arrive in search of the King of Kings.  They find him not in a castle or a five star hotel, but away in a manger.  The great entourage of the Christ Child, his scared parents, away from their home in a land they did not know well, a few poor shepherds and their animals.  Was this the great King of the world, was this what had been prophesized?  The wealthy kings from the East may have easily dismissed these commoners, scoffed at their lower station, and took their gifts and head home.

But we know how the story ends.  They do not leave or even look down upon this lowly group.  No quite the opposite, they humble themselves, prostrate themselves and offer their gifts in worship to this poor infant child lying in the hay. Here in the manager, the rich and the poor, the powerful and meek, people of all different backgrounds and faith experiences come together in the love of our Lord, who is love itself.

Matthews Gospel says that having paid homage to the child and presenting their gifts, that the Wise men were told in a dream to not return to the land of Herod, but to return home another way.  And yes another way could means a different route, but I believe there is more to it.  Having encountered Jesus, the wise men went home another way, their lives changed forever.  They give up their fortunes and gifts to the Lord.  They turn away from evil and darkness.  And live their lives another way.

It is no coincidence that one of our most important symbols in Lasallians culture is a star, modeled after the one that led these wise men to Jesus.  Isn’t their story, our story as well?  We too are called to encounter Jesus and to stand with the poor and marginalized, this will change your life, you will learn to travel the journey of life another way, a way closer to God and in service to all your brothers and sisters of the world.  You will value education and knowledge and use that power to serve the least among us breaking cycles of poverty and injustice.   Despite our differences we come together with people unlike ourselves to give our gifts in service to the Lord and our community.  And in our service to the seemingly insignificant we are strengthened in our faith and zeal to follow in love of Jesus Christ.  Together we seek God and it is together that we find him.  Sounds pretty wise to me.

Let us Pray,

Dear Lord, Help us through this advent to travel another way, a way that reflects your unconditional love for all the world.  Everything I am today is a gift from you.  Everything I can be tomorrow is my gift to myself.

Morning Prayer:  Brian Ciccone, Admissions Counselor; Social Studies Teacher

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of a loving God.

On the teacher’s desk in room 116 is a yellow post-it note with a quote from an inspirational man named Fr. Greg Boyle that says “No kinship, no justice. No kinship, no peace.” Let me say that again … “No kinship, no justice. No kinship, no peace.” What is kinship? The dictionary tells me that it means a kind of family relationship between people. Relationships. The relationships that we have with family, with friends … with teachers, with students … with husbands, with wives … with boyfriends, with girlfriends … with the person whose locker is next to mine, with the person I park next to every morning … with strangers, with people we’ve never met. In this world of instantaneous and constant contact, a world that seems to encourage thousands of Twitter followers instead of a handful of deep relationships, I wonder how often we really dedicate ourselves to deepening the important relationships in our lives. “No kinship, no justice. No kinship, no peace.” One of the things that I love the most about being part of the La Salle Academy community here in Providence and the greater Lasallian community around the world is our emphasis on relationships – deep, one-on-one, smartphone-less relationships. Everything we do here is based on relationships – students, teachers, administration, guidance counselors, administrative support staff, coaches, security guards, maintenance staff, lunch room staff, campus ministers, the list goes on – lay people and Brothers of the Christian Schools. We are something in this world because of the “kinship” that binds us together.

This year we celebrate the 300^th anniversary of the death of our founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle. Fr. John Baptist de La Salle’s life was completely changed by relationships, some ordinary and some extraordinary – his relationships with Jesus Christ, which informed every aspect of his life, with his family, with Adrien Nyel, with the early Brothers, with their students. Those relationships defined his life. We know him 300 years after his death because of those relationships and the effect that they had on the generations of young women and men who have been touched by them. What I’d like you to do today is to put down your phone or your laptop and think about this question: “What deep, one-on-one, smartphone-less relationships am I nurturing and putting work into now that will affect the way I am remembered 300 years after I die?” Relationships are everything. Humans are built for relationships. Without relationships we are nothing. “No kinship, no justice. No kinship, no peace.”

Let us pray:

Lord God – you who are Three in One, you who are relationship by your very nature – open our minds and hearts to one another. Truly open us to each other so that we can develop relationships that will echo through eternity, like our Founder, St. John Baptist de la Salle did. Lord, be close to those who feel most isolated today and inspire those around them to reach out to them in love. We ask this through Christ the Lord. Amen.

St. John Baptist de la Salle … pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts … forever.

Morning Prayer by Mr. Charlie da Silva November 13, 2019

Good morning; let us remember that we are in God’s holy presence.

 After Sunday night’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had this to say: “Losses always find a way to recalibrate how you see yourself. And we obviously have a lot of work to do.” 

Today, I’d like to apply these sentiments to our academic and spiritual lives, with the observation that “Report cards always find a way to recalibrate how you see yourself. And we obviously have a lot of work to do.”  During the last day or two, your report card arrived in your parent or guardian’s in-box, via email. Twelve years ago, when La Salle Academy used to mail report cards home through “snail mail,”  aka the U.S. Postal service, my daughter would race in the front door when we got home and sort through the mail, so that she could look at her report card before I could. I’ve heard other Lasalle alumni say they used to do the same thing.

It’s almost as if students think that by looking at their 1st quarter grades before Mom or Dad can see them, they’ll be able to come up with a quick excuse when their parents ask them about their lowest grade. Or, you might have to explain why you got one of those annoying teacher Comments— like “Does not complete assigned work,” or “Often distracted by technology.” Does this sound like you?  Sometimes those report card comments can be more revealing than the number-grade itself.

 I’m in a unique position to see all of this unfold; on one-hand, I’m a religion teacher and I turned in grades for my 5 sections of freshmen Religion; on the other hand, I’m the parent of freshman and junior sons in college, and I often hear about their struggles- the stress of tests, papers, quizzes, class projects and grades every day. 

And I’m wondering if we might apply Tom Brady’s idea about recalibration to our personal lives, as we think about our grades this week. All of us, teachers included, can identify specific classes where we fell short this quarter. Take a moment and think about the class in which you struggle the most. Is it due to lack of effort? Is it hard to get motivated to do your homework after school, or in the evening? Is the subject matter overwhelming for you? Maybe you’re having difficulty relating to the teacher?  Maybe you feel anxious (or jealous) when you compare your results with those of your peers. 

We probably wonder sometimes, “Which of my classmates scored highest? “How come I only got a B+, but the person next to me squeaked out an A-?” Even though LaSalle Academy did away with class ranking, we still find ourselves in a competitive environment. Who doesn’t enjoy the accolades that come with earning 1st honors? And even though our school has embraced the Challenge Success program, our seniors still feel pressure to get into their first choice school for college.

I believe that sometimes we forget to ask God to enter into the picture. Are you noticing that with the end of Daylight Savings Time this past Sunday and the changing of clocks by one hour, that there is more light in the sky in the morning, when you head off to school?  For Christians, “Christ is our Light.” I think we need to ask God for more of his light-more of his Son, Jesus- each morning during the second quarter. So as we finish this prayer, begin by offering up your report card to Jesus and ask Him to give you the grace to help YOU change for the better—to help you become the best version of yourself. In addition to renewing and redoubling our academic efforts, some of us need a spiritual recalibration, too. We call this conversion. Today, ask for God’s grace to give you the strength and courage to change your spiritual life for the better. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to be there for you, to help shoulder your particular burden academic or emotional. 

Let us pray: O Spirit of Wisdom, we ask you for guidance as we reflect on our 1st quarter efforts today. Shower down your wisdom on the parents and teachers who will huddle up tonight, to help us find a clearer path to our academic victories.  Dearest Jesus, please be with us as we journey through the academic challenges of the second quarter. Our Father in Heaven, remind us each day that you love us unconditionally, no matter what numbers appear next to our names. Help us remember that each of us is made in your image. Help us honor that image by doing our best at all times—not only in our school work, but in the little things we do to help others succeed in life, as we seek your divine Providence in our lives.

St. John Baptist de LaSalle.[Pray for us.  Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!

Prayer for Nov. 7, 2019, David Martinez, Religion Teacher

Good morning La Salle and De La Salle.

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

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this out loud, but last Friday morning, while driving to Lasalle Academy for our first day of school, I felt… well, I felt “lonely.” I felt a strange sensation of absence, in my mind and heart. You see, for the past 15 years, I’ve always driven to school with one of my four children who were Lasalle students in grades 7-12, depending on the school year. And each daughter or son brought a different perspective to the car-ride in to school each morning.

Fifteen years ago, in August 2004, Christina (my oldest daughter) and I started La Salle Academy together. Mr. Kavanagh and Br. Michael had hired me in late August that year to teach religion. Christina was intending to go to Classical High School in Providence, but Mr. Aldrich was able to find Christina a spot in the freshman class at the last minute, when a student dropped out of La Salle after one day of freshman orientation.  It was great to have a 14-year old daughter (my personal insider) to compare notes with each day, as we shared our struggles and triumphs as student and teacher, in a school that was new for both of us.

My second daughter, Marianna who is 4 years younger, drove me nuts on the ride in. She is the most style-conscious of my children. She soon realized that dad’s 7-passenger white GMC Safari maxi-van, with the large V8 engine and extra towing capacity (imagine in your mind the big white electrician or plumber’s cargo van, but without the writing on the side) couldn’t compete with the fancy cars that her friends came to school in. After a month, she made me drop her off at the iron gate by the tennis courts, so none of her friends would see her arriving with her dad in the ugly white “cargo van”. A month later, I was dropping her off farther away from the school property at Subway and by Thanksgiving, she was abandoning ship at Lasalle Bakery. She simply didn’t want to be seen driving in with me. It wasn’t long after, that we traded in our white GMC Safari for a grey Honda Odyssey. Merry Christmas Mari.

At least my daughters got out the front door of our house by 7:20am. My sons, John and James, were impossible to wake up in the morning. John would always forget something at home-usually his sneakers and gym clothes on gym day, and we’d have to turn around and retrieve whatever he forgot. And then there was my youngest son.  For four years, James would never want to talk to me because he was so moody. We tried listening to Sports talk-radio on the way in, but typically Toucher and Rich, and Greg Hill would start veering off onto inappropriate topics, so the morning news on NPR at 89.7 FM would win out. Sorry James. Our four years of morning misery finally ended last June with his graduation from La Salle Academy. He’s a freshman at Providence College and he’s no longer by my side each morning.

Anyways, this got me thinking this past Friday. Who or what will fill the void in the front passenger seat, now that all of my children are out of high school? Well, I’ve decided that this year, I’m going to invite God to drive in to school we me every morning. And maybe before I even turn on the motor, I’ll say to myself, “Let me remember that I am in the holy presence of God.” And then I’ll sit in silence in my driveway-with no radio on, just me and God.

And that got me to thinking about what we teachers do, 5 or 6 times each day, at the beginning of every class. What does that mean, to recognize that we are in God’s holy presence? Over 300 years ago, John Baptist De La Salle taught the Christian Brothers to take the following approach, every time they heard these words:

“I will be conscious that I live in the holy presence of a God who is inviting me into a deeper personal relationship.”

This presence then, is a relational presence. As if God were next to me in the front seat, interested in my every thought. Secondly, De La Salle believed that,

“God, in his presence, is inviting me to be transformed into God’s holiness.”

In other words, God promises to change me for the better, to make me holier during the school day. And this miracle happens everyday because you– you my students, you my fellow teachers and you the La Salle staff, will help me to see God’s presence through the Eyes of Faith. And because God is riding shot-gun, giving me direction in my life, I know that any delays, obstacles, or side streets on the journey of life, are a part of God’s divine plan, God’s Providence. So even though you can’t see God, rest assured God is there. God wants to be present in your life. And unlike my daughter, I know that God won’t bail on me when we reach La Salle Bakery.

Let us pray: 

Loving God, we thank you for your loving presence every hour of every day. Help us to see you with the Eyes of Faith; give us the courage to enter more deeply into a personal relationship with you this school year. Help us to recognize the indwelling of your Holy Spirit in each person we meet here in our school community. Jesus our brother, promise us that you will always be by our side. May we recognize your presence whenever you carry us home, even when we are unable to recognize your footprints at our side.

St. John Baptist de La Salle, PRAY FOR US

Live Jesus in our Hearts, FOREVER!

Morning Prayer- Sept. 3, 2019 – Religion Teacher:  Mr. David Martinez

Good Morning LaSalle and DeLaSalle

Let us remember that we are in the presence of a loving God.

I had a few ideas bouncing around in my head for prayer this morning.  First, I thought I wanted to talk about time management skills (or my lack thereof) ……. but then I was thinking about reflecting on my role as a parent (but I’d probably cry)…..so, I landed on the ideas of birthday’s.

In case you did not know, my birthday was Monday….and honestly, I love my birthday!

No, not because my sister and mother in law call me and sing happy birthday……and no, not because my children give me hand written cards that bring tears to my eyes and no, not because I am off dinner and school lunch patrol for the day……..though those things are all great and they make me feel special, I love my birthday mostly because on the day I was born, the world changed.

That seems like a really big statement.   But I believe it to be true.   On the day I was born, the world changed……for my parents…..for my grandparents….for other family members.   Later on when I went to school for the first time……..the world changed for my teachers.   When I made friends, the world changed for them.  Each and every time I interact with anyone, the world changes.  I am creating experience and change along the path I lead…..along the life I live.     This has become more prominent as I get older and events change my world.  When my children were born, my world changed…….because YOU were born, MY world is changed.   And the very seat we sit in today would not be possible without the birth of our founder St. John Baptist de LaSalle.

The idea of change seems to be the theme this year.   See, before students arrive back at school for the year, the faculty have a retreat of their own.  This year, we were encouraged to write or draw something that personally motivated us on a rock.  The rocks were collected to be distributed during our faculty liturgy.   Having a hard time making decisions, I asked Ms. Sanga to choose a rock for me.  That was the rock you see on your screen today.  BE THE CHANGE.

So for everyone listening this morning because of your birth you have changed your parents world, you have changed your friends world, you have changed my world.   Here at Lasalle Academy you have the ability to go serve…….to go change the world.

So…..since you changed the world when you born……I challenge you to continue to change the world and to BE THE CHANGE you want to see.

 

Let us pray –

Lord, thank you for gift of life.  Thank you for allowing us all to walk together and make change in the world with your teachings.  We thank you for each other and for your guidance along our paths.  We ask that you grant us the wisdom and courage to change the world for the better in all we say and do.

St. John Baptist de LaSalle………….pray for us

Live Jesus in our hearts…….forever.

Morning prayer      9/25/19

Math Teacher:  Mrs. Erica Napolitano

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God……

In Matthew Chapter 26, verse 41, its says “Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.”  Although this is a simple verse, its speaks about the many temptations that we are faced with from day to day.  In the simplest terms, resisting temptation is not easy. The media, peer pressure, and the desire to fit in are three major forms of temptation, all of which we experience many times per day.  Also, many of these things that we are tempted to try are readily available at a moment’s notice, increasing the difficulty to resist. Though there are many things pointing towards giving in to temptation, God points towards enduring.  In Romans Chapter 5, it says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” As we reflect upon making good decisions through this red ribbon week, understand that resisting temptation is no easy feat, and that the reward for doing so is greater than that of giving in. 

Let us pray,

Dear Lord, please help us to find the strength to resist temptations as we approach Halloween and the holiday season.  Guide us as we are faced with tough decisions, and lead us to make the right choices. Help us as we stumble along our path, and keep our focus on You, Lord.  

Saint John Baptist De La Salle …….Pray for us

Live Jesus in our hearts …….Forever!

Morning Prayer October 30, 2019 –

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of a loving God… 

I ask you to spend a moment and check out the shoes on the person in front of you, how about the person behind you, now look to your right, now look to your left, how about looking at your own pair of shoes. It’s okay to giggle and it’s okay to feel awkward in this very moment. Maybe the shoes looked similar, maybe they were the same brand (most likely Sperrys) or maybe the same color… one thing I know for sure is the miles that these shoes have walked are unique to the person wearing them.

There’s a famous quote that says “Walk a mile in my shoes… see what I see, hear what I hear, feel what I feel, love what I love, then maybe you’ll understand why I do what I do”. The person behind you has a story where they see things differently than you because of their life experiences. The person in front of you has a story of why they hear things a certain way because of the life they have lived. The person to the right of you feels things differently because of the journey their life has taken them on.

Every now and then we need to take a step back and realize that the person to the left of us may be wearing the same brand shoes or maybe ones that are not our style at all, but they walk a different road and do things a bit differently because God made them that way. When we understand that each person loves differently, we have taken the first step towards loving God. 

Let us pray…

Loving God, you remind us that we are standing on holy ground. We ask you to be a beacon of peace in our lives as we remember each individual was created in your image and likeness and each person travels a different route on this journey of life. May we always know that no matter the style of shoes we wear just like you and I, every pair of shoes has a story. 

Saint John Baptist de La Salle . . . Pray for Us

Live Jesus in our Hearts . . . Forever

 

Prayer offered by Ms. Katie Haidemenos, Director of Campus Ministry 10/25/19