(Prayer offered for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Friday morning, 18 December 2015)

Let Us Remember that We are in The Holy Presence of God

Back in colonial days there was a man who was punished for stealing sheep. His punishment was a harsh one: ST was stamped on his forehead. ST stood for sheep thief. However after this he experienced a conversion and was known for his many charitable deeds. Little children marveled at his goodness but were puzzled by the ST on his forehead. What did it stand for they would ask their parents? All the parents in town stated it meant Saint.

The journey from sheep thief to saint is really the Advent journey. We travel from darkness to light, fear to trust, hate to love during this season. John the Baptist urges us to straighten out our crooked ways, smooth over our rough edges. By doing so we prepare the way for Jesus to be born in our world.

La Salle Academy is all about community. It is all about the family that we build on a day to day basis during the course of the year. How well we build that community determines the depth of the experience and the quality of the exchange among us.

First and foremost, we are a community of believers. Our school values and guiding principles are grounded in the belief in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is our Savior and our guide.

Each day at La Salle Academy we begin our day with a school wide morning prayer prepared by a variety of teachers, staff, administrators and students. Everyone and everything stops for 3 – 5 minutes as we recall that we are in God’s holy presence reminding us that the message of Jesus among us and with us is what animates and focuses our time together each day. Each day at the beginning of each class period the words LET US REMEMBER WE ARE IN THE HOLY PRESENCE OF GOD and LIVE JESUS IN OUR HEARTS – FOREVER, become a mantra of praise throughout the course of our days together.

Christmas is a time for prayer, gratitude and remembrance. We pray that God’s presence in our lives and in our world will sustain us in addressing what divides us in seeking common ground and peace-filled solutions. We pray in gratitude that we have the opportunity and privilege to come together in celebration of the miracle of Jesus in our lives. A privilege denied to many! We pray in remembrance of those gone before, of family and of those special people in our lives who indeed were the presence of God for us.

Best wishes for a Happy and Holy Celebration of Christmas to the entire La Salle Academy Community!

Saint John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Donald Kavanagh–Principal