Set the World on Fire

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Tuesday, 29 January 2019—2nd day of Catholic Schools Week)

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

Why choose a Catholic school? It is a question I have been asked many times over the years as my children attended Catholic elementary school and have then gone on to their high school years at La Salle.

There are the obvious answers—We like to joke that we enjoy not arguing with our kids about what they are going to wear or whether they can dye their hair purple. In truth, their Dad and I wanted a terrific education that included learning in a Catholic faith- and values-based environment. The bonus here at La Salle is getting an education rooted in St. John Baptist de La Salle’s ideals of faith, service and community.

We have welcomed the opportunity that our children have had to learn about their Catholic faith, as well as the faiths practiced by others. As a family that places a great deal of value on the ideals of service to one’s country and community, particularly to those less fortunate, we are grateful for the myriad ways that our children have been able to participate in extracurricular clubs and off campus activities that enable them to gain a new perspective on the world as well as contribute their time and talents.

As parents, we also have seen the benefits of experiences like Kairos and class retreats, that give students the chance to reflect on where you are in your life and what direction you want to take. This opportunity for reflection is a real gift of being educated in the Catholic, Lasallian tradition.

But if I had to give a one sentence answer to the question, “What do you hope your children have gained by their Catholic education?” it is that I hope they have been made to be aware and thankful for their lives—to truly appreciate and love the person he or she is and to know how valuable their contributions are to this world. I hope that they recognize what an important difference they can make in the world that God has created for us, but which depends on us, to care for it and its inhabitants.

That knowledge gives the confidence to go and as St. Ignatius Loyola wrote, “Set the world on fire.” It is, I hope, what a Catholic education has instilled in my kids and in each and every one of you.

Let us pray,

Dear God,

During this Catholic Schools Week, let us be especially grateful for the many blessings of our Catholic education here at La Salle. May we be thankful for our parents’ and guardians’ sacrifices that enable us to have the opportunities we are given in this rich and diverse community of educators and learners.

Open our minds and hearts, Lord, so that we may recognize and value the individual gifts that we have been given and help us to use them in ways that can positively impact our world and the people we share it with.

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

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Mrs. Christine Rogers–Parent

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