Over the course of the year the Pilgrim Virgin statue made her visitation, this time not to the home of Elizabeth, but to the living rooms of faithful families in Nashville. She did not travel by donkey but by mini van, as each week brought a new exposure of devotion and an opportunity to teach. Providence arranged her itinerary as each drawing was announced over the school PA. Encouragement was always given to remember the intentions of the school community when the family assembled to pray the rosary each night. At home, when the large duffel bag is unpacked, an assortment of devotional books, videos and tapes, rosaries and scapulars are on hand to aid and inform. Many times it is the children who prompt their parents to pray, and once family prayer is experienced, it often becomes a welcome routine. While many families enroll in our schools because they already have a strong devotional focus some come to prayer as a process of discovery.

Putting a face on Christ

As a student of catechetics, I can still hear the words of a spirited sister who repeatedly told us that when teaching the faith “we must put a face on Christ.” As the principal of an elementary school, I have found that when parents discover this face and commit themselves to returning His glance, then strength, direction and the power of grace effect a transformation. Much can be said about the renaissance of Catholic education, but the heart of who we are and what we do is a person. We work hard to provide the best education possible, but our success stands or falls on whether or not Christ is personally at the heart and center of all that we do. Such a focus is a powerful context as we work in partnership with parents, the primary educators of their children. Since secular culture denies that there is an ultimate destination beyond the attractions of the material world, our challenge as educators is to offer the road map to the Kingdom for which we are made. We do this by teaching and exposure to the nourishment of devotions, the essential food of the Sacraments, the living content of the Faith, and the reality of the Church, as map maker and guide. Over all, we seek to bring our families Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Planting seeds

Sometimes the seeds that we plant bloom long after they are scattered. I will never forget a particular celebration of our second grade’s First Penance, when I noted that one of our fathers was “radiating” at the reception. When I congratulated him on his daughter, he told me that he had once been a student at our school but when he went on to high school he fell away from the practice of the Faith. He explained that he had been moved by the changes he saw in his daughter since she was enrolled less than a year before. Noting that she had the same innocence and goodness that he once had, he realized that he wanted it back. With emotion and conviction he told me that he had just gone to confession for the first time in 30 years. Through the sacramental preparation of his daughter, he discovered the merciful face of Christ.

Daily living the call to holiness

Our mission statement clearly states that we strive to develop the whole child. Such “wholeness” or integral development is rooted in a Dominican philosophy of the human person and the call to holiness. To become “holy” in the fullest sense is a matter of integration. When asked about the purpose of life, one 3rd grade student informed me that it was to become like Jesus, so that we could one day live with Him in heaven. Such a reality has very practical application to daily life as it is lived out in the classroom, on the playground and most importantly in the home.

Sometimes the need for integration is prompted by a bad judgment, and our obligation to respond by making students accountable for their actions. At year’s end, I received a note from a 7th grader who had been sent to me for several behavioral infractions. He commented that he probably knew every inch of the inside of my office but appreciated the time and patience I always had with him.  What he learned of both mercy and justice showed them to be complementary virtues and will serve as a motivation for self-control in the face of future temptation. He has seen the face of Christ and it is impacting his life at a critical time in his adolescence.

From one generation to the next

Such an impact can be measured in the years that follow. While at a gathering of area Catholics, I met a man in his thirties who spoke to me of the importance of his faith within his young family. He told me that while he attended one of our schools, his family was not practicing the Faith. All that he received of instruction and exposure to the Sacraments came from his elementary school education. While an 8th grader, he was pulled aside by his principal and told that he had many gifts and talents but unless he made the conscious decision to be a follower of Christ with all that implied, all would be wasted. A detour could lead him to a destination that was far from desirable. At this crossroad, he responded to her challenge. As soon as he got his license to drive, he began attending Sunday Mass regularly. He concluded that from the sisters he gained a profound awareness of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and with that an understanding of the meaning of true reverence. He also spoke gratefully of his love for the Blessed Mother, fostering in a way that was natural and nurturing. All of this he is presently sharing with his wife and small children.

Mary’s pilgrimage to the families in our school continues, and with each stop her message is transmitted, “Do whatever he tells you.” When we understand that the person of Christ is both the way, as well as the destination, then family life will be strengthened and personal holiness can be sought. Indeed, “Putting a face on Christ” is our challenge and privilege.