I often talk about the essence of an Academy education. It is founded on a strong academic program steeped in a place where love of learning and solid study skills are part-and-parcel of the program! However, an Academy education is not limited to that.
This education is enhanced by the constant messaging which is rooted in the theology and spirituality of the Sacred Heart. Such messaging does not reside in any one person nor in any one grade level nor in any one peak experience. Rather, it is the background which is also the core, the foundation and follow-up of everything we do.
And that message is this:
- We are created and loved by Love’s Very Self (whom we know as God and personally experience in Jesus, the Christ)
- We are invited to come to experience God’s Love in a very personal way.
- We are called to live our lives as a flowing forth from that experience. In other words, we are called to lead lives that are loving, as a way of returning love for love.
Helping our children know themselves as loved and calling them to BE the face of Love to others is a journey which takes a lifetime. This power-packed message helps our children to develop the gifts that they have. It helps them to accept that they don’t have to have every gift … it helps them allow others to have different gifts (with appreciation) … it helps them to accept their own struggles (with self-acceptance) … it helps them to accept others’ struggles (with understanding) … and it provides a foundation for a life of personal character and integrity!
This is our goal, our hope, and our aspiration. Last Saturday, as we launched our Eighth Class students into some of the best high schools in the St. Louis area, we launched some self-aware and well-formed individuals of whom we are proud!
Thank you for being a part of the journey this year. May your summer be filled with God’s Goodness and Grace! As I say to the children, I hope you get some time to rest a little, read a little, play a little and pray a little.
Blessings and Gratitude,
Maureen Glavin, rscj
