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Dear Prep Parents and Guardians:

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Prep! I hope this letter finds you well as we approach the close of 2006 with the midpoint of our academic year around the corner.  Each school year is a journey, a quest that challenges and inspires us and leads us to great discoveries.  I am reminded of a passage from Rev. Bernard Lonergan, S.J., who writes: “Human consciousness is constantly questing.  Seeking, desiring, questioning, and choosing are natural to human consciousness… Questing is what the human spirit is.  It’s what the human spirit does… and what we quest for matters… We need to seek and find what’s true and what’s truly good…The challenge of our lives, then, is learning to seek well what is truly worthwhile.”  And what we seek at The Prep, what we find is truly worthwhile, is the development of your son and his commitment to do all things for the greater glory of God.  That is our quest, and we - Prep faculty, staff, and parents - are walking that road together with your son.   

I confidently use the word “together.”  Since my last newsletter, I have had the chance to speak with so many of our amazing Prep parents and guardians.  Whether it was an informal meeting in a hallway at Homecoming or outside The Prep at 10:30pm after a mixer or a more formal group setting such as Mini-School Night or a Prep Mothers’ Club meeting, you continue to show tremendous love for your son and a wonderful support of St. Joseph’s Prep.  Both are invigorating to me, and I am grateful.

One of the greatest gifts of being the principal here is the opportunity to witness the growth of your son, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the love of our God in so many different moments during the day.  I wish you could see what I see everyday.  Ms. Susie Cook tying in the “Curse of the Bambino” with the witchcraft in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Ms. Barbara Brown reflecting on her service trips when she was in high school at our Thanksgiving Mass, Mr. Dave Pepino and Ms. Jennifer Lyons leading the faculty volleyball team against a team of very determined seniors, Fr. Frank Skechus, S.J. combining laughter and learning as students prepare for an upcoming chemistry test, students playing their hearts out at Battle of the Band tryouts, a pick-up dodge ball game, or the Madden Tournament, a couple of freshmen celebrating their findings under microscopes in Mr. Martin’s class, or one senior patting the back of another senior a couple of days after a tough athletic loss - these moments just begin to paint the remarkable picture of what happens at 1733 Girard.  It is these moments and countless others much like them that truly make me feel blessed to be here.  They remind me so often that God is present in all that we do.   

Several important items are explained in this newsletter and are included in this mailing.  I ask you to give them your attention.

With Thanksgiving behind us, my wie Sarah and I are looking forward to our first Christmas together in the Philly area.  This past weekend as we unpacked our boxes of garland and ornaments and decided where to hang our lights and put the tree, we agreed that we both certainly feel at home.  We are grateful.

As we begin our Advent season, I remember the words of Julian of Norwich, who, 600 years ago, tried to express her sense of the love of God: “The love that God most high has for our soul is so great that it surpasses understanding. No created being can comprehend how much, and how sweetly, and how tenderly our maker loves us.”  It is my hope for all of us that, in these hectic days leading up to Christmas, we remember these words and, as best we can, realize God’s abundant love for us as we celebrate the gift of Christ our Lord. 

As always, please know how grateful I am that you entrust your most precious gift - your son - to us at The Prep.  You and your family will be in my prayers this holiday season.

 

Peace.

Mr. Michael Gomez