Living in the Light of the Holy Spirit

“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there thy cheerful beams.” Saint Augustine

On the first Friday of the school year, we invite all parishioners and school families to join our students, faculty, and staff in celebrating the Mass of the Holy Spirit. A tradition dating back to the 16th century, the Mass of the Holy Spirit is an opportunity for a Catholic school community to begin the academic year with right worship. We pray especially for the wisdom and guidance of God’s Spirit, knowing that this shared and sacred mission—that of forming the hearts, minds, and souls of our students—demands a radical dependence on the grace poured out on us through the gifts of the Spirit.

This year, our halls and classrooms will be more full than ever with students who yearn to be known and loved. Our faculty are committed to challenging their students, nurturing in them a sense of wonder and inquiry. We look forward to growing closer as a community, committed to encouraging one another in virtue. With our mission before us, beginning the school year in prayer is a visible sign of our commitment to that mission, and our steadfast reliance on the grace of the Holy Spirit we need to remain faithful to that mission. We recognize with gratitude the abundance that continues to overflow in the life of our parish and in the flourishing of our school, but our success cannot be measured simply by enrollment numbers, academic achievement, or school pride. We want to be saints, and so we begin by calling on the Holy Spirit to shed light along the paths that mission will take for us this year.