Welcome May! – The month we dedicate to the Blessed Virgin Mary. With spring in full bloom, there are many new activities and decisions made for the next school year. The highlight is choosing the new Head Boy and Girl as well as House Presidents. This month begins the slow transition of this year’s school leadership to next year’s. This is our seniors last week of classes before they begin final exams next week. The halls are filled with joy and excitement because of the weather, and soon attitudes will be turned toward Summer!
In this Sunday’s gospel, Christ says, “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:14). This passage captures the meaning of the more pithy phrase I heard recently that “we are people of the street,” which as the answer given to the question, “What is your favorite chapel to pray in and spend time with our Lord?” While we should pray in the presence of the Eucharist at every opportunity, it is not the only place for us to pray. We spend most of our time outside of a chapel. Wherever we are can be a place of prayer, a place to immerse ourselves in the presence of our Lord. We should be the best professionals and the best students, and in doing so, the work we do can be our prayer to God. The gospel reminded me that we are preparing the students who walk through our doors at OCA to be “people of the street.”
Last week, one of our faculty members, Mr. Corey Flax’s son, Lyndon Cosgriff-Flax, lost his life during a training exercise while serving in the Navy. Our faculty and student body felt deeply for Mr. Flax’s grief last week. Mr. Flax came to school this morning and greeted the students with his normal smile. After our morning announcements, he shared with the faculty and student body about his gratitude and the uniqueness of his son. Our children mean alot to us, and listening to Mr. Flax, you could tell how much his son meant to him. Mr. Flax and his wife set up a small memorial table of pictures so our community could see more of who Lyndon was. Once the funeral arrangements are confirmed, Lyndon’s obituary will be posted on the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home website. Our daily mass intentions have been for the repose of the soul of Lyndon and for peace for the Flax family. Please keep these two intentions in your prayers.
Last week the 2024-25 Head Boy and Girl were announced. Isaac Pohlmeier will be the Head Boy and Maddy Fendyan will be the Head Girl. I am sure these two will work well with the new principal and president. They have big shoes to fill, but the community is looking forward to another successful year.
Every May, the Catholic Church focuses our attention on the Blessed Virgin Mary. On May 13, we will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and we will end the month with the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Why should we focus on Mary, the mother of our Lord? There are many answers to this question, but I will share a simple reflection. This month as we look toward our Mother, Mary, we turn to her as we turned to our mothers as children to ask for little things, or even big things. Mothers always listen. They help guide us in our problems or challenges, and when we were small, we listened. Mary gives us one simple instruction in scripture at the Wedding Feast at Cana, when she tells the servants to “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). This simple instruction is for us as well – we are to do whatever Christ tells us. A unique aspect of our Catholic faith is not to worship Mary, but to admire her and have a special devotion to her. For if you want to make sure Christ hears our prayers (which of course he does) it always helps to give our intentions to His mother and she will bring our intentions to Christ. So we go, per Mariam ad Christum, through Mary to Christ.
Let us go to Mary this month and ask for the repose of the soul of Lyndon Cosgriff-Flax, peace for the Flax family and the new Head Boy and Girl as well as the incoming principal and president at OCA. We have much to be grateful for as a community. Remember that Our Lady is beside us with our joy and suffering.