If you are willing
to bear serenely
the trial of being
displeasing to yourself,
then you will be
for Jesus
a pleasant place of
shelter
St. Therese of Lisieux
We were given this quote today in our Religious Life course. We have read two articles on self-esteem and self-acceptance, and so this quote fits in with the topic.
When I first read the quote, three words came to mind: openness, peace, and grace. This quote could be taken apart and looked at from a Christian perspective in many ways. I chose to look at the line, “to bear serenely.” If we are to bear who we are serenely, it requires openness. If we are open, I think it allows us then to bear our individuality with peace. Finally, if we bear it with peace, then a grace will enter us that will come to a genuine, loving acceptance of ourselves. God desires this of us. He has created us uniquely, lovingly and our relationship with God must be an open one, in which we love ourselves.
James Martin, S.J. wrote a book called, “Becoming Who You Are.” In this book, he reflects on the true self from Thomas Merton and other saints. It is very clear from the beginning that he is making a very simple, yet complicated point: to be a saint is to be yourself. St. Therese at a very young age understood this and I believe this quote shows her understanding of loving oneself. For if we do this, Jesus will find “a pleasant place of shelter.”
Creating “a pleasant place of shelter” for Jesus allows us to love and to be loved. As a De La Salle Christian Brother, I think of this in the classroom. If we as Brothers, as teachers, are loving of ourselves, of our vocation, and of our God—we can share it with our students.
For me, what comes into play is a sense of vulnerability. As Lasallian educators, we believe in the power of the student-teacher relationship. The power of this relationship has to do a lot with the vulnerability we offer, obviously a “healthy vulnerability.” Our students believe in this relationship because they see the humanity in us. Part of the beauty, the freedom if you will, of the incarnation is Jesus’ humanity. This gives us the freedom to be vulnerable, yet live out De La Salle’s mission as he called us to save the souls of those entrusted to our care. We have an incarnate mission. Our Founder reminds us:
“Be satisfied with what you can do, since God is satisfied with it, but don not spare yourself in what you can do with grace; and believe that, provided you want it, you can do more with the grace of God than you think. Do not forget to thank God for all the blessings he bestows on you.”
Monday, August 27, 2007
Reflecting on the Sunday Readings
In the movie Spiderman, the grandfather of Spiderman gives him some advice just before his death: “With power, comes great responsibility.”
In reflecting on the readings for this Sunday and of the past week, this line came to mind in the following form: “With vocation, comes great responsibility.” Throughout the week, the readings speak of being called, invited, and chosen. Yet, it comes with great responsibility: the kingdom of God. The glory of God’s kingdom is great, but I think a lot of that glory is only possible if we build the kingdom of God here on earth.
First of all, the Sunday readings remind us that God’s kingdom includes many. In the first reading from Isaiah we read, “…I come to gather nations of every language…” Reminding us that God’s kingdom indeed is vast. The word “nations” is used three other times in this short reading. These nations are not all followers, one may call them Gentiles, but God will prevail so that, even “some of these [God] will take as priests and Levites…” Not only is God’s kingdom vast, but there is hope for all.
The second reading is also a sign of hope. One may think how can all this talk of discipline, used five times in 6 verses, give hope. The letter to the Hebrews includes lines like, “Endure you trials as ‘discipline’…all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain…” However, it is the end of the reading that gives hope: “So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.” We are all broken, yet with courage and “discipline” come “peaceful fruits of righteousness…”
Today, it is commonly heard “no pain, no game.” What will we do for the kingdom of God? What will we do today to follow the path towards the Kingdom?
Earlier in the week, we heard the reading where the young man goes away sad for he had many possessions, but in a later reading Jesus reminds us “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred time more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Sunday’s gospel ends the same way, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” I believe this is Jesus inviting us to build his Father’s kingdom here on earth. As De La Salle Christian Brothers, we have the great responsibility for the salvation of souls, of bringing others to the Kingdom. Therefore, we need the “discipline” and the faith to accomplish such a task. Our own Founder reminds us “not to look upon anything but with the eyes of faith…” This faith is what will give us the daily courage to go about building the Kingdom of God here on earth.
De La Salle’s reflection on St. Bartholomew calls on us to tear off our own skin, “which St. Paul call the old man, in order to be clothed with the spirit of Jesus Christ, which is according to the same Apostle, the new man.” How else can we do this but with the eyes of faith? I agree with Br. Richard that the novitiate can in some ways be God calling us to put on this new skin and in fact, throughout our lives we must work on putting on the new skin in a responsive love to God. This response is to God’s invitation to build his kingdom, for as the psalm verse reminds us, we are called to “Go out to all the world and tell the good news.”
Our vocation does come with great responsibility, but also with hope, faith, and love.
In reflecting on the readings for this Sunday and of the past week, this line came to mind in the following form: “With vocation, comes great responsibility.” Throughout the week, the readings speak of being called, invited, and chosen. Yet, it comes with great responsibility: the kingdom of God. The glory of God’s kingdom is great, but I think a lot of that glory is only possible if we build the kingdom of God here on earth.
First of all, the Sunday readings remind us that God’s kingdom includes many. In the first reading from Isaiah we read, “…I come to gather nations of every language…” Reminding us that God’s kingdom indeed is vast. The word “nations” is used three other times in this short reading. These nations are not all followers, one may call them Gentiles, but God will prevail so that, even “some of these [God] will take as priests and Levites…” Not only is God’s kingdom vast, but there is hope for all.
The second reading is also a sign of hope. One may think how can all this talk of discipline, used five times in 6 verses, give hope. The letter to the Hebrews includes lines like, “Endure you trials as ‘discipline’…all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain…” However, it is the end of the reading that gives hope: “So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.” We are all broken, yet with courage and “discipline” come “peaceful fruits of righteousness…”
Today, it is commonly heard “no pain, no game.” What will we do for the kingdom of God? What will we do today to follow the path towards the Kingdom?
Earlier in the week, we heard the reading where the young man goes away sad for he had many possessions, but in a later reading Jesus reminds us “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred time more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Sunday’s gospel ends the same way, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” I believe this is Jesus inviting us to build his Father’s kingdom here on earth. As De La Salle Christian Brothers, we have the great responsibility for the salvation of souls, of bringing others to the Kingdom. Therefore, we need the “discipline” and the faith to accomplish such a task. Our own Founder reminds us “not to look upon anything but with the eyes of faith…” This faith is what will give us the daily courage to go about building the Kingdom of God here on earth.
De La Salle’s reflection on St. Bartholomew calls on us to tear off our own skin, “which St. Paul call the old man, in order to be clothed with the spirit of Jesus Christ, which is according to the same Apostle, the new man.” How else can we do this but with the eyes of faith? I agree with Br. Richard that the novitiate can in some ways be God calling us to put on this new skin and in fact, throughout our lives we must work on putting on the new skin in a responsive love to God. This response is to God’s invitation to build his kingdom, for as the psalm verse reminds us, we are called to “Go out to all the world and tell the good news.”
Our vocation does come with great responsibility, but also with hope, faith, and love.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Let the Inner Journey Begin...
I guess much of the next year will focus on my inner journey. That is, my spiritual journey or relationship with God. My inner journey also means dealing with...ME!
I arrived at the Novitiate for the De La Salle Christian Brothers this past Sunday, August 19th. As I drove up the long windy road to Mont La Salle, I was in bit of a shock..."Wow, I am going to call this home for the next year!"
My time here has started off very smoothly...God is taking care of me! I began to move in and settle in as soon as I got here. We spent Monday and Tuesday getting ourselves organized as a community: responsibilities, schedules, and a good review of the purpose of this year.
Based on what I have been told by other Brothers, I think this year will include the following: deepening my person, my being in relationship to others and to God; it will be a year that is a gift and I am invited to "waste time" in the Lord; an opportunity to live the Church calendar (daily prayers and mass); and pushing me to deal with God and to deal with myself.
This year requires an openness of mind and heart. In the end, this year is about me and my relationship with Jesus Christ. Its about deepening of a gift, an invitation, with joy and peace. I want to look at this invitation/calling/vocation and solidfy my answer to God, while being able to somehow articulate it. Who will be, who is Br. Chris Patiño?
I will be able to do a lot of this through the time available and time required for prayer/mass, through classes I will be taking (Religious Life and Scripture), in the context of the community that is on the journey with me, etc....
We began with classes today and dealt with an introduction to a lot of the above--received some books and readings we will start with!
We do have some basic responsibilites as members of the community. Mine include: photographer for the community; loading the fridge with beverages; and kitchen coordinator/food shopper. This is in addition to our Friday house cleaning responsibilities.
The residence I live in is the Novitiate Residence of Mont La Salle, the headquarters for the District of San Francisco of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Our residence has 10 rooms, a kitchen, showers/restrooms, laundry rooms, gymnasium, tv room, dining room, classrooms, offices, and a library.
On a side note, before my arrival, I did have the opportunity to take a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was great to spend some time with my family.
Tonight was a special night, since we had an official welcome BBQ provided by the Provincialate Community and Holy Family Community of Mont La Salle--thanks Brothers!
As I settle in, I will try to post more regularly and share my journey.
I arrived at the Novitiate for the De La Salle Christian Brothers this past Sunday, August 19th. As I drove up the long windy road to Mont La Salle, I was in bit of a shock..."Wow, I am going to call this home for the next year!"
My time here has started off very smoothly...God is taking care of me! I began to move in and settle in as soon as I got here. We spent Monday and Tuesday getting ourselves organized as a community: responsibilities, schedules, and a good review of the purpose of this year.
Based on what I have been told by other Brothers, I think this year will include the following: deepening my person, my being in relationship to others and to God; it will be a year that is a gift and I am invited to "waste time" in the Lord; an opportunity to live the Church calendar (daily prayers and mass); and pushing me to deal with God and to deal with myself.
This year requires an openness of mind and heart. In the end, this year is about me and my relationship with Jesus Christ. Its about deepening of a gift, an invitation, with joy and peace. I want to look at this invitation/calling/vocation and solidfy my answer to God, while being able to somehow articulate it. Who will be, who is Br. Chris Patiño?
I will be able to do a lot of this through the time available and time required for prayer/mass, through classes I will be taking (Religious Life and Scripture), in the context of the community that is on the journey with me, etc....
We began with classes today and dealt with an introduction to a lot of the above--received some books and readings we will start with!
We do have some basic responsibilites as members of the community. Mine include: photographer for the community; loading the fridge with beverages; and kitchen coordinator/food shopper. This is in addition to our Friday house cleaning responsibilities.
The residence I live in is the Novitiate Residence of Mont La Salle, the headquarters for the District of San Francisco of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Our residence has 10 rooms, a kitchen, showers/restrooms, laundry rooms, gymnasium, tv room, dining room, classrooms, offices, and a library.
On a side note, before my arrival, I did have the opportunity to take a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was great to spend some time with my family.
Tonight was a special night, since we had an official welcome BBQ provided by the Provincialate Community and Holy Family Community of Mont La Salle--thanks Brothers!
As I settle in, I will try to post more regularly and share my journey.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Living it up in L.A.
I have spent the past week here in Los Angeles. When I arrived last Saturday it was simply nice to see my family. I visited my grandfather as soon as I got here, it was neat to see him.
There was also an uncle coming in from Mexico at the same time, so we played host to him.
Saturday night, after some time with my grandfather and settling in, we headed out to dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. Wow! Great/Entertaining service and food. I had a Peruvian stir-fry rice with a mixture of seafood. The evening weather was nice so we took advantage of it by walking a bit after dinner. The restaurant was located in Glendale which is only about 15 minutes from my parent's house.
Sunday we went out to breakfast in Glendale with my grandpa and uncle at a family favorite, Foxy's. We're pretty well known there. After breakfast we headed to the beautiful Our Lady of Angels Cathedral for mass. It was actually the quietest, most prayerful Spanish mass I've been to in a long time. Great music and a great homily topped it off.
Sunday afternoon we headed to Home Depot as my little sister wanted her room painted. We decided it would be our early week project. We bought the paint and supplies then headed over to my grandpa's house for dinner. We bought pizza at a new eatery in Atwater Village (about 10 minutes away). Great pizza!
While at the pizza shop, I ran into some high school friends of mine I hadn't seen since pretty much graduation (5 years!). It was neat to see them and just catch up a bit.
After dinner, we decided to burn off some calories by heading to our local park. Actually, this brand new, beautiful park opened up less than a year ago and it's great. Very active. My parents and little sister Denise all headed over. We did some jogging around the park, volleyball, and finally tennis. Quite the workout.
This past Monday and Tuesday was basically spent working on my sister's room. Not only painting, by getting rid of things, rearranging furniture, etc...
Wednesday we spent mostly at home. My sister Denise and I did head out for lunch at a great Sushi place, we made a stop at Border's and did a bit of walking. She's playing volleyball for her school team and so I also took her to pratice throughout the week.
Thursday was a long, but fun day. My former car, now my parent's, had the "check engine" light come on. So I took it in at 7:00 AM to get serviced. Well, I am glad I brought a book because I was there until just about 11:30 AM. It was actually neat to run into my cousin there and so we spent lot of time talking and catching up.
I must say the current book I am reading now is a great one. Well, at least the first 60 pages. It is titled, "Walking the Bible." It is the story of a scholar who journies through the Middle East focusing on the locations of the first 5 books of the Bible. It is such an interesting journey already, that it makes you went to read the Old Testament, it makes you want to travel to the Middle East, and I would say it even makes you desire to be Jewish! While the book focuses on the scholarly and physical journey of the author, it also lets you into his faith journey.
Anyway, so the week in L.A. continued. After my 4 plus hour stay at the car shop, I headed out to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Two of my friends and I had made plans for lunch and museum visit. An exhibition of colonial Latin American art is on display. Quite an amazing collection, plenty of religious art, my interest. We head down into the west L.A./West Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Hancock Park area for lunch at The Grove. The Grove is quite the happening place for eating, shopping, and entertainment. We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was during lunch that I got a great surprise: a phone call from SMHS students. Great to hear them!
So after lunch, we headed to the museum and had a nice time there. Actually, ran into one of the Cathedral High School brothers, Br. Ricardo. Br. Ricardo invited us to dinner at the Brothers' House the following evening.
On Friday, did some early morning house cleaning just to help around the house and then took my little sister out for lunch and a movie. We headed to another happening area, The Paseo in Pasadena. We had lunch at Rubio's Mexican Grill and then headed into the movie theatre to watch The Transformers, which ended being a long, but interesting, fun movie.
After that, I came home where my friend Ryan Resurreccion would pick me up to head over to dinner at the Brothers' house. It was great to see familar faces of Brothers, including some that had recently been transfered back to Cathedral. We had a great time at dinner, got a great tour of the new gym/science building. It is quite spectacular. We stayed around chatting there with Br. Ricardo until about 9:00 PM.
Ryan and I then headed towards Eagle Rock, the next neighborhood over from mine, to meet another friend at a local bar. We had quite a nice time talking about the Church, vocations, our Lasallian mission, and well other fun stuff. We didn't get out of there until about 1:00 AM.
Saturday was just spent at home with the family. Sunday we followed our usual routine mass and breakfast. Spent the rest of Sunday at home getting ready for our trip to Cabo San Lucas.
So we take off to Cabo San Lucas tomorrow for a family vacation, which I am sure will be very enjoyable.
I must admit, I miss the activity of the beginning of the school year, miss San Miguel, but I also realize I probably won't be seeing much of this kind of time in the future, so taking advantage of it.
Well, it's getting late on this Sunday night....I'll be heading off to Cabo tomorrow for a relaxing and enjoyable time with my family....Blessings to all!
There was also an uncle coming in from Mexico at the same time, so we played host to him.
Saturday night, after some time with my grandfather and settling in, we headed out to dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. Wow! Great/Entertaining service and food. I had a Peruvian stir-fry rice with a mixture of seafood. The evening weather was nice so we took advantage of it by walking a bit after dinner. The restaurant was located in Glendale which is only about 15 minutes from my parent's house.
Sunday we went out to breakfast in Glendale with my grandpa and uncle at a family favorite, Foxy's. We're pretty well known there. After breakfast we headed to the beautiful Our Lady of Angels Cathedral for mass. It was actually the quietest, most prayerful Spanish mass I've been to in a long time. Great music and a great homily topped it off.
Sunday afternoon we headed to Home Depot as my little sister wanted her room painted. We decided it would be our early week project. We bought the paint and supplies then headed over to my grandpa's house for dinner. We bought pizza at a new eatery in Atwater Village (about 10 minutes away). Great pizza!
While at the pizza shop, I ran into some high school friends of mine I hadn't seen since pretty much graduation (5 years!). It was neat to see them and just catch up a bit.
After dinner, we decided to burn off some calories by heading to our local park. Actually, this brand new, beautiful park opened up less than a year ago and it's great. Very active. My parents and little sister Denise all headed over. We did some jogging around the park, volleyball, and finally tennis. Quite the workout.
This past Monday and Tuesday was basically spent working on my sister's room. Not only painting, by getting rid of things, rearranging furniture, etc...
Wednesday we spent mostly at home. My sister Denise and I did head out for lunch at a great Sushi place, we made a stop at Border's and did a bit of walking. She's playing volleyball for her school team and so I also took her to pratice throughout the week.
Thursday was a long, but fun day. My former car, now my parent's, had the "check engine" light come on. So I took it in at 7:00 AM to get serviced. Well, I am glad I brought a book because I was there until just about 11:30 AM. It was actually neat to run into my cousin there and so we spent lot of time talking and catching up.
I must say the current book I am reading now is a great one. Well, at least the first 60 pages. It is titled, "Walking the Bible." It is the story of a scholar who journies through the Middle East focusing on the locations of the first 5 books of the Bible. It is such an interesting journey already, that it makes you went to read the Old Testament, it makes you want to travel to the Middle East, and I would say it even makes you desire to be Jewish! While the book focuses on the scholarly and physical journey of the author, it also lets you into his faith journey.
Anyway, so the week in L.A. continued. After my 4 plus hour stay at the car shop, I headed out to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Two of my friends and I had made plans for lunch and museum visit. An exhibition of colonial Latin American art is on display. Quite an amazing collection, plenty of religious art, my interest. We head down into the west L.A./West Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Hancock Park area for lunch at The Grove. The Grove is quite the happening place for eating, shopping, and entertainment. We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was during lunch that I got a great surprise: a phone call from SMHS students. Great to hear them!
So after lunch, we headed to the museum and had a nice time there. Actually, ran into one of the Cathedral High School brothers, Br. Ricardo. Br. Ricardo invited us to dinner at the Brothers' House the following evening.
On Friday, did some early morning house cleaning just to help around the house and then took my little sister out for lunch and a movie. We headed to another happening area, The Paseo in Pasadena. We had lunch at Rubio's Mexican Grill and then headed into the movie theatre to watch The Transformers, which ended being a long, but interesting, fun movie.
After that, I came home where my friend Ryan Resurreccion would pick me up to head over to dinner at the Brothers' house. It was great to see familar faces of Brothers, including some that had recently been transfered back to Cathedral. We had a great time at dinner, got a great tour of the new gym/science building. It is quite spectacular. We stayed around chatting there with Br. Ricardo until about 9:00 PM.
Ryan and I then headed towards Eagle Rock, the next neighborhood over from mine, to meet another friend at a local bar. We had quite a nice time talking about the Church, vocations, our Lasallian mission, and well other fun stuff. We didn't get out of there until about 1:00 AM.
Saturday was just spent at home with the family. Sunday we followed our usual routine mass and breakfast. Spent the rest of Sunday at home getting ready for our trip to Cabo San Lucas.
So we take off to Cabo San Lucas tomorrow for a family vacation, which I am sure will be very enjoyable.
I must admit, I miss the activity of the beginning of the school year, miss San Miguel, but I also realize I probably won't be seeing much of this kind of time in the future, so taking advantage of it.
Well, it's getting late on this Sunday night....I'll be heading off to Cabo tomorrow for a relaxing and enjoyable time with my family....Blessings to all!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Another Stage Ends...
I write from Berkeley, CA where I will be leaving from in about 30 minutes. I will be traveling to Los Angeles to visit with my family for 2 weeks.
I guess you could say today marks the end of the Postulancy. The Postulancy is the stage before the novitiate in preparation for the vocation of a De La Salle Christian Brother.
From previous entries, you could tell what the postulancy has been like in the last 2 1/2 months. I really have been at this stage since January.
All I can do is thank God for the gift. The gift of growing closer in my relationship with God, the gift of better understanding of this vocation I believe God is calling me to, and the gift of the people who have been there along the way.
In Tucson, Br. Steven Vasoli was my official postulant director from January - May. Our focus was the life of St. John Baptist De La Salle, which allowed me to gain a better understanding of the life of our Founder. During this time, I also traveled to Berkeley to meet with Br. Kevin and my spiritual director, Sr. Kathleen. It was a balance of my intellectual development, as well as my spiritual development.
I would say that the summer was a more intensive focus on my postulancy. A lot of spiritual development, as well as intellectual development. It provided for me a better understanding of the Catholic Church and its teachings, spirituality, personal prayer development, understanding of consecrated life, and apostolic work.
This isn't your typical postulancy, which is why I am so grateful to Br. Kevin for his flexibility and support throughout the process.
Brothers, friends, and family have been very supportive through it all. Being in contact with my family was helpful, discussing the process with friends was encouraging, and the connection with Brothers was encouraging. There wasn't a week when Br. Nick didn't send me a card, email, or phone call--it was like saying I'm here with you. I am proud to say that Br. Nick will be my sponsor/padrino.
Of course, my San Miguel experience also served as strength along the journey. I know that I had much support in that community: teachers, staff, and students. It's why I'm here because of what God did through them in my vocation story.
I am thankful to God for my growth during the last 8 months. I feel ready to embark on the next journey, the novitiate. I will arrive with readiness and openness to Mont La Salle on August 19th.
I guess you could say today marks the end of the Postulancy. The Postulancy is the stage before the novitiate in preparation for the vocation of a De La Salle Christian Brother.
From previous entries, you could tell what the postulancy has been like in the last 2 1/2 months. I really have been at this stage since January.
All I can do is thank God for the gift. The gift of growing closer in my relationship with God, the gift of better understanding of this vocation I believe God is calling me to, and the gift of the people who have been there along the way.
In Tucson, Br. Steven Vasoli was my official postulant director from January - May. Our focus was the life of St. John Baptist De La Salle, which allowed me to gain a better understanding of the life of our Founder. During this time, I also traveled to Berkeley to meet with Br. Kevin and my spiritual director, Sr. Kathleen. It was a balance of my intellectual development, as well as my spiritual development.
I would say that the summer was a more intensive focus on my postulancy. A lot of spiritual development, as well as intellectual development. It provided for me a better understanding of the Catholic Church and its teachings, spirituality, personal prayer development, understanding of consecrated life, and apostolic work.
This isn't your typical postulancy, which is why I am so grateful to Br. Kevin for his flexibility and support throughout the process.
Brothers, friends, and family have been very supportive through it all. Being in contact with my family was helpful, discussing the process with friends was encouraging, and the connection with Brothers was encouraging. There wasn't a week when Br. Nick didn't send me a card, email, or phone call--it was like saying I'm here with you. I am proud to say that Br. Nick will be my sponsor/padrino.
Of course, my San Miguel experience also served as strength along the journey. I know that I had much support in that community: teachers, staff, and students. It's why I'm here because of what God did through them in my vocation story.
I am thankful to God for my growth during the last 8 months. I feel ready to embark on the next journey, the novitiate. I will arrive with readiness and openness to Mont La Salle on August 19th.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Witness to Grace
I have been privileged to have witnessed much at San Miguel High School. I’ve witnessed challenges, moments of excitement, and even miracles. It seems to never end.
For San Miguel, the 2007 – 2008 school year marks the 4th year of the schools existence. We have come a long way from our inaugural school year in 2004 – 2005. Evidence of how far we have come is what I witnessed at the District of San Francisco’s Lasallian Leaders Conference. Eleven of our students attended the conference which took place at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA from July 22 – July 29.
We arrived on the campus on the afternoon of July 22nd. Right away, the students were taken aback by this Lasallian college, getting a sense of the much larger Lasallian world. The first day meant settling in, icebreakers, and introductions.
One of the first activities the students participated in was the introduction of each school. Each school was responsible for introducing itself through some sort of performance. The SMHS students struggled a bit with keeping up with an idea. However, after much deliberation they had it figured out. Next thing I know, I see this group of students form a line and slither up onto the stage hissing like snakes, like VIPERS! There they were showing their pride in front of 130 other students. Their performance included sharing their names along with some sort of Mexican food, i.e. Jesus “Big Taco” Gonzalez. All 11 students introduced themselves as the formed a “V” on stage. Taking Tucson for what it is, the final student yelled, “La Migra” and all of them scattered off the stage. They had done it. They showed pride in their school, their culture, and their city.
The conference continued Monday with a long day. Students attended different workshops and presentations. Students also began to meet in their committees. As a way to practice the skills they were being taught, committees were formed based on different categories (Rally, Prayer, Media, etc…). These committees would be responsible for some sort of event or project on Thursday and Friday, the end of the week. It also allowed students to acquire ideas they could take back to San Miguel.
School group check-in time had been built into the week as a way for schools to discuss ideas, issues, and plan for the year ahead. Our first school check-in was solely based on checking in. Alma Mejia-Garcia and I had noticed the students were a bit culture shocked. Most of the students at the conference could be described as white, affluent young men and women. San Miguel students certainly looked different. None of the students brought up the issue and so I brought it up. Well, as soon as I brought it up it gave them the opportunity to open up about the issue. After some discussion, we decided we had to take some risks and challenge ourselves. I spoke to them of my own personal experience while a student at Cathedral High School. I told them that 7 years ago when I was attending similar conferences, no San Miguel existed; no De La Salle North Catholic existed. Cathedral was the oddball, Cathedral students were different. I explained to them that a turning point will happen during the week, it simply requires effort and patience. Well, I would have called this the turning point, they just took off!
I think throughout the week I was so amazed and humbled by the continual pride they showed in being San Miguel High School students. In seeing, Dominiqua Gamboa get up and talk about what makes San Miguel special. In seeing, James Hayes give a speech on Quality Education at San Miguel, saying “we are true to the original mission of St. John Baptist de La Salle.” Watching our students united at all times, yet not exclusive. They engaged people in conversations about what it means to be Lasallian. They questioned me on what it meant to be a Lasallian school. Yet, they could articulate it so well. I saw a conversion in each of the students to a stronger commitment to being Lasallian leaders, commitment to pride in San Miguel, and commitment to the Lasallian mission. I witnessed them bond and unite, showing support of each other. They were observers and learners throughout the week. Their confidence shot up. They lived with great faith and strengthened their faith.
When I asked students to share what they experienced, learned, etc…here is what they had to say:
“It was an eye opener about social justice…it matters!”
“Our connection with De La Salle North Catholic needs to build.”
“Even though schools have much more money to work with, we do awesome with less.”
“It was great to get to know each other.”
“Learning leaderships skills like FAIR and ARFF. The conference helped us get organized. It taught us not to put each other down. It taught us about respect.”
“I wish Je’re and Krystal could have been here.”
“It allowed me to become more spiritual. It gave us many ideas.”
“We need to be able to share our experience with Je’re and Krystal. It helped me with my self-confidence, but it also helped us as a group with self-confidence. It allowed us to build a family.”
“We can have fun dances. Improve our dances, yet not freak dancing necessary. It will be hard to go back and convince others.”
“I think we need a more structured model in terms of leadership to help us get more organized and coordinated. It gave me new ideas. It was motivating in doing more for people who need it.”
“It taught me how chaotic things could get. Being on the rally committee, things get out of control, seeing ideas thrown out and people left out.”
“It was very supportive and gave me new ideas.”
“Ditto on everything. There’s so much more to what we do, the reality of the bigger picture, do it for the right reasons.”
“We were more social and branched out.”
“Got ideas to be creative with our activities.”
“Confidence booster.”
“Bigger world out there, world doesn’t revolve around brown people, real world experience.”
“New ideas, organization of ideas.”
“More people doing the Lasallian thing in a different way.”
“We need to go back and breakdown differences.”
Well, it was great to see the energy of the student leaders as they processed their experience. Who are they? Do they get it? If there’s ever any doubt if our students don’t know who they are as San Miguel students or if they “get it…”
Listen to the words
Comin’ out of my mouth
You can find San Miguel
In the heart of the south.
Helping out the community
Is what we do
Even though we are surrounded
By the red and blue.
Those who are recruited
Are the chosen few
People less fortunate
Like me and you.
Drop out rates
At an ultimate high
While our homies and friends
See us pass them by.
It tuly is a mess
What they make of their lives
But at SMHS we
Keep dreams alive.
Down here in the double six o’ one
We keep education
Number one.
The CIP hook us up with a job
While we take over the world like a Lasallian mob.
On our way to work with
A shirt and a tie
All the kids start clownin’
But we know we look fly.
Respect is what we’ve always
Been taught to show
From our parents to our Brothers
This is all we know.
Peace, love, unity, having fun…
It’s all about being a Lasallian son.
Keeping faith in the Lord
Is what we do best
We put our lives in God’s hands
And forget the rest.
Before I end y’all can’t forget
San Miguel is the place to be
Targeting families with no money.
The students composed this for the talent show during the conference.
It truly was witnessing God’s grace.
For San Miguel, the 2007 – 2008 school year marks the 4th year of the schools existence. We have come a long way from our inaugural school year in 2004 – 2005. Evidence of how far we have come is what I witnessed at the District of San Francisco’s Lasallian Leaders Conference. Eleven of our students attended the conference which took place at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA from July 22 – July 29.
We arrived on the campus on the afternoon of July 22nd. Right away, the students were taken aback by this Lasallian college, getting a sense of the much larger Lasallian world. The first day meant settling in, icebreakers, and introductions.
One of the first activities the students participated in was the introduction of each school. Each school was responsible for introducing itself through some sort of performance. The SMHS students struggled a bit with keeping up with an idea. However, after much deliberation they had it figured out. Next thing I know, I see this group of students form a line and slither up onto the stage hissing like snakes, like VIPERS! There they were showing their pride in front of 130 other students. Their performance included sharing their names along with some sort of Mexican food, i.e. Jesus “Big Taco” Gonzalez. All 11 students introduced themselves as the formed a “V” on stage. Taking Tucson for what it is, the final student yelled, “La Migra” and all of them scattered off the stage. They had done it. They showed pride in their school, their culture, and their city.
The conference continued Monday with a long day. Students attended different workshops and presentations. Students also began to meet in their committees. As a way to practice the skills they were being taught, committees were formed based on different categories (Rally, Prayer, Media, etc…). These committees would be responsible for some sort of event or project on Thursday and Friday, the end of the week. It also allowed students to acquire ideas they could take back to San Miguel.
School group check-in time had been built into the week as a way for schools to discuss ideas, issues, and plan for the year ahead. Our first school check-in was solely based on checking in. Alma Mejia-Garcia and I had noticed the students were a bit culture shocked. Most of the students at the conference could be described as white, affluent young men and women. San Miguel students certainly looked different. None of the students brought up the issue and so I brought it up. Well, as soon as I brought it up it gave them the opportunity to open up about the issue. After some discussion, we decided we had to take some risks and challenge ourselves. I spoke to them of my own personal experience while a student at Cathedral High School. I told them that 7 years ago when I was attending similar conferences, no San Miguel existed; no De La Salle North Catholic existed. Cathedral was the oddball, Cathedral students were different. I explained to them that a turning point will happen during the week, it simply requires effort and patience. Well, I would have called this the turning point, they just took off!
I think throughout the week I was so amazed and humbled by the continual pride they showed in being San Miguel High School students. In seeing, Dominiqua Gamboa get up and talk about what makes San Miguel special. In seeing, James Hayes give a speech on Quality Education at San Miguel, saying “we are true to the original mission of St. John Baptist de La Salle.” Watching our students united at all times, yet not exclusive. They engaged people in conversations about what it means to be Lasallian. They questioned me on what it meant to be a Lasallian school. Yet, they could articulate it so well. I saw a conversion in each of the students to a stronger commitment to being Lasallian leaders, commitment to pride in San Miguel, and commitment to the Lasallian mission. I witnessed them bond and unite, showing support of each other. They were observers and learners throughout the week. Their confidence shot up. They lived with great faith and strengthened their faith.
When I asked students to share what they experienced, learned, etc…here is what they had to say:
“It was an eye opener about social justice…it matters!”
“Our connection with De La Salle North Catholic needs to build.”
“Even though schools have much more money to work with, we do awesome with less.”
“It was great to get to know each other.”
“Learning leaderships skills like FAIR and ARFF. The conference helped us get organized. It taught us not to put each other down. It taught us about respect.”
“I wish Je’re and Krystal could have been here.”
“It allowed me to become more spiritual. It gave us many ideas.”
“We need to be able to share our experience with Je’re and Krystal. It helped me with my self-confidence, but it also helped us as a group with self-confidence. It allowed us to build a family.”
“We can have fun dances. Improve our dances, yet not freak dancing necessary. It will be hard to go back and convince others.”
“I think we need a more structured model in terms of leadership to help us get more organized and coordinated. It gave me new ideas. It was motivating in doing more for people who need it.”
“It taught me how chaotic things could get. Being on the rally committee, things get out of control, seeing ideas thrown out and people left out.”
“It was very supportive and gave me new ideas.”
“Ditto on everything. There’s so much more to what we do, the reality of the bigger picture, do it for the right reasons.”
“We were more social and branched out.”
“Got ideas to be creative with our activities.”
“Confidence booster.”
“Bigger world out there, world doesn’t revolve around brown people, real world experience.”
“New ideas, organization of ideas.”
“More people doing the Lasallian thing in a different way.”
“We need to go back and breakdown differences.”
Well, it was great to see the energy of the student leaders as they processed their experience. Who are they? Do they get it? If there’s ever any doubt if our students don’t know who they are as San Miguel students or if they “get it…”
Listen to the words
Comin’ out of my mouth
You can find San Miguel
In the heart of the south.
Helping out the community
Is what we do
Even though we are surrounded
By the red and blue.
Those who are recruited
Are the chosen few
People less fortunate
Like me and you.
Drop out rates
At an ultimate high
While our homies and friends
See us pass them by.
It tuly is a mess
What they make of their lives
But at SMHS we
Keep dreams alive.
Down here in the double six o’ one
We keep education
Number one.
The CIP hook us up with a job
While we take over the world like a Lasallian mob.
On our way to work with
A shirt and a tie
All the kids start clownin’
But we know we look fly.
Respect is what we’ve always
Been taught to show
From our parents to our Brothers
This is all we know.
Peace, love, unity, having fun…
It’s all about being a Lasallian son.
Keeping faith in the Lord
Is what we do best
We put our lives in God’s hands
And forget the rest.
Before I end y’all can’t forget
San Miguel is the place to be
Targeting families with no money.
The students composed this for the talent show during the conference.
It truly was witnessing God’s grace.
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