December 2020 FALL SEMESTER
C H R I ST IA N B R O T H E R S H IG H S C HO O L
E N T E R T O L E A R N , L E AV E T O SE RV E
FALCON FAMILY NEWS A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT DEAR FAMILIES: With the holidays upon us, I find myself reflecting on the gift that is the Advent Season. I love the ritual of lighting a candle each Sunday and taking some time to slow down, reflect, and just sit in silence – a rare gift during what is normally such a busy time. In her book Illuminated Life, Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, shares that silence is “life’s greatest teacher. It shows us what we have yet to become and how much we lack to become it.” Advent gives us this silence, and with it, a blessed opportunity to reflect, grow, and begin anew in the joyful hope of our coming Savior. Looking back on 2020, I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic, tragic incidences of social injustice, devastating wildfires, and bitter political discord have challenged us, in many ways, to do the same. There is no question that our lives have changed dramatically with the isolation of stay at home orders, the stresses of the global economic crisis, and mourning the more than 260,000 U.S. lives lost, including loved ones of our own Christian Brothers High School community.
As we conclude 2020 and transition to a new year, we take the time to reflect, dream big, and design better ways of coming together as our Christian Brothers community. And, with several promising vaccines on the horizon, we are optimistic and filled with hope that this time will come, sooner, rather than later. Until then, I invite you all to join me in enjoying the sacred reflection and joyful hope of Advent. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!
Dr. Crystal LeRoy, Ed.D. President
However, in the midst of this suffering, comes an opportunity to respond with hope. Pope Francis, in an op-ed published in The New York Times, puts it much more eloquently than I could in writing, “This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities – what we value, what we want, what we seek – and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of...We need to slow down, take stock and design better ways of living together on this earth.” As Lasallian Catholic educators, it is this path we must take in ministering to our students during and after this challenging time. I am proud of how our faculty members have reimagined the ways in which we meet our students where they are, in and outside of the classroom. And, while there certainly has not been much time to slow down and take stock, rest assured that our school administrators, faculty members, and staff are aligned in our commitment to ensuring that we come out on the other side of this pandemic better than we were when it began.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE • Counseling
• Athletics
• Class of 2021 Updates
• Student Activities
• Christian Service
• Fall Review/Final Exam Schedule
• Media, Visual and Performing Arts
• Auction
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | WWW.CBHS-SACRAMENTO.ORG
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