Recently, I received a small plate as a gift and on it was written “Find Joy in Each Day”. The quote is attributed to St. Philp Neri. What the giver of the gift didn’t know, was St. Philp Neri was the name of the Catholic School my children attended and also the parish in which my own faith and prayer life developed, ultimately leading me to commit myself to serving others through ministry in the Catholic Church. While the word JOY is one that grounds and guides me, I did not know this quote was attributed to this particular saint. In a roundabout way, I believe, I was given a small sign assuring me that where I am in my work and in my own life is exactly where God intends me to be. How beautiful is God’s grace given to us when we need it most.
This past Friday, we experienced in a big way God’s grace poured out on us at the celebration of All Saints Day at the South Campus. The Mass set the tone for the day and the events that followed were fun, educative and practically flawless. The photo of the entire school on the steps of St. Mary Parish Church is a beautiful testimony to the growth of our Catholic School and the 632 blessings we call the ASCS students! The day was filled with JOY. St. Philip Neri was certainly smiling with a large bouquet of colorful balloons in his hand. We are grateful to the teachers, staff and volunteers who helped make the day such a huge success.
