from the Head of School - Memories of Pope Francis

Welcome back to school, everyone!

I hope that your Spring Break was restful and rejuvenating. As Easter is an experience of renewal and rebirth in our shared faith, I hope that come Monday morning we are all bounding into the building, overjoyed once more at the prospect of seeing friends, learning new things from our tremendous teachers, and deepening our faith through music and service to the mass.

This year's Easter brought reflection, too. It's hard to understate the effect of Pope Francis's passing on our Church. As the news of his death filtered through the media, Saint Paul's Choir School received inquiries from both WHDH Channel 7 News and the Boston Globe. Remembering our recent trip to Italy, in which five of our choristers rode alongside Pope Francis during his general audience, they wanted to know how our students would remember the pope.

Our three students who spoke with WHDH collectively captured exactly what so many have been saying about Pope Francis this past week: Ari shared that the Pope was clearly one of the most powerful people on earth, but seemed humble and grateful for the influence God had granted him. Charlie remarked on his ability to gather a crowd and fill them with happiness. Will was taken with the worldwide presence of Catholicism and Pope Francis's ability to bring people from so many different places together.

Together, they said it perfectly: The most powerful man in Catholicism brought together followers from every corner of the globe to make them happy, and he was grateful to God to do it.

What a tremendous example for our young men here at Saint Paul's Choir School. Pope Francis's words and actions that day say so much that applies directly to our school: There is love and goodness to be found in brotherhood, faith is a powerful gift from God, by acting out faith we can nurture genuine happiness in our community, and humility is the recognition that God works through us not the other way around. As we say, repleatur os meum laude tua, Let my voice - my agency, my words, my actions, my example - be filled with God's praise.

Saint Paul's students on air, WHDH 7

Balty spoke with the Boston Globe. His memories of the Pope remind us of our mission as a school. Balty described Pope Francis beautifully: "he was a big light."

Yes, Pope France truly was a light on this world, a seeker of Truth, casting Catholicism's eyes on the parts of the word that most needed our attention and inspiring followers with messages of joy, evangelism, learning, and forgiveness. As a school we can - and do - follow this example.

Balty also mentioned that the Pope's light affects us as individuals and reminds us that we are called to kindness, humility, and following the Golden Rule of treating others how we would like to be treated.

Saint Paul's students in print, Boston Globe

Are we not fortunate to be a part of a middle school community that has shaped these reflections? Our boys recognize and understand what is really important in life, and they found it in the cacophony of coverage of the Pope's passing.

As parents, teachers, and administrators, we can find hope in the productive struggle of the classroom, the responsibilities of the choir, the example of faith, the ups and downs of friendships, and overcoming the general angst of oncoming adolescence. Each of these has been a part of growing our boys into the young men capable of these moving reflections about Pope Francis.

Repleatur os meum laude tua,

Mr. Moran