A New School Year
Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful!
Our Lady of Sorrows Academy begins the new year with a solemn Mass of the Holy Ghost
Today, August 27th, eighty-seven new students and the faculty of Our Lady of Sorrows Academy assembled to begin the new academic year. The day began before the altar, with a solemn Mass of the Holy Ghost, in order to draw down his light and grace for teachers and students alike. For what good are any of our efforts, if they are not directed by the grace of God toward our supernatural end?
The beauty of the liturgy, the Gregorian chant, and the ceremonies all contributed to dispose these eager souls to receive the treasures of grace hidden in this splendid mystery - the Holy Sacrifice ofthe Mass.
Certainly there is no better way to prepare for the work of education, which is nothing less than the collaboration in the work of God to form souls for eternity.
The Eternal Sacrifice
Fr. McFarland gave the sermon, in which told the story of a man dying in a hospital who requested to see a priest, in order that he might convert. The priest arrived and questioned the man whether he believed certain articles of the faith; to which he replied: "does sister believe that?", and upon receiving an affirmative, answered that he believed it as well. The man did not know all the faith, but had seen it practiced concretely so perfectly by a sister of charity, that he knew the truth of what she believed in, and embraced it himself wholeheartedly.
Father then proceeded to point out that this was the mark that should distinguish the Catholic, and therefore was the mark that should distinguish Our Lady of Sorrows Academy. "Love one another" - this is the commandment that Christ gave to His apostles, and to us, just before he entered into His Passion. So the course is clear.
In whatever activity the students participate, they must do so with charity - the charity that fired the hearts of the apostles on the day of Pentecost to go out and preach to the whole world. And this was and is only possible by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the soul, whose help the entire school besought on this special day: "Veni sancte Spiritus".
May these students learn day by day to practice this essential virtue, inspired and led of course by the light of the Holy Ghost, and thus have a truly successful academic year.
