“How are things going with Cristo Rey St. Martin?” In these pandemic times that seemingly simple question is really quite complex. A whole lot is going on right now, some of it heartbreaking, but much of it inspiring and hopeful. Let’s start with our families. About 1/3 of our parents lost their jobs in the first couple weeks of lockdown. … Read More
April President’s Pen: We all have an invisible string that connects us, even when we’re far apart.
“Consult not your fears, but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” The words of Pope John XXIII ring truer today than ever before. We have hope; we have a future. For now, … Read More
March President’s Pen: Our vulnerability is asking us, “What is truly important?”
A short video note from Preston “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” Our Campus Minister and I were debating who said it – the quote is attributed to both St. Augustine and St. Ignatius. Of course, that’s not the point. The point is that we find ourselves in a unique, unprecedented, extraordinary … Read More
February President’s Pen: Remembering What is Really Important
Our students and Campus Ministry department put on a wonderful Ash Wednesday service here at CRSM. Based on the Taizé format, it was a prayerful hour of scripture, music and silence. I really marvel at our students’ deep sense of faith and reverence so apparent during events like these and at our masses. How gratifying to be among young people … Read More
January President’s Pen:
We are building more than a building together. That statement is now our theme for our upcoming Founders’ Dinner on April 18, 2020 but it is more than one event’s byline – it cuts to the heart of our mission at CRSM. We are on a journey with our students to create real and lasting change in our world. Several … Read More
December President’s Pen: Advent, the variant stem of advenīre “to arrive”
“If it is not scary and surprising and an adventure all at the same time, it is not the call of the Gospel of Jesus.” -Helen Prejean, CSJ Advent is the season of arrival, the season of experiencing things as they arise and looking for God in those moments. Advent is a holy adventure challenging us to find grace at … Read More
November President’s Pen: God invites us to see Him in those persons society ignores or persecutes
If ever a month belonged to Cristo Rey St. Martin, it would be November. We start out with the Feast of St. Martin de Porres on November 3 and end on the last Sunday with the Feast of Cristo Rey. What an appropriate time of year to reflect on who we are as a school community named for Christ the … Read More
October President’s Pen: Bursting bubbles and changing the world
Increasingly, we are all living in our own bubbles. You would think that, with the advent of the internet, our individual worlds would expand and interconnect. On one level, I guess they have… how many Facebook friends or LinkedIn contacts do you have? Yet, how many do you really know beyond a passing acquaintance? With more choices at our fingertips, … Read More
September President’s Pen: When our students get opportunities, they make the most of them.
Make hay while the sun shines! With autumn already here, this old adage reminds us to make the most of any opportunity while it exists. Our students are certainly making the most of their opportunities. Every week, they are out in the workplace with our job partners in the Corporate Work Study Program earning their education, expanding their professional network, … Read More
August President’s Pen: An interesting phenomenon happens in the first couple weeks of classes.
There are 10 weeks between the last day of exams in June and the first day of classes in August at CRSM. Technically, that’s our summer break, but for many of us that break is almost non-existent. Incoming Freshman spend 8 ½ of those 10 weeks in our Academic Bridge Program and Job Preparation Training Institute for the Corporate Work … Read More