On Wednesday the student body celebrated Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent with an all-school prayer service. Students received ashes – in the sign of the cross as a sign of repentance and a sign of our faith as we begin Lent together. This was a Taize prayer service, organized and led by students – the musicians, the songs, … 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
93 Juniors Work with Discover Financial and “Together We Rise” to Aid Foster Children
On October 25th the Junior class spent the afternoon building 80 bicycles and creating more than 120 Sweet Cases and Superhero Boxes for foster children – all with hand-decorated messages of care. In Chicago, kids entering foster care receive two trash bags containing their essentials. Together We Rise (TWR), a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the way kids experience foster … 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
2019 Senior Retreat
Cristo Rey St. Martin students know what it’s like to keep a full calendar. Their days of challenging academic schedules, demanding corporate work study jobs and family responsibilities can take on a frenzied pace. Now and again, we all need to give ourselves a quiet “space” – to gain insight and grow deeper relationships with one another and with God. … 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