This morning the entire Brother Martin family gathered for Mass celebrated by Rev. John G. Restrepo, O.P., who is pastor of St. Dominic’s Church. The tone of the Liturgy was set with the wooden outline of a home and the tools needed for building a home. We hear in the first reading from Samuel that God promised that he will lead us to his house and we will find our home there. Those images echo the home we have created here at Brother Martin. Our liturgy also celebrated the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. As a Dominican brother, Thomas Aquinas’s nickname was Big Ox. This nickname was put to the test when Thomas’s Dominican brothers told him that the cow was jumping over the moon and Thomas should run outside to see it. Thomas did and his brothers laughed at him. Thomas responded wisely and thoughtfully that he’d rather believe that a cow was jumping over the moon than to believe that his brothers would lie to him. That story of St. Thomas’s deep devotion and faithfulness inspires us to increase our faith in God and others.
We also remembered Dr. Ray Fricken at our Liturgy celebration. Dr. Fricken’s unwavering devotion to Brother Martin, science, and students offers us another role model, like St. Thomas Aquinas, for us to emulate. Dr. Fricken’s support of Brother Martin extended beyond just his work with students in math and physics; but also so great was his devotion to Brother Martin that the Board of Directors bestowed on Dr. Fricken the Founders Medal in 2001. Bro. Neal Golden, S.C. in his eulogy at Dr. Fricken’s funeral Mass, summed up the impact of Dr. Fricken quite eloquently: “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to hold a child.” Those words of Danny Thomas certainly applied to [Dr. Fricken]. It takes great patience to tutor students. It also takes great love, and [Dr. Fricken] possessed those two virtues in abundance.”
Mr. Ryan Gallagher ‘00, assistant principal, repeated his sentiment about the exemplary behavior of the Brother Martin student body. When we assemble as a school in the Conlin Gymnasium, we transform that space into a sacred space through our attention to priest, our jubilant music and singing, and our prayerful behavior. School-wide Liturgies bring out the best in all of us.
Many thanks to all who made the Liturgy special– the Crusader Band, the Brother Martin Choir, the Student Ministers, the Campus Ministry Team and the Religion Department.
