In celebration of this year’s annual Catholic Schools Week, the Brother Martin school community gathered in prayer for a school-wide liturgy. Joining as our Celebrant for today’s Mass was Rev. John G. Restrepo, O.P., Pastor of St. Dominic’s Church and School Chaplain at St. Mary’s Dominican High School. Today’s liturgical theme was “Learn, Serve, Lead, Succeed.”
Senior Jackson Vicknair introduced the liturgical theme to our Brother Martin school community before Mass began. He explained how each part of the Brother Martin crest, displayed by the podium, was representative for the spirit of school and parallels the four aspects of Catholic Schools Week. The four images consisted of the sacred heart, an open book, a fleur de lis and a flaming torch.
The first image of the Sacred Heart “defines the spirituality of the Brothers and serves as a sign and revelation of the love of God for all.” The second image of the open book “mirrors both the academic and spiritual learning a Brother Martin student receives.” The third image of the fleur de lis “reminds us of our French heritage that has defined our culture and marked our roots in New Orleans and our community service to the city.” Lastly, the fourth image of the flaming torch “lights the way for every student to succeed.” A Brother Martin student learns how to lead and to serve and, in doing so, succeeds in his efforts to make a difference in our society.
Fr. John reflected on today’s Gospel about the patience that God instills in all of us. He commented on the fast-paced and rushed society that we live in with our cell phones and computers distracting us from the Lord’s patience. Fr. John explained that Catholic Schools and their education have taught him how to be patient comparing our lives to the life of the farmer. The farmer plants a mustard seed and waits patiently for something to emerge from the ground. The planting and farming process is a perfect example of God’s desire for us to pursue patience and longing for time with Him.
“Where would we be if we didn’t have patience?” said Fr. John, “Our lives are full of rushed practices: HOV Lanes in traffic, TSA pre-check lines in the airport, Microwaves in our kitchen and so on… We seem as if we want to rush things and we wonder why? We don’t need to rush things or ask for more time. We don’t need any more time than what God has given us.”
– Fr. John
He concluded his homily with the notion that there is always time to learn from God and we, as Catholics, must continue to go through life learning from Him as he continues to give us more time on this Earth. “I pray that everyone be patient with others and ourselves so we can rest in the palm of God’s hands,” concluded Fr. John.
Many thanks to all who made the Liturgy special: the Crusader Band, the Brother Martin Chorus, the Student Ministers, the Campus Ministry Team and the Religion Department.
2018 Catholic Schools Week Mass
