This morning, during our daily school-wide, morning prayer, Principal Ryan Gallagher '00 took a moment to reflect with our students the anniversary of the passing of Bro. Martin Hernandez, S.C.

"This past Saturday, August 24, marked the 27th anniversary of the passing of our school’s namesake, Brother Martin Hernandez. We celebrated the Ring Dance for the Class of 2020 Saturday night, and I believe that Brother Martin himself would be quite pleased - and humbled - to watch the 51st graduating class of the school that bears his name celebrate such a momentous occasion. 

It is important that we reflect upon and celebrate the many men and women - both religious and lay partners in mission - who have helped pave the way for each of us to be here at Brother Martin High School today. This past January 22, the sculpture of Brother Martin Hernandez, S.C. was unveiled, dedicated, and blessed as our school community paid homage to this most important man. This sculpture, made possible by the incredible generosity of those whose hearts were touched by Brother Martin Hernandez in and around these very hallways and classrooms many years ago, will stand as a testament to his lasting legacy. Guys, the desk behind which Brother Martin sat stands in the lobby near the Student Services entrance in the Alumni Archives, and his sculpture stands, fittingly, in the back courtyard, overlooking his school. We walk this campus under the watchful eye of Brother Martin Hernandez. We will never forget him.  

In the days following Brother Martin Hernandez’s death in 1991, former WWL-TV news director Phil Johnson made Brother Martin the subject of his weekly editorial. Mr. Johnson wrote, in part, the following in honor of Brother Martin:

Twenty-two years ago, when St. Aloysius High School closed and was torn down, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart incorporated that student body into another school they ran on Elysian Fields called Cor Jesu. They felt a new name was needed for the school, now that it was an amalgamation of two schools, so they named it to honor the most outstanding member of their order – Brother Martin Hernandez. 

Brother Martin was a legendary name, particularly here. Everybody agreed it was most suitable to name the new school after him. There was but one dissenting vote – Brother Martin himself. He objected strenuously. But he was outvoted. It was one of those rare moments when honors were paid to a person before he died, rather than after. And it was so fitting. Brother Martin was, indeed, a legend in his own time. 

When he died...at age 87, he had been a Brother of the Sacred Heart for 72 years. In his last will and testament, he said: “If I have done any good in my life, it was done only because God used me as His instrument.” What an instrument. What a man. What a legacy to leave to his school and to this community.

Guys, the man whose name our school is memorialized by is, quite simply, a legend. He dedicated his life to evangelizing young people through education for 72 years. He passed away at the age of 87, so do the math. He joined the Brothers of the Sacred Heart at all of 15 years old. What an incredible vision by an incredible man."