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"A Whole Bunch of Angels!"
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”
-Luke 2:13
It seems like the topic of angels has come up an awful lot during this season at Escuela. Miguel Angel, one of our current 4th graders, was joined by his big brother Alberto at our annual “One Child at a Time Breakfast” on December 7th. Alberto, an alum of Escuela, and currently a senior at Regis Jesuit High School, finished telling his story to a spontaneous and rigorous standing ovation. Alberto’s parents moved here from Mexico just so that they could have a brighter future. They left home, country, language, and the familiar so that their future family could thrive. Now, as a senior, in spite of having all AP courses and many late nights of studying, their son Alberto is on the path to success and making us all proud. Alberto’s education not only includes academic excellence, but has also delivered in an authentic and compassionate community that has the focus and the freedom to educate the whole child – mind, heart, body, and spirit. We also heard from an Escuela parent, Lucero Vazquez, who spoke about how she always felt so supported by the Escuela de Guadalupe community when she made the decision to send her daughters here, despite incredible financial and personal setbacks. She was a true example of just how the decision of one parent can make a major difference in the lives of their children. Finally, we heard from Chris Mosley, an Escuela de Guadalupe board member who has always been touched by Escuela’s mission to form future leaders. Chris is inspired by the legacy of his own father who made a choice to change his future by working tirelessly for his education, regardless of the adversity he faced. We were blessed to hear the stories of three individuals who, no matter the work, sacrifice, and anxiety, made the choice to forge onward and be unafraid. On this special day, it truly felt that our speakers were joined by the multitude of teary-eyed, flesh and blood “angels” thundering their applause in our gymnasium on that cold December morning.
At our last All School Mass of the year yesterday, Fr. Fernando Alvarez, SJ, commented on the Bible readings that included angels appearing and speaking to Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and the shepherds. Fr. Alvarez had the undivided attention of our students as he emphasized that the angels always had to begin with “Be not afraid”, perhaps due to their incredible power and beauty. Even so, Escuela community, “Be not afraid” this Christmas! Be not afraid of the negative forecasts, or division in the land, or the statistics of vicious cycles of poverty. Together with the grace of our Lord and the help of his “angels”, both spiritual and human, we have beaten the odds before and together we can make a difference for so many more in 2018 and beyond – one child at a time!
God’s richest blessings to you in this season of joy!
+Peace
Paul F. Dull
President