Message from the President
As we stand on the cusp of Fall Break, we all are filled with a sense of gratitude and relief that our school community has had a minimal number of positive COVID-19 cases and has avoided any traceable transmission of COVID-19 on our campus over the last nine weeks. We all appreciate the vigilance and patience shown by our community as we navigate unchartered waters. This is an opportunity to express gratitude to our students, families, and especially our faculty as they have carried a significant load in leading us to this benchmark. Benchmarks serve two purposes, one to show how far one has gone, the other to show how far one must still go.
Fall Break represents the longest amount of time that we will have been apart from our campus since we were forced to close at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with significant protocols, mitigation strategies, and expense to create a safe environment for our faculty, staff, and students, the ability for us to remain open for the second quarter of this school year and beyond rests not with the school but with each of us in the community.
Given our arrival at this benchmark of success, who could blame anyone of us for surrendering to the temptation to relax while simultaneously trying to shed the exhaustion from all the additional considerations that we have had to endure since before our return to campus. We are all tired of wearing masks 8-10 hours a day. We are all tired of having to maintain social distancing and make responsible choices when socializing away from campus. We are all just tired.
At the same time, we have been blessed in returning to campus and, in some capacities, to our athletic and extra-curricular programs. To date, this return has not resulted in a spread of COVID-19 on our campus. However, other schools and communities have not been so lucky. I say that in all sincerity, lucky. The reality is that any school community engaged in person-to-person instruction could have an outbreak, whether a result of circumstances beyond their control or because of a poor decision by one person or group. I mention these other school communities as a cautionary tale for all of us in the Father Ryan community. We are all responsible not just to each other, but to each other’s extended families, workplaces, and friends. In the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verse 34, we read this truth that is at the heart of Christ’s teachings. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” This is one of the lessons we want our students to learn. We are all connected. Vigilance is not always convenient or easy, but when done with love, it is one of the most beautiful expressions.
I am not suggesting that we should lock ourselves in our houses and spend the entirety of Fall Break looking out the windows to prevent the potential spread of the virus on our campus when we return. The first nine weeks serve as an example of what we can accomplish together. With that said, we should also turn our eyes towards the next nine weeks between October 12, 2020 and Christmas Break. As the parent of a senior, I have seen the life and light return to my daughter from being back on our campus. As I have interacted with students over the past several weeks, I have seen the comfort, love, and peace that they experience from being together on campus in a place where they are known and loved.
Last spring, all of us learned the difficult lesson that being on campus is a privilege, and we all experienced a sense of loss when that was not possible. I am asking for all of us to reaffirm our vigilance to making the best decisions socially, to wash our hands frequently, not to attend large gatherings, and to wear our masks when social distancing is not possible. I am asking for all of us to think of others over our own fleeting desires for temporary “normalcy.” We are committed to being in school for the long haul. We need everyone in the boat as we sail towards second quarter, exams, and semester grades.
In closing, I ask you to join me in seeking the intercession of our Blessed Mother in caring for those who are suffering as a result of the pandemic. May we seek her healing touch as Mother of us all, for our city, state, nation, and world.
Have a great Fall Break!
Peace,
Jim McIntyre
