The week began with a message of faith, hope and love. For President of Saint Ignatius High School Rev. Raymond P. Guiao, S.J. '82, leading through a time like this presents myriad challenges.
He shared a
special message with our students to offer encouragement from a distance.
Faith has continued to lend us comfort. On Sunday night,
the Taizé Prayer Service which has become a familiar practice for many in our community was hosted without a public audience. Fr. Guiao, S.J. '82 and the Jesuit community lit the candles and gathered the choir in an attempt to offer a virtual spiritual experience. Sunday Mass was moved from a 10 a.m. broadcast to 9 a.m. going forward and will be available for viewing following the live broadcast. Thank you for joining us in prayer.
The Class of 2020 remains strong. Four years ago, they gathered together for the first time. Though they are currently apart, our Senior Class remains as strong as ever. This isn't the senior year anyone was expecting, but our students are reflecting on the gifts they have already experienced to try and help them cope. Senior Jack O'Rourke
wrote an open letter to express his gratitude for the Wildcat hockey program including the players, fans, and coaches.
Zooming through the week. Zoom. Have you heard of it yet? No, not the 1970s children's television program. It's the online group video platform that schools and companies far and wide are using to get together during the coronavirus. As he was reminded of memories from yesteryear, Theology teacher Tom Healey '77
reflected on his experience transitioning to an online classroom using Zoom. Junior Matthew McKenna shared
a personal account from his new normal and the challenges and opportunities it has started to present. Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning AJ Short '09 hosted a few yoga classes via Zoom for faculty, staff and students and extracurriculars continue to meet virtually. Not even distance can stand in the way of our community supporting each other.
Feeling the loss. The reality of having an empty campus really set in this week as Governor DeWine's two-week "Stay-at-Home" order went into effect. Therefore, we introduced
Virtual Tour Thursdays in an attempt to bring campus to your very own work-from-home space. Just as we are all spending more time learning, collaborating and socializing virtually, we invite you to explore our beautiful campus from the comfort of your own home. Join us every week as we highlight some of our favorite spots around 1911 West 30th Street. Some other moments that brought us back to the days of a full campus included a
throwback Thursday post from the classroom of Latin teacher Mr. Brian Dybicz '99 on what would have been Opening Day for the Cleveland Indians and a
student performance from organist Charles Kintner '20 that was recorded in St. Mary's Chapel prior to the campus closure.
In a message to all current parents today, Principal Dan Bradesca '88 reminds us of Pope Francis's beautiful meditation today on fear and hope, during his prayers for an end to the Coronavirus, and his extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing:
"For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.”
A.M.D.G.