Spirit of Brotherhood

Hello everyone,
This past week or so since my last post has certainly been exciting and tiring at the same time.  As you may recall, my last post, "The Spiritual Toolbox," addressed how our experiences equip us with the tools we need to do good for ourselves and others as we move forward through life.  Well, in the last week as I began settling back into my hometown of New Orleans, I've already had to use some of my tools to begin my new work as a teacher and coach at Brother Martin High School.  However, I'm sure I'll have more to talk about on this topic in the coming weeks.  What I would like to talk a little bit about is the homecoming experience I had this past weekend.

On Saturday of this past week, I had my 10-year high school reunion.  I graduated from Brother Martin High School with two hundred eighty-eight other guys in 2003.  While I did not plan on this reunion being a piece of my coming home celebration, it certainly was a pleasant and timely addition.  When I arrived at the reunion, I quickly felt myself transported back in time ten years as I saw the men with whom I graduated and heard their voices recounting stories from our days as Crusaders walking the halls of Brother Martin.  Though many of us had not seen each other in years (not counting our connections on popular social media sites), we seemed to settle right back in to the camaraderie that we had developed in the past (albeit a slightly more mature bunch).  I think what allowed me to enjoy our celebration this much more was the fact that though we have grown up according to the "real world's" standards and may still have differences in views and opinions, we still held a connection that only we could understand as classmates.  Amid all of the changes we may have gone through as individuals over that last ten years, we, as a collective unit, still seemed to have the "fire in our eyes" as one teacher told us during our senior year.  I know that this feeling of unity and pride stems from the larger mission that our school represents.

Our high school is run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart (a religious community of men in the tradition of the Catholic Church).  The charism or identity of the brothers is one that is committed to the education and formation of young people.  As a result of their mission and ministry towards us, we, the members of the class of 2003 can say we are better men for having had the privilege of their influence in our lives.  I know that as we go forward we will continue to succeed and fail in all our endeavors, but we will always have a brotherly connection with each other that I pray will always provide us with a sense of faith, hope, and love for the journey ahead.  I am extremely proud to be a graduate of Brother Martin High School, and I am excited to be able to help carry on the mission of the brothers this year as I begin my time as a member of the faculty.

As we say at Brother Martin:
Ametur Cor Jesu: Love be the heart of Jesus

May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.