Community is Challenging

Dear St. Martin of Tours Families,

My career with the diocese began with working in parishes, where I coordinated youth and faith formation programs. One of the things I loved about parish ministry was being able to walk with families and kids throughout many years, seeing how God is working in their lives. I loved teaching, but I missed the joy of developing a long-term relationship with families. Being a principal of a Catholic school is the best job I’ve had because I am energized by walking with families through these moments — celebrating the joyful ones, navigating the hard ones, and learning alongside you as we help our children grow. The Church believes that community is at the heart of Christian education, not as an idea or concept to be taught, but a reality that we live out every day. 

We talk a lot about how schools can be messy, and I’ve been reflecting on that for the last few weeks, not just in the sense of backpacks spilling over or sports gear left in the hallway, but in the way that comes from so many different people learning and growing together in one place.

The reality is that being in community is challenging; we all come together with different backgrounds, values, and beliefs. Being in a community like St. Martin means we are not insulated from the choices, decisions, beliefs, and values of others in our community. Our choices impact others in our community, which can be challenging, but it allows us to do the work I believe we are all called to do: teach our kids to be Christians in our world today, with all of the messiness that comes along with that. After all, being a Christian is easy work when we all agree and there is no conflict, but that isn’t the work God has called us to do. 

Just this week, while our eighth graders were at Yosemite, a few kids were not feeling well, and one student was injured. There were a few minutes of chaos as the adults were trying to help everyone. It wasn’t perfect — the kids weren’t sure what to do at first  but in that “messy” moment, our teachers witnessed something beautiful: the eighth graders, without prompting, gathered together and prayed. 

That, to me, is what school is all about. Of course, we’re here to teach math, reading, and science, but we’re also here to help children learn what it means to live in a community — to practice patience, empathy, and respect even when things feel complicated. A big part of our mission is also teaching students to advocate for themselves: to find their voice, to ask for what they need, and to know they are worthy of being heard. We do this work in hopes that they will then grow to advocate for others–to advocate for and be active in their community.

As principal, I’ve come to see that this messiness is not a flaw of school life. It’s a sign that we are doing the real, human work of growing together. This work requiresus, students, families, and staff alike, to slow down, listen, and respond by encountering one another with compassion, for it is in these encounters that we are are reminded we are all human. 

Pope Francis spoke  extensively about the concept of creating a culture of encounter during his pontificate, which I believe is the heart of Catholic education:

“For me this word is very important.  Encounter with others.  Why?  Because faith is an encounter with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others… with our faith we must create a “culture of encounter,” a culture of friendship, a culture in which we find brothers and sisters, in which we can also speak with those who think differently… They all have something in common with us: they are images of God, there are children of God.” (Pope Francis)

I am so grateful to each of you for walking with us in this work. Even when it stretches us, even when it feels untidy, it is in these very moments that we become the kind of community I hope our students will carry with them long after they leave our halls.

Best,David