From the Principal's Desk 5.11

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Dear Friends,

As some of you know I wear corrective lenses. I first got them in 4th grade when I went down to the nurse's office for my annual eye exam and sitting on the wooden bench, I gazed out the window.  I remember thinking it odd that I couldn't see the small branches at the top of the tree which I had noticed the year before, and sure enough, a few days later I was getting my first pair of glasses.   When I put them on suddenly I could see the world more clearly which made navigating the world so much easier.

Often in life we find our perspective changes, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, until we can no longer see the world correctly, but rather we view it in a warped fashion.  When we are tired we may find our family irritating, we may react poorly because we are stressed, we may judge a statement harshly because we are ill, or confused.  All too often we allow circumstances to interfere with our ability to see situations clearly.  This remains a favorite tactic of Satan. He cannot take over our will, but he can confuse us.  For this reason he is called the father of lies.   The lies of evil masquerade as good, yet they are not, although in the heat of the moment they may seem so.

How does one keep clear focus?  By eliminating or minimizing that which affects us.  Getting a good night sleep, eating well, exercising, following a schedule; these all help, but the most important is to have a relationship with God.  He is the Divine optician who corrects our eyes so that we may see what is true, lovely and beautiful.  He is the one who lights our path so we do not stumble; His is the hand that holds ours to prevent our falling.

Today is Election Day and it is no accident that I write about confusion and lies today.  Politicians all too often dissemble and obfuscate when they ought to be speaking clearly and acting honestly.  So we as Christians must pray for the elected representatives, we must do our best to elect worthy individuals and we must insist that they do their jobs well.  

We are blessed to be in a free country and while our ultimate goal is heaven, I, for one, am glad to be an American.

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411 

From the Principal's Desk 5.10

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite memories of childhood centers around trick-or-treating on a lovely fall night, where the air was crisp, the leaves fallen underfoot, a gentle breeze blew and hordes of costumed children paraded up and down our street.  My bag grew heavy with each house and the culmination of the evening came with the required counting and sorting of candies, as we, like pirates of old counting loot,  tallied and ate until our parents, full of the wisdom that age and parenting brings, had us put the treasures away for the evening. (We then were strongly instructed to brush our teeth like mad before bed!)

So what makes the night so memorable? The feeling of contentment.  Contentment may be a smaller virtue but like a spice, just a little of it can go a long way.  To be content is to be grateful with where you are and pleased with what you are doing.  More than some others virtues, it exists in time, affecting how one addresses every changing circumstance.   Ultimately it is found when we say to God, thy will be done. 

One can be content with the acquisition of knowledge, the pursuit of athletic success or the mastering of an instrument,  one can be content with recovering from illness or performing a necessary task,  but one should not be content with evil, with sloppy careless work, with the failure to fulfil ones duty.  For contentment, if focused on God, aids our conscience to determine what is good. It aids in our discernment both of what is happening and how we are responding to it.

So tonight as the hubbub of activity descends upon your home, with the return of children from school and parents from work and worldly cares, as dinner is consumed and homework is attacked, as charges are made and bills paid, I challenge you, ask yourself, am I content with this? God's love for us comes in many different packages and different ways but if we can see it, then all is good.   For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you! (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411 

From the Principal's Desk 5.9

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK Dear Friends, There is an old poem by Myra Brooks Welch entitled, "The Touch of the Master's Hand" which tells the story of an old violin being auctioned for a few dollars, when from the back of the room comes a grey haired old man, who picking up the bow, adjusting it, plays a melody, "As sweet as the angels sing".  When he is done the violin promptly sells for thousands of dollars. Why? Because the master touched it and revealed its value. Each of us is like that violin; fearfully and wonderfully made, yet we are dirty and out of tune, we may even be damaged by our actions and by others but if we let the master touch us, and we cooperate with him, it can all change.  Forgiveness stands at the center of our faith, forgiveness of others, certainly, for we can be forgiven, as we forgive.  God's forgiveness of us restores our humanity.  It makes us who we were meant to be and as often as we sin, God will forgive us.  Never do we need to say we cannot be saved, for even in the darkest moment, God is there. When God interacts with us we change and become wonderful. Yet, how do we stay that way? What stops us from falling back into the vices, laziness, lust, pride, etc.?   There is an old saying which helps us at this point. Sow a thought, reap an action, Sow an action, reap a habit, Sow a habit, reap a lifestyle St. John Paul II told us 'actions both determine and reveal who we are' thus, if we want to 'stay in tune' we need to act accordingly.  If I want to be patient, I must act patiently, even if I don't 'feel' it.  For if I do, I will become patient.  If I want to be kind, then I must act kindly, etc. Ultimately, that which allows us to stay strong is Jesus Christ.  For he is the one who is with us always, even to the end of the world.  So most of all, first and last, at the beginning of your day, and throughout it, and at the end, cast yourself into the loving arms of Christ.  We are safest in the master's hands. God bless, Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411

From the Principal's Desk 5.8

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Dear Friends,

The other night I decided to replace the faucet in my kitchen sink.  Having done this sort of thing many times before I approached it without any tribulation and got out my tools to change it.  Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men so often go astray- Robert Frost.   Two hours later I surveyed the kitchen, the hacksaw, the pry bar, the hammer, the screw gun, several wrenches, a heap of paper towels and a pair of scissors, all laying haphazardly, with the clear signs of having been recently used, were in clear view. (Footnote- I did manage to get the new faucet in place and it looks great)  Looking at the scene, several principles came to mind:     You should not start a job if you do not mean to finish it,    It is a good idea to have extra resources before starting a project,   You will pass a point of no return if you hope to succeed and luck seldom, if ever, plays a part in it.

These principles, and others, apply to many things in life but most of all we should note that only by preparing and planning do we hope to succeed.  One of the hardest things to teach a young person is the need to bring extra resources and to realize that one decision will inevitably affect other things.  For this reason we want our students to learn all they can; they never know exactly what tool they will need, and we want them to be able to move with confidence when the time for action comes.

If we don't take these risks, if we don't venture forward, then we are stuck where we are.  Only by risking defeat can we ever win.  God calls us to be bold in His service, to prepare carefully and commit fully.  We are not supposed to often rush blindly into something, though we seldom know exactly what we are getting into.   Life serving Christ is exciting, challenging, difficult and rewarding, it's a fast ski down a steep hill, a parachute jump out of a perfectly good plane,  and it's all I want to do.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

From the Principals Desk 5.7

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK Dear Friends, In our lives there appear choices to make; often a time for choosing appears before us.  Some of these choices seem to run to the trivial; what am I to order for lunch, what suit will I wear today, should I take one route or another, and yet the consequences of an action lie outside our control.  As humans we have power only over our own actions, not anyone else, although we are affected by other's actions.  Therefore the only thing I can change in a situation is myself. For students this means that how their classes go, what grades they get, etc., depends on their actions, namely how they interact with their fellow students and with their teacher.   For teachers, the only way their class can perform well depends on how the teacher acts.  It is by working together that learning is accomplished and the goal of education is reached.  If I wait for the teacher to do their job before I do mine, or as a teacher I wait for the students to get their act together, in all likelihood nothing will happen.  Only by both parties participating can success be achieved.  St. John Paul II would call this a mutually revelatory experience where, because actions both reveal and determine who we are, both sides reveal their true selves.   This is not to say we shouldn't encourage and correct, actually this is an argument for encouragement and correction.  Still one cannot forget the only 'actor' for whom I have control and responsibility is myself and on the day of Judgment we shall be called upon to give an account of our actions,  only ours. The best part of everyone working together is the result.  If you have ever rowed a boat with someone else you know how much faster and further you go when all are pulling in the same direction.  We are pledged here to work with your student for their success and we thank you for trusting us with your child. God bless, Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411

From the Principal's Desk 5.6

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK Dear Friends, The pace of school nears its zenith and our students may be showing signs of struggle.  In all of life we find that many difficult things are done for simply one reason, we believe they do us well.  Consider 'healthy food', some claim that all healthy food tastes bad, but could that be true? In actuality we eat healthy food often but the only reason we eat less than delectable food, is because we believe it to be good for us.  Hence the statement put correctly would be, "One often only eats gross food when it is healthy."   A farmer in the dead of winter might be tempted to use next year's seed for food but if he did, there would be no seed to sow for next year's crop.  A student may have to sacrifice taking a nap today and work instead so that when bed time comes they can sleep the night through. In fact, we must often decide to put off current pleasure for long term benefit. This stands as one of the most beneficial lessons we could ever teach our students, for its application extends to all areas of life; It is Far cheaper and easier to give up a little now so as to benefit largely later on. This lesson, while critical, generally takes a while to learn and we must patiently encourage our students as they learn it.   So tonight when they are burning the midnight oil finishing up their assignments, let us encourage them, for it is all for good. We never know all that God will ask us to do, so whatever he sends us must be there to get us ready for the next task. Pax et Bonum! Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411 p.s. Thank you to all who have sent us questions,  comments, cares or concerns, please don't stop!

From the Principal's Desk 5.5

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK Dear Friends, The fall is a time to harvest and to celebrate the good work of the spring and summer.  Where I grew up the fall meant apple picking, cider and fresh donuts, typically eaten by a rushing stream in some forest of colorful falling leaves. It is a time to celebrate in a special way the good that has been done, however mindful we are not finished working, for so much good goes on around us which we miss. The beauty of the sunrise, the blueness of the sky, the smell of fresh coffee, the life in our children, and so much more goes around us practically unseen.  It needn't be this way; we can recognize the great qualities of our teachers and classes, the wonder of young faces learning so much more if we decided to take note.  There is always room to criticize and complain and there is always room to praise and bless.  Which will we choose today? It has been often stated to the students that they are precious and special because they are God's children.  During Spirit week we get a unique chance to see just how awesome they are and how much we are blessed by them.  For while nothing on this earth lasts forever, the good that we do can keep blessing us for an eternity. For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the Love which from our birth Over and around us lies: Christ, our God, to Thee we raise This our Sacrifice of Praise. For the beauty of each hour Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale, and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Christ, our God, to Thee we raise This our Sacrifice of Praise. How does such an idea affect teaching?  Simply put, students who learn in a positive, grateful environment with very real challenges and productive feedback have the greatest chance of success in life. Thank you once again for all the support you give us here and for sending your students to us.  We promise to be worthy of such trust. Pax et Bonum! Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411 p.s. we always welcome cares, comments, concerns, criticisms and complaints, please let us know what you are thinking.