From the Principal’s Desk 2.29

Dear Friends,

Have you ever suffered a loss? If you have lived long enough the answer is going to be yes.  We have all lost games, items, relationships, loved ones etc.  In fact loss is part of life and part of the end of life.   High School presents an opportunity to teach our students about loss and I would like to make a few comments about what can be learned.

1.       Loss does not define us; it affects us nevertheless.   A loss that does not affect us is not a loss, it is a non-event. All losses affect us and we are never the same after it, for good or ill.

2.      Losses are not always a bad thing.  Often one finds out that what was originally seen as a calamity turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

3.      You can learn a lot about yourself from a loss.  When you fail at something, it can help you see where you need to grow, and where your gifts lie.   It can show us the true status of events and clear away any self-delusions.

There is something else I should mention to illustrate those points.  There is no greater loss in human history than that of Calvary.  God died.  Christ Jesus forever will be described as being the Crucified one, and one who rose.  There is no greater victory than the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.  The loss of Calvary demonstrates the depth of our need, the depravity of our sin, and what had to be done to rectify the situation and the incredible depth of God’s love for us.  

Christ turns all of our losses to gains, if we let him, yet he does not remove them but allows us to experience them.  When losses, or crosses, come into our lives, like Christ, let us pick them up, shoulder them and allow God to work them to the victory.  By teaching this to our students we can equip them to handle life’s trials and be better able to achieve life’s ultimate victory.

Happy Lent,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

From the Principal’s Desk 2.28

Dear Friends,

Today I break from my originally planned statement to talk about vandalism. The reason is simply this, last week in two separate instances Holy Family was hit with eggs and toilet paper.  The paper is easy enough to clean, the eggs are not.  Once dried they are very difficult to clean and we will probably have to spend a good deal of time and effort scrapping them off and trying not to damage the windows in the process.  Whomever did this no doubt was acting out of a frustration or a sense of mischief.  One doubts they did it maliciously, although that is possible.  If in fact they did it out of anger, one also doubts that the parties who are affected are the ones they were mad at.  As in so many cases what was done in a few moments will have a lasting effect.  Perhaps this is the lesson we can learn from this event.

Sin, even private sin, affects others and the effects tend to go in places we don’t expect and repairing that damage can be very difficult.  The great season of Lent reminds us of that.  The examples are many and common, the student who cheats on a test messes up the grade distribution, the person who lies about another injures the reputation of an innocent party, and the person who steals a lunch, causes anther to go hungry.   Worst of all, my bad habits are watched and imitated by my children and they will also suffer their ill effects.  (Now that is a sobering thought if ever there was one!)

Romans reminds us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  This includes whoever did the vandalism and all of us who have sinned.  We can all be forgiven and God will show us how to make restitution.   I once heard a preacher state that both Satan and Jesus reveal sin, but while Satan condemns, Jesus offers forgiveness.  I for one would prefer forgiveness which I know must be shown to others; we are forgiven as we forgive. 

Happy Lent,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

From the Principal’s Desk 2.27

Dear Friends,

The Glory of these Forty Days continues whether or not I notice, waiting for me to join in. Much of life is like that, the offer is there, and I just need to accept it.   Christ came to redeem me, whether I want it or not, he came and redemption is offered.  I must accept it however or the offer helps me not. 

 God gave me a certain set of gifts and challenges, whether I like it or not, and it is up to me to use those gifts and challenges to the best of my ability.    Here we see a key pattern, God offers us, He never tempts us, but he gives us chances, we need to take them to fully realize the potential blessing. The saints give us a great example of what happens if we allow God’s will to govern us.  As scripture says,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Hebrews 12:1-2

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

From the Principal’s Desk 2.25

Dear Friends

Scripture tells us, “While we were yet sinners, God died for us.”   And we are reminded by Mother Church on Ash Wednesday “Remember that thou are dust and unto dust thou shall return”   It is this dust that God dies for, a great reminder  of how special He made us.   God makes us persons, or subjects, so special that He suffered and died to redeem us.  It is amazing that God dies for rich and poor alike, gifted and challenged, young and old, fit or not.   All are equally worthy to come to him, and not by their ability.  Enough to humble the greatest king and to raise the poorest beggar.  It is an awesome gift to be redeemed by God and it demands a truly noble response.

We want our students to be noble.  To treat others the way they have been treated, to work diligently and honestly, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and to be quick to apologize (accept responsibility) and repent (change) when they do wrong.   This is why we want to encourage our students to avail themselves of the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Confession frees us from sin and the unnatural attachment to it, it provides a grace that helps keep our focus on who we are, God’s children and not who we are told we are, objects.  I encourage all of you to get to confession often.  Throughout our Archdiocese a special time for confession entitled “The Light is on for You” will be celebrated from 4:30 to 7:00 PM.

God bless,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

From the Principal’s Desk 2.26

Dear Parents,

Have you ever stopped to admire the beauty of a flower, or a mountain, or a butterfly?  Have you ever been amazed at the color of a rainbow, the glory of a sunrise, or the majesty of a cathedral?  Have you ever looked at your child, and realized the beauty and wonder that they are?   Perhaps you notice that the way you feel about and treat your child differs greatly from the way you treat and feel about other things.  Simply because your child and indeed all humans are persons, everything else are objects.

We need to treat objects well, but not as persons.  Perhaps you heard of the woman who “married” a building. (not a joke) She made the huge error of treating an object as a person.  In our society the problem of treating persons as objects is far more common.  We all need to do our part to help others see us as persons.   Modesty of action and of dress helps us see each other as the persons we are, helps us see the whole person.  Helps us recognize that while we are not all equal in ability we are all equal in stature and each of us has a place and task.    

Scripture illustrates this point so beautifully.   “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)    For students their task is simple enough, do your best to excel in class.  Yes we can confidently say it is not only us who want our students to do well, but also God.

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411