From Principal's Desk 2.22

Dear Friends,

Last week the Obama administration demonstrated that those who love liberty and religious freedom need to be vigilant.  The ruling by HHS forcing private companies and Catholic schools, hospitals and social agencies, to violate our consciences should alarm all of us.  If liberty is lost in one area, it is therefore threatened everywhere.   I urge you to contact your representatives and demand that this policy be changed.   I have attached a press release from the United States Council of Bishops.   Please take a moment to read it and let us join in prayer for our country.  http://www.holyfamilyhs.com/Bishop's%20Statement%20on%20Obama%20Policy.pdf

In other news, we are proud to announce the 2012 Lenten series.  Every Thursday in Lent we will be meeting in the school library and watching one episode of the Catholicism Documentary by Fr.  Robert Barron and then have a led discussion and reflection on the topics he brings up.  For those not familiar with the Catholicism documentary, Fr. Barron traveled around the world in an attempt to present the churches timeless message using beauty, history, art and philosophy.   You can find out more about the series at www.wordonfire.org .  We look forward to seeing you there.

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

From the Principlal's Desk 2.21

Dear Friends,

Perhaps you have noticed we live in an increasingly crude culture?  Not only in the youth culture and media does one find it hard to avoid crude language and foul words, in fact those who refrain from such abusive language and behavior often stand out.  As a Catholic school we need to think about what kind of language we use and how we are perceived.  Scripture strongly endorses this point.

Matthew 15 states “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."  In other words it is by our actions we are judged.  St. James is even more explicit for he states “Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing” (James 3:10)

John Paul the Great had a saying  which I will paraphrase, “ Our actions both determine and reveal who we are”.  Thus, if I want to be patient, I act patiently, if I want to be kind, I act kindly and if I want polite I act politely.  It is quite simple to understand, but if you have ever struggled with a bad habit, it is sometimes hard to do.  We need each other’s help if we want to be a culture of kindness and respect. So let us all encourage the students at Holy Family to speak to each other in a way that reflects who they are, to refrain from cursing and foul language and instead speak the way they wish to be spoken to (or perhaps better).   As a final note I would like to end with a passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians-

“So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones,  no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. (Eph. 5:25)

Pax Christi!

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

From the Principal's Desk 2.20

Dear Friends,

Yesterday we commemorated the tragedy of abortion in this country.  It is interesting to note that pro-life individuals tend to speak about the baby, pro-choice tend to speak about the mother. If you have ever argued the issue of abortion you may have encountered such a divide.  It is not possible to talk about the mother without the baby.  With no mother there is no baby, with no baby there is no mother. We believe that every human life is sacred, and a blessing, mother and baby alike; there is no separating of those human lives without a great deal of sorrow and tragedy, until the proper time.  Like all things in God’s plans, one must patiently await His timing if one wants to realize the good that He has planned. 

Let us pray for all those who are pregnant, that as they realize the challenge of new life, they also see the gift.

Archbishop Chaput has penned a wonderful message on this topic and I urge you to take the time to read it.

http://archphila.org/archbishop-chaput/statements/threadforweavingjoyl.htm

God bless,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

From the Principal’s Desk 2.19

Dear Friends,

The other day I came across a comment about a man who went around the world trying to get pictures of people in their native dress.  He stopped in the 1930’s with 75,000 pictures.  They are amazing in their variety but what was most interesting was the comment that if the same thing were to be done today there would be only one picture; a man or woman wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt. 

How could we, in the most consumer driven society the world has ever seen, wear nearly the same thing each day?  With ostensibly every choice in the world, we choose the same thing with astonishing regularity. While I think jeans, sneakers and t-shirts are fine clothing, imagine the reaction if you cleansed your house of these three items…and yet we claim we live in complete freedom.

Christ on the other hand actually does offer us freedom.  St. Paul said he had become all things to all men in order to preach the Gospel.   Christ doesn’t ask us to be just like each other, he asks us to be just like him, in our own unique ways.   We can be free to be who we were made to be. 

Several years ago a friend of mine wrote a song detailing a conversation between a critic and a Christian.  The critic claims the Christian is losing his freedom by practicing his faith. This is the Christians response,

Freedom to you means slavery to me,

You want to bind me with an earthly chord,

but joy  and peace and happiness and life

are the slavery that I’m heading for,

Safe in the hands of the Lord.

God bless,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

From the Principal's Desk 2.18

Dear Parents and Friends,

Those of you who read this section may have noticed I left out one of the classic interrogatories; the question of why?  So today, with Christmas season over I would like to tackle it.

Perhaps it is better to state what Christ’s birth didn’t accomplish.  Christ didn’t cure malnutrition, he didn’t bring world peace, and he didn’t cure disease, make computers or travel to the moon.  He did not discover America, (okay he did make it), he did not speak English, he never enjoyed NFL football and he never went to Catholic School.  We, his creations, can do all of that, and we should. 

Christ came to do something none of us could do.  He came to redeem mankind.  In the Passion of the Christ there is a very moving scene, where Mary runs up to Jesus just as he falls.  Jesus says to his mother, “See, I make all things new.”   But what kind of new …?  One in which everyone can be God’s child, one in which all can be loved, one in which we can all be redeemed.  The reason Christ came was to make us His family.  Thus He makes the world new:  I cannot make the world new, you cannot make the world new, we cannot even make our students new, but Jesus can! 

This school exists to spread the Good News of God’s love, to educate and train our students so that they can more easily become the new creation Christ talks about.   You have wonderful and awesome children and I thank God each day for the opportunity to work with them.

Happy New Year

Timothy Gallic

From the Principal’s Desk 2.17

Merry Christmas Dear Friends,

The final installment of my thoughts on Christmas this year deals with ‘where’.

So where did Christ come?  He came at the center of the world, the middle of the star, the highest mountain on earth.  If you know Bethlehem you might think that I am all wrong. It is a tiny village but consider Micah 5:2   "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrata, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."

In a very strange way it is not the location that tells us where Christ came; the location indicates where he comes.  Not to storied pomp and richest splendor, not to modern homes with central heat, but to a humble non-descript stable filled with fresh straw and warmed by the animals in it.  Yet of all the birthplaces in all the world, of all the wondrous temples and palaces, of all the hospitals and all the homes, there has never been and never will be a place that is more ‘where’ than Bethlehem. 

From Bethlehem the journey begins, a journey that leads right through all of our hearts.  For Christ must be born in our hearts and in the hearts of all our children if we are to experience a true Christmas.  He will come to a humble heart, not a proud one, to a person who is going to kneel in adoration before the might and power of a baby, who happens to be God! He will make that heart a sacred place worthy of Heaven.  The lack of storied pomp present at Bethlehem gives us all hope for He will come, if we have but the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
    Descend to us, we pray!
Cast out our sin and enter in,
    Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels,
    The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
    Our Lord Emmanuel!

And again Merry Christmas and May the New Year be Blessed,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

PS Of course I welcome comments, questions, concerns and cares but I also welcome smiles and laughter and a good story but come what may send them all in!

From the Principal's Desk 2.15-16

Dear Friends,

It is time to answer the question…when?

When did Christ come? Certainly he came at night, the world’s last night, before the first morning of the new world, the one in which man does not fall, but rises!  He came to a world still asleep, in all senses slumbering. No one suspected the time had come, there were no crowds gathered, breathless reports and bulletins were not being published.  The shepherds settled their flocks by night, the inn keeper put out the lamp, and perhaps a mid-wife was up with Mary and Joseph, perhaps not. 

Yet in God’s infinite wisdom it was the perfect time, not too soon, not too late, but just in time.  Human wisdom would have picked a more impressive place and time but God does not think as we do; He thinks as He does.  In our lives God exercises a particular schedule, from the vantage point of the one who sees everything (kind of like Santa, only much more so) and knows everything, and has infinite power, and combined with pure goodness His plan for you simply is best.  Like a child whose parents tell them to wait for Christmas morning for gifts, we must at times wait upon God’s plan with the surety that faith affords, knowing that in Christ all is not in vain.  The coldest darkest night will give way to glorious morning.  For on that Christmas morning, in just the nick of time, God came to a sad world, and when hope was all lost, the very word of God, the babe who could not speak came to lift us to the high station of being God’s children. 

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School

303-410-1411

The Christmas Season is fast approaching and if you happen by the school you will notice the very beautiful Nativity set displayed in the front of the school.  This gift from the Senior Class of 2012 adds greatly to our holiday decor.   If you walked up to it you will notice that Baby Jesus is missing.  Not to worry the statue is safe and sound but why is he not here?  Well that is answered in the second installment…what.

Scripture reminds us that the people who dwelt in darkness have seen a great light.  It should therefore not surprise us that a star announced his coming, or that the whole host of heaven, angels bright as the noon day sun, should proclaim his birth.  The birth of Christ brings seeing to a blind world, it is the first ‘sonrise’ since the fall of Adam, and it is light and joy and peace.  What Christ brought was the beginning of the unraveling of the curse of Adam, it was the start of a new age of Man and the echoes of that birth still resound over this weary world.  It is the birth of the New Adam.  The last verse of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, states, Adam’s likeness now efface, Stamp thine image in its place, Second Adam from Above, reinstate us in thy love!”

Do we walk in darkness today?  Do our children?  The solution is simple, but challenging to open your eyes.  See what God has done for all of us, give thanks for all that His hand has wrought, and be ready for Christmas morning, when Christ will be in the manger, and with the angels sing “Glory to the Newborn King”.

Happy Advent,

Timothy Gallic

Principal, Holy Family High School