Dear Fellow Board Members of Saint Albert the Great Academy,
With the approaching of the feast of Saint Albert the Great tomorrow, the mission and history of Saint Albert the Great Academy have been on my mind and in my prayers. Since its beginning, there has been something of the "divine touch" in this grand effort. It might seem like a little thing to an outsider, just one little school. What difference does that make in the bigger picture? I think, in retrospect, its founding speaks firmly of the virtues of faith and courage. It speaks of a worth that only God can truly measure.
There was little in Auburn to encourage the founding of a school. The Diocese could offer no funding due to the bankruptcy issue. The only remaining Catholic elementary school was closing after years of dwindling enrollment. There was no available building to house a school. The job market for faculty was sparse. There were lots of factors mitigating against it--including a global pandemic-- and yet, it began. We have much for which to be grateful.
Now, it enters a second phase and that stage, in the history of any institution, is a critical one. It takes faith, courage and energy to initiate an endeavor and it takes even more of the same to sustain it and help it to flourish. I found myself wondering what recommendation Saint Albert would give us. I looked in the Magnificat for the feast of Saint Albert and the last sentence of the meditation for the day (written by Saint Albert, of course) was the answer I sought. It was just the ending of a long declarative sentence, but I'm writing it here as a poem or prayer, because the section did indeed have rhythm and rhyme to it and I thought writing it this format might make it easier to remember and, perhaps, to pray it. It is my Saint Albert gift to you. It is a privilege to be part of this with you all for the good of the children and of the Church.
Gratefully, in Jesus the Teacher,
Sister Elizabeth Anne, O.P
