On May 21st, our Seniors received their class rings at Sunday Mass. Those of us in attendance were treated to an amazing sermon by Fr. Fredericks. As we hit the last turn to graduation I wanted to share my reflections on his words.
Fr. Fredericks opened with a quote from Mother Theresa. “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” He reminded us that God has given us each other, and discussed how our connections to each other makes us all better.
We talk a lot around here about what we do for the boys in our care, but I am not sure we reflect enough on what they do for us.
I know I want to be a better person. I could be more patient, I could be more compassionate, more forgiving, more loving, more courageous. While listening to Fr. Fredericks it occurred to me that God has put these boys in our lives to make us better people. They test our patience, draw out our compassion, beg our forgiveness, challenge our capacity to love and make us much braver than we thought we could be.
I don’t think God grants us patience, compassion or courage, rather, it is the opportunities and challenges put in front of us each day that help us develop these qualities, draw them out of us and challenge us to grow and change. It is the hardest and best thing about our work.
On graduation day, many of our boys will talk about how lucky they are to have found Hanna and how lucky they are to have all of you in their lives. That is all true, but when all is said and done… I think we are the lucky ones.
Thanks for a great year.
— Brian Farragher
