Surrounded by the snow and a peaceful panorama of the Watchung Mountains, the staff of Hudson Catholic High School gathered for their annual Day of Reflection on February 14th at the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, New Jersey. As Campus Minister, I realized that the topic I chose, “The Role of Teacher as a Peacemaker,” begins with each of us as faithful individuals, and how well we can create a place for peace for our students and each other. Since we are a multicultural high school, some of our students’ families still live in countries around the world where nonviolence and peace are not a daily reality. Even in our own Hudson County, peace is sometimes elusive.
Our day together began with prayer. The opening prayer service focused on our role as peacemakers and also on the powerful example of peacemakers. These inspirational leaders ranged from Confucius, St. Francis, St. John Baptist de La Salle, Bishop Raymond Lucker, St. Elizabeth Seton, Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Frederic Ozanam. We looked to them for inspiration to be better peacemakers and kingdom builders.
Our speaker was Sister Patricia Wormann, OP, a pastoral associate from SS. Peter & Paul Parish and Campus Minister at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Sr. Patricia is shown in the photo above catting with Br. Patrick Cassidy, Joan Serafin and Chinedu Okoye in the first row and Br. Michael Tidd and Br. Charles Huber in the seond row.) She spoke on our role as peacemakers and how we can better create a place for peace at Hudson Catholic. Sr. Pat observed that “to be a peacemaker we need to first keep turning ourselves to God, second, see life differently than before, and third recognize that all life is a gift from God. We need to realize that to be a gift to our students, we need to treasure who we are as a people so we can be aware of the presence of God. To be a person of peace, we need to keep in mind these basics: my ability to love, to forgive, and not to need to strike back. Take the time to listen and be faithful to what you hear.”
Sr. Pat also emphasized that we become signs of peace and hope when we honor the fact that differences don’t have to divide. She explained, “I change because I am loved, which then invites us to a new place of being. For a school community to continue to be a place of peace, we have to continually create an atmosphere where speaking the truth (is possible) without the fear that someone else will strike back. To create a place that is safe spiritually and emotionally. This will create for us the opportunity to be empowered individually, then in turn this atmosphere will empower our students who could then pass it on to their own people. Teach your students that they are worth it, and it will invite them to the possibilities for peaceful, positive change.”
The success of any Day of Reflection is always best measured by what lessons we learn to take home and live out better ourselves. Brother Timothy Ahern, FSC, Principal, reflected on the importance of this topic at a school like Hudson Catholic: “Our differences at Hudson Catholic can unite us, not divide us. Hudson Catholic, as a school of peace, is a great opportunity because of our diversity.”
After a fabulous lunch, the day ended with liturgy to pray for world peace. At the end of the liturgy, we as a faculty stood and prayed an inspiring prayer for world peace.
Submitted by Dennis M. Gallagher, Hudson Catholic High School
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