Day 35: Ring Ceremony

The calm before the storm.

Growing up, I always wanted to be an architect.  I enjoy the spaces we create for ourselves. The homes we live in, the buildings we work and play in and the structures we worship in are more than just four walls and a roof.  They are the products of great creativity and become the environments that mirror the things we value.  Consequently, I have always been a sucker for places.  I love to explore interesting architecture and to travel and visit places that are inspiring or of historical significance . . . the spaces we shaped and the spaces that shaped us.

Yesterday I mentioned how much at home I feel in our school's chapel.  It is one of those spaces that has great meaning for many.  For over 125 years it has been a place of refuge and ritual for thousands of students and faculty. We gather there regularly for liturgies, honors assemblies and guest speakers.  It is a place where we share our talents with dance and music for Christmas programs.  It is a space where we congregated seemingly by instinct the morning of September 11, 2001 and a space where we have remembered the lives of colleagues, alumnae and family members who have died.  It is also a place of great celebration, and today was such a day.

It is a tradition in Sacred Heart schools that seniors present the juniors with their class rings.  The ring is a symbol of faith, learning, service, community and family and many alums continue to wear their rings as they chase their children through the park or rock their grandchildren to sleep at night.  The day of Ring Ceremony is one of the most joyous days of the school year.  The juniors have been waiting for this day for at least three years and the seniors are passing on the torch of leadership as they prepare to depart us.  The ceremony is full of laughter, smiles, tears and hugs.  It is a very special day in the life of our school and is a ritual that reminds us who we are and gives us a sense of direction and purpose.

Gratitude has emerged as the dominant theme for me this Lent and today's Ring Ceremony provided another opportunity to be thankful.  As I watched the genuine sense of pride in the faces of the seniors and the unadulterated joy in that of the juniors, I was grateful for what this place has meant for me and for countless others.  I have taught and learned from so many wonderful young people, have had the great honor to work with a dedicated and inspiring faculty and have built friendships not only with people in my school but also with many others from Sacred Heart schools throughout the country. God has truly blessed me to be a part of this great endeavor and to work in a place that is more than bricks and mortar, more than walls and ceilings, more than stairs and windows.  I am fortunate to work side by side with people who have become my family and in a place that is also my home.