I had occasion to attend the kindergarten closing celebration at Guardian Angels Regional School on the dreary, gray morning of June 14. There was the usual whir of the digital camera, the nervousness on the part of the students, and the impatience of younger siblings. There were prayers and songs and words of love and praise from the pastor and the principal. And then there were the happy, smiling faces of Nichole, Kate, Patty, Janet, Michelle and Denise. These beautiful girls are all adults now, five of them mothers of little girls in Denise’s class. Of these six 30-something women, one is my daughter and five are one-time students of mine.
As parents and teachers, we always wonder about the influence that we have had over our children. Did we help them? Did we help their parents in their roles as educators? Did they “get” what we were about? The closing ceremony at Guardian Angels gave me my answer and gave me great hope for the future of our schools and of our church. These young women have made decisions for the future of our schools and of our church by their witness through Catholic teaching and parenting.
There is some sadness now in our diocese with the closing of some of our schools. Interestingly enough, these women are all graduates of St. Matthew Regional School, National Park, or of St. Patrick School, Woodbury. They are adults who know that the past is valuable only if it lights the way to the future. Their elementary schools are closed, but they have taken what they have learned and decided that it was valuable. Valuable enough to entrust their daughters to a Catholic school education. So thank you, Nicole, Kate, Patty, Janet, Michelle and Denise, for the light of Olivia, Madelyn, Patty, Sarah Jane and Julia.
With the help of your parents, we did help you. You did get it. More importantly, you have given it to your children. Thank you.
Pat Munyan is assistant superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Camden.