September 6, 2024
Dear Families of Holy Name,
We had our all school Holy Mass yesterday in honor of the
Holy Spirit. It was a joy to have the Chesterton students join us.
The Chestertonians started their year on retreat last week and were able to
encounter Jesus outside of the rat race of life and grow together as a school.
Strong relationships help to ground us on our mission to love Jesus. I spoke
with several students that noted that it was a blessing for them. I was
grateful to see all of them this week.
In Fr. Tim’s homily, he shared that we will all have
struggles, but that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. This is a
consoling thought. Our hearts oriented to receive the gifts of the Holy
Spirit will set the world on fire. That does not mean that we will get
along with everyone perfectly. In fact, Jesus says that in this world we
will have struggles. What does that mean?
For our students, we hope that the struggles lie in
wondering about the material. This may sound counterintuitive, but our
teachers are pushing students to be a little frustrated. Not in an
overwhelming way and there is an art to it, but in a healthy way. If a
child does not get frustrated in their learning, they are likely not learning
as much as they can. Finding the right pace is not an exact science, but
putting challenges in front of students for them to overcome builds character
and virtue. We do not wish to make things too easy. You know your
child. If your child is saying things like it is too easy, please have a
conversation with their teacher.
We want to keep that healthy sense of wonder in our
children. Wonder leads to worship as we see God in the beauty around us.
As for our struggles as adults. I believe the world is
full of them so we can learn to trust God. I encourage you to pray to the
Holy Spirit for guidance. Open your hearts and He will lead you to a path
of both peace and joy.
In Christ,
Nathan Vande Hey
Principal
