School

Oct 27, 2001
Reflections on St. Columbkille School's 100th Anniversary
Sr. Joan Duffy CSJ

We are gathered in St. Columbkille;s Church in Brighton…
Bringing our memories of the past
Being called to celebrated the 100th Anniversary of St Columbkille'd Elementary School And gathered in hope for the future.

How does a place and its people shape us spiritually?
What was your experience of attending St. Columbkille's Elementary School?
Of being a parishioner of St. Columbkille's Parish?

For many of you, it was and still is a place
-that marked significant moments in your life story
-where you met people who were for you a sanctuary and refuge in times of need
-where you found a gateway to the holy One, a Loving God.

Day to day ordinary spaces where we gather leave a mark on us; they become part of us, and we become Part of them-personally and communally.

We stand on holy ground, a sacred place, for it is in this place that we have seen the hidden presence of God more clearly through the lives of our parents, family, friends, neighbors, clergy, and through the many Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston and our lay men and women who have been teacher for us.

There are four ways that places become holy for us: Revelation, Ritual, Remembrance, and Recoginition.

Through Revelation- A sacred place is never chosen; it is discovered in some way. What are some of the Ways that St. Columbkille's was chosen or discovered?

In an article published in the Boston Globe on September 11, 1901,
I discovered the following article
entitled :
Imposing School Structure in Brighton

This morning the parochial school connected with the parish of St. Columbkill's Brighton. will for the first time occupy the magnificent new building erected by the Church on Arlington Street. The ringing of the school bell and prayers at 9:00 o'clock will be the only formality of opening this morning. This building is undoubtedly one of the finest for parochial schools Puposes in this part of the country. The classes will be in charge of the Sisters of St. Joseph
From Brighton Seminary ( which I think should be Motherhouse). The choice of mother superior has not yet been definitely settled.

From the annals of the Sisters of St. Joseph (our own record of CSJ history)
I found the following account
Of the early days of the school:
On September 11, 1901, Father Rossi's school opened with High Mass. Two hundred children were present. The teachers were all Sister of St Joseph: Sister Mary John who was the Mother Superior, Sisters Mary Charles, Mary Edward and Mary Adelaide
Primary Grades 1- 3 (two first grades)
#boys 97 #girls 114 Total: 211

In September of 1906 there were 8 grades and enrollment of 679 and this was the year that Palmer Method writing and a system of gymnastics was introduced. Enrollment had tripled In five years.
The education ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston had been discovered and revealed to the people in St. Columbkille. Parish.

Another way we experience sacred space is through ritual. All of us here today wished to mark out as special and sacred though our Eucharistic Celebration, the 100th Anniversary of St. Columbkille's Elementary School. Our Eucharistic Celebration, a sacrament of love and unity, makes us sharers in the Body and Blood of Christ and commits us to server the poor. In our Scripture of today we heard the words:

The Lord is a God of justice who knows no favorites,

The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.

The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

As a Eucharistic people, we need to reach out to those in need and assist them in their deepest hungers-for bread, for wholeness, for meaning and for love.

Following our liturgy, we will continue our celebration in joy by gathering at the Park Plaza Hotel,

We are gathered today in remembrance for our memories break thorugh the fabric of time. They make the past present and help us enter into the timelessness of God. What are your memories of St. Columbkille's School? For you are a part of the St Columbkille community, - as you gather with your family, friends, classmates, parish. What role did your principals, Sisters of St. Joseph, and the many lay women and men who were your teachers play in your life? Who were the teachers and priests ministers of the Gospel who led you to justice, taught you to server the poor, who taught you to read, to write, and become the person God called you to be. Remember them and hand on their legacy.

The school open on September 11, 1901. A century later, September 11, 2001, when faculty and students presently at St. Columbkille's Schools opened their school day-what a different world they became part of!
A world that cries out for compassion, healing, and prayers for peace.

The founders of St. Columbkille's School, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston were a Congregation whose charism is expressed in our CSH Constitution as follows:
Our mission of unity requires that we be Christ's healing presence among people as we strive to alleviate ignorance, suffering and oppression.

As a graduate of St, Col's and President of the Sisters of St. Joseph, I visited the school last Monday. In the hearts, minds, and faces of faculty and children as we discussed the events of the 11th of September, it was very evident that a spirit of unity, non-violence, and reconciliation lives on in the traditions of the school.

There is one other common memory that lives on in your heart and mind about our school days as St. Columbkille's and it is the CANTATA. It is a part of our faith-story of the Birth of Christ, and I don't know about you, but I remember clearly the words of every song even to this days. Listen to the special place it held in the history of the 100th Anniversary of the Church in 1971:
The Cantata~
For the entire parish, the school has been the source of unforgettable memories. Since
1907, the Christmas Cantata, a series of nine tableaux portraying the birth of Christ in Bethlehem,
has been a beloved part of the St. Columbkille scene. Tyrant Herod's thunderous threat-"We'll See"; the lilting strains that ushered in the dancers; the halting, endearing responses of the little shepherd boy; the sweet hushed advance of the Whispering Angels- have echoed in our hearts down through the years.

Lastly, whom do we wish recognize on this special day when our hearts are filled with gratitude…..

Present Administration, Faculty, Staff of St. Columbkille's School.

Mary Battles, the principal, a graduate, and teacher for many years who in her leadership, together with present faculty, and staff develops and fosters the faith life of the children and through curriculum assist each student to be aware of their uniqueness and potential.

The Students
Listen to a poem by Dora Ocampo-
Let's go back 100 years ago
There were 60 children in a row.
All sat with smiley, happy faces.
This truly was the best of places.
Every child was very quiet.
There never was a fuss or riot.
Today, we still share happy faces.
With people from different places,

And Gabrielle Mulrean-
If the floors at St. Columbkille's School could talk…..
If the floors could talk, they would say for many years I have been stepped on. I don't mind because these children step lightly. I like to look up at them when they are working. They copy what they need to do and then raise their hands like an angel. You would never hear a peep. Sometimes, I really like being a floor.

Father Richard Shmaruk, the Pastors of St. Columbkille's and the priest and deacons who presently minister to the people of the parish. We also recognize all those priests who were so present in our lives throughout these 100 year and priests graduates of St Col's who are celebrating with us today.

The many Sisters of St. Joseph who are presently in ministry in school or parish as wellas all the Sisters of St. Joseph present today and other who were unable to be with us, for as former principals and teachers in either the High School or Elementary School, and in your CSJ presence in other ways, you are part of a rich heritage
That is ours as we continue to minister to the needs of God's people in the Archdiocese of Boston. The many Sisters of St. Joseph who have died and whose legacy is imprinted in the stained glass windows behind the alter.

The lay women and men who taught in St Columbkille School in previous years and are an important part of its history.

Lastly, I would recognize all of you, who are the graduates of St. Columbkille School and supports of the continuance of its mission to children.

And so in the words of a prayer for children, I offer you this blessing.
Let us bless each other for this remind us of the children within each one of us….

And so, Let us bless the children
Who can never find their shoes
Who bring you sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions
Who hug you in a hurry and tell you they forgot
their lunch or have no lunch money.
Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them
Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser
Who spend all their allowance before Tuesday
Whose tears we sometimes laugh at
And whose smiles can make us cry
And let us recognize these smiles and tears in our world and each other.
Amen