Dear Friends of Our Lady of Victory, For a high school, four years is a life cycle, at least for the graduating class. With OLV’s first graduation of a four-year class this coming weekend, it is also a natural time for reflecting on the beginning and growth of OLV. The overwhelming sense is gratitude. Gratitude for the grace of God and the protection of Our Lady for this mission to succeed. Gratitude for our faculty and staff, for all they have sacrificed because they believe in forming young people. Gratitude for our students’ remarkable growth. This sense of gratitude is strongest when our community comes together for a school-wide event. Taking in a fine arts night with one-act plays, listening to an all-school choir performance, cheering at a boys’ basketball game, or worshipping together at Mass with the Archbishop, the whole of the community is somehow greater than the sum of each family’s individual gifts. As cliche as that sounds, it’s true. But why? I think it’s the shared excitement in seeing that we can boldly pursue authentic freedom and joy together in our faith, in the arts, in athletics, or in just wasting time with friends. And that we can share that culture with our children—even high school students!—as we help form them into adults. It’s not perfect, but it’s still a blessing. Of course, the OLV community is larger than those families currently enrolled or present at any given event. We are grateful for that wider community, especially our benefactors. This school is possible because of those many small donations that support parents who desire a faithfully Catholic education. You are also supporting the vocations of our teachers, so that we can pay a just wage to mission-fit men and women who love their fields of study. Thank you the sacrifices you have made for this mission; our prayer is that the blessings will always outweigh the burden. Please pray for our graduating class, the class of 2023, as they prepare for the next steps in their vocations this week. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!
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