March 2019

Let us remember, that we are in the holy presence of God.

On Wednesday, we welcome the Lenten Season to our calendar with the observance of Ash Wednesday.

While we are accustomed to fasting, prayer and abstinence during the Lenten season, I invite you to really let “it” go over the next 40 days.  We all have “its” in our lives that we desperately hold tightly with clenched fists, such as a child clinging to his or her favorite toy.  We can let go of guilt, anxieties, fears, jealousy, envy of others and all that we try to control in our lives.  Join me in having a deeper trust in God’s holy presence and allow Him to work through us this Lent.  I share the prayer below with you and I wish you a holy Lenten season.  May we all open our hearts and hands to serve others during this Lenten season and beyond and embrace the zeal of a young child in letting go during this holy season.

Dear God, 

I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! 
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? 
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? 
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own, 
but what you want to give me. 
And what you want to give me is love—
unconditional, everlasting love.   (From Henri Nouwen)

 

Amen.

 

Live, Jesus, in our hearts, forever!

 

February 2019

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

On February 14 most of us celebrate Valentine’s Day with gifts of chocolate, flowers, balloons and other expressions of love for the people in our lives.  This is a day that we have marked as the day we can show our love for one another and this is a good idea.  We all want to feel loved and we are all created by a loving God who gives us the ability to love others.

St. Paul, one of the great communicators of the Church, gives us some clarity on what love should look like in our lives:  Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous,  It is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (Corinthians, Chapter 13).  St. Paul is calling us to excellence in this exhortation.  He is calling us to be more like our Heavenly Father, because He is patient, kind, never jealous, and humble.  God’s love for each of us and our boys is unlimited.  He forgives, consoles, and loves us without conditions.

Through regular prayer we can experience this love of God every day.  He sends us the balloons, flowers, cards and chocolate every day in the form of people and experiences.  But, it is up to us to redeem these gifts through regular prayer and being open to His embrace.  It is my prayer that your son (s) experiences God’s unconditional love through his prayers, teachers, and classmates at CBHS!  May God bless your family every day!

January 2019

 

Happy New Year from Walnut Grove Road! 

Welcome back from Christmas break.  It is our hope that the time off was restful and enjoyable with family and friends.    As your sons returned to school this week, we adjusted back to our routines and are now looking forward to a great semester.   

The Christmas season is full of Lasallian imagery and spirituality.  In fact, the Signum Fidei star is rooted in the star that led the shepherds and wise men to the Christ child.  As a Lasallian community, we are called to have a deep faith in God’s plan and to follow the light of the star and believe in the impossible as St. Joseph did on that cold, dark night.  He is a model for all of us to emulate throughout the year.

The Christmas story did not end on December 25^th or the feast of the Epiphany on January 6^th.  Both the Christmas story and the story of De La Salle lives within us throughout the year.  We must answer the call to be of humble service to others every day and to truly allow Jesus to live within our hearts so we may become signs of faith to others.  Our Lasallian spirituality calls us to become beacons of light and to lead others closer to God. 

December 2018

We are in the first full month of the 300th anniversary and Jubilee year celebrating our Lasallian charism. More than 300 years ago Fr. John De La Salle was a well-heeled canon at the Cathedral of Rheims and chose to sacrifice his family’s wealth to begin the order of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It was De La Salle’s great sacrifice that placed the future of the Brothers and our schools in God’s providential care.

Today we are beneficiaries of De La Salle’s sacrifice, holiness, diligence and determination. I encourage you to learn more about De La Salle and our mission that is now serving in over 80 countries throughout the world. The year 2019 commemorates the 300th anniversary of St. De La Salle’s death in 1719.

You can learn more about St. De La Salle by downloading a biography at this site.  You can also learn more about our Jubilee Year in our Lasallian Formation page in this newsletter.

God Bless,

Chris Fay

 

November 2018

On this All Saints’ Day let us pray for our own Br. James Miller, whose beatification process is underway.  I encourage you to read more about Br. James and his beatification process here.

A theme around our home lately has been the topic of self-control.  The conversations and discussions regarding self-control started after Dr. Leonard Sax spoke in early October at St. Dominic.  Dr. Sax shared some research that the greatest predictor of wealth, health, and happiness at age 32 is the level of self-control being demonstrated at age 12.  He cited evidence that a boy who can demonstrate self-control at age 12 will have a higher chance of obtaining wealth, good health, and happiness at age 32.  For those of us with boys older than 12, all hope is not lost.  Dr. Sax gave us some practical strategies to develop self-control in our teenage boys.  Limiting screen time, doing chores, and learning virtue are all easy ways for boys to begin developing self control.

I offer you the writing of St. Paul:  In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).

St. Paul exhorts us to deny ourselves of our desires to accomplish holiness, which is a counter-cultural message to what our boys experience.  On this All Saints’ Day (November 1) we are reminded of people who led our Church, such as Br. James Miller, through their example and reliance upon the Holy Spirit and these men and women most likely developed some degree of self control in their own lives.  So, I encourage you to be patient with your son(s) as they go through adolescence.  I believe self control is much like a muscle and the more we use self control the stronger we will become at denying ourselves of our earthly desires.  And, we too, can become saints!

October 2018

In honor of St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast day on October 4th, I share the image above of the San Damiano cross.  It was in front of a San Damiano cross in Assisi that St. Francis was inspired by God to go out and “rebuild” His church.  Let us pray this month that we can participate in the rebuilding of a deep and lasting faith in God and that we acquire the humility necessary to create a more peaceful and loving society as St. Francis did during his time on Earth.

 

There are a couple of programs coming up that I want to make sure you are aware of as a CBHS parent. First, on Thursday, October 4, Dr. Leonard Sax is presenting at St. Dominic School. Dr. Sax is a renowned psychologist and pediatrician. He will present on the topic of raising boys in a more digitally reliant world and give us some practical strategies to help us raise young men of honor and integrity. His presentation will be informative and I encourage you to sign up here.

 

Secondly, our annual parent-teacher conference night takes place on Wednesday, October 24. We will begin the sign-up process on Monday, October 15, so be on the lookout for an email from CBHS that will provide you with directions on signing up for conferences with your son’s teachers. The conferences begin at 3:00 p.m. and will conclude at 6:30 p.m.. Also, I invite you to attend our Parent Association meeting that evening at 7:00 in Heffernan Hall. We will welcome current CBHS parent, Ben Boeving, as our guest speaker. Ben is an ADD/ADHD coach and he will provide some practical advice to help parents provide the necessary structure and environment that will help all boys succeed in high school. You can learn more about Ben here.

 

The first quarter of the school year has moved quickly. The boys are being diligent with their studies so our fall break is well-timed. Due to the uncanny luck of our BLC, we will have an additional holiday on Monday, November 26 thanks to their great luck in the Plinko game at the pep rally. On behalf of the Brothers, faculty and staff, I thank you for entrusting your son to us and helping us form Men for Tomorrow and Brothers for Life.

God Bless,

Chris Fay

PS Take a look at this article on teens, sleep and devices!  Unplug and detach!

 

September 2018

As we settle into this new school year (the mid-point of the 1st quarter is September 5th), we can all use some encouragement as we return to our routines with school, extra-curriculars, and family life. The boys have been great during these first four weeks of the academic year.

I thank all of you who attended our Back to School Nights. The attendance rate was very good (72%) and the freshman parents scored highest at 87% attendance! So, thank you!

I shared the importance of parent engagement at both programs and I encourage you to remain engaged with us throughout the year. We are making a renewed effort to streamline communication with parents through our redesigned website and by integrating our student information system with our website. Please let us know if you are having trouble finding important information on our website, such as the daily bulletin, school calendar or Parents page.  Please email help@cbhs.org if you are experiencing any difficulty with your login or accessing information.

I would like to thank Jenny and Nick Vergos (Cole ’21) and Lori and Brian Vincent (Jacob ’20) for their energy and enthusiasm as the president and vice-president, respectively, of our Parents’ Association. Along with Tish Montesi and Janet Hill, they will work to provide programming for CBHS parents that help equip us to further the mission of CBHS in our community. Be on the lookout for more information from our Parents’ Association.

Finally, a CBHS parent shared a prayer with me and I will share it with you. I offer this prayer to you as a note of encouragement as the parents of an adolescent boy:

Help me to carry my son
Through the patchwork of hopes, dreams, hurts, worries, anger, and the joy of teenage years.
Help us to remain open and soft
To understand and not to judge my brilliant son
You understand a parents anguish and helplessness over the actions of a child
Help us to transform our anger and frustration into loving care for our child who had gone astray
Help us to mend our fences and heal broken hearts
Help me to love, without expecting in return
Help me to engage, even when I don’t fully understand him
Help me to provide, quietly and gently, to give good gifts
Help me to speak, not to sow criticism but encouragement
Help me to say sorry, to own up when I mess up
Help me to forgive, even when I feel hurt or ignored
Help me to hope, to breathe out joy and vision for the future.

Amen.

St. John Baptist De La Salle, pray for us!

Live, Jesus, in our hearts, Forever!

August 2018

So many times during the school year our family gets home from school and we are tired and the first thing on our mind is…dinner. It pains my wife when I ask, as soon as I get home, “what’s for dinner?” A few minutes later, at least two or three of our children are asking the same question and all we want to do is catch our breath and relax for a minute.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is very busy performing miracles and large crowds of people are curious and want to see His ministry in action. So, they follow him across the Sea of Galilee and just as He sits down to rest, he notices the crowd following Him. Like some men would do, He asks about dinner. He says to Philip, “where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” It appears Jesus wants to order out or call Uber Eats, but He is really testing Philip’s faith.

A couple of minutes later, a young boy with some barley and fish walks up and Jesus tells everyone to sit back, relax and enjoy these 5 barley loaves and 2 fish…there were thousands of people present as Jesus performs yet another miracle.

This Gospel passage is appropriate as we return to school for another year of teaching, learning, and formation. We, as parents and teachers, are fooled into thinking we have given our best effort and used up every ounce of our energy and focus. Jesus reminds us in this passage that faith supersedes what we think is possible.

As teachers and parents, we are called to feed our children in so many ways. Beyond Chick Fil A , we are called to give our young men sustenance that will last them a lifetime. Moreover, we are required to perform miracles and to have faith in what may seem impossible at times. On this hillside, next to the Sea of Galilee, thousands of people witnessed that faith in Christ provides more than ever imaginable.

It is my prayer for your son (s) that his faith in a loving, caring and providential God is nurtured and grown during this academic year. I thank you for sharing your son (s) with us and I look forward to a great year at CBHS. We appreciate your trust in helping us develop Men for Tomorrow and Brothers for Life.

July 2018

Dear CBHS Parents,

As I look ahead to next school year, I want to alert you to some changes in personnel.

·       Mr. Rusty Morris ’02 is now our associate principal for student formation.  Mr. Morris will oversee the advisory program, House system, and student disciplinary issues.  Mr. Ken Coward is our director of student formation and his responsibilities include daily attendance, dress code, and student disciplinary matters.

·       Dr. Jeff Blancett is now our Dean of Academics.  He will oversee our standardized testing program, student scheduling, and he will continue to be our school safety coordinator.  Dr. Blancett served for many years our director of school counseling  and his move to the dean of academics role will strengthen our academic programming for all students.

·       Dr. Janet Hill is our Director of School Counseling.  Dr. Hill moves from the development office to the counseling office as our director.  Dr. Hill is the mother of three CBHS graduates (Henry, Warner and Ben) and her husband Mark is also a CBHS graduate.  Dr. Hill is a clinical psychologist and had a practice in Memphis many years ago.  Dr. Hill is a great resource for parents and students and we are excited about her move to the counseling office.

We are very fortunate to be able to appoint each of these current staff members to important leadership positions at CBHS.  Their track records with our school give us great confidence that our educational program at CBHS will continue to flourish and grow under their leadership.  I look forward to serving along side each of them as we continue to advance the mission of CBHS.

If you are a parent of a senior, please remind your son to have his senior portraits taken at Holland Studio.  Also, senior parents please be on the lookout for more information regarding our senior ring Mass on August 8 at St. Louis Catholic Church.  The 2018-2019 academic year is almost upon us and we anticipate another year of great accomplishment and service to the Memphis community.  We are grateful that you have chosen CBHS for your son.  His transformation over the next year is of great importance and we are humbled by the opportunity to serve your family.

God Bless,

Chris Fay

May/June 2018

Happy Summer! I hope your summer is off to a great start and your family has some time for rest, relaxation, and reflection. The 2017-2018 school year ended in grand fashion as the class of 2018 graduated on May 12. This particular class is one of the most accomplished classes to walk the halls of CBHS! They earned over $27.5 million in college scholarships and gained admission to 149 colleges and universities in 33 states.

While I am proud of their accomplishments, I noticed their attitudes toward one another as the school year came to a close. As a class, they were very kind, respectful, and mindful of each other as they parted ways on May 12. It was clear to me that the work of our teachers, coaches, counselors and you, the parents, was time well invested in these young men. The graduates embody the mission of St. John Baptist De La Salle as brothers to one another. The class of 2018 set an example of both academic scholarship and humility. While their earthly success is significant, we had the privilege of watching them grow into humble and dutiful men. Men for Tomorrow and Brothers for Life.

God Bless,

Chris Fay

PS If you have read this article from the Wall Street Journal, I encourage you to take a look.  The author validates our emphasis on self-discipline and the value of a Catholic education.