A Thanksgiving message from Interim Superintendent Dr. Bott
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,
it will be enough.” — Meister Eckhart
Dear Parents, Faculty, Staff, Families, and Friends,
As Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted to take a moment to let you know just how grateful I am for your support of our Catholic schools and, even more so, for your support of our students. We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village.” You are our village, and we could not do the amazing things we do each and every day in Catholic schools across our Diocese without the commitment of people like you. So thank you!
It always feels like time speeds up at this time of year. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and, just beyond it, the start of the Advent season. It seems like only yesterday we were planning for the first day of school! Although the world outside is taking on the stark signs of winter, with barren trees and cold temperatures ushering in the coming season, our lives are full thanks to the abundance of God’s blessings. We count you among those blessings!
As we move from Thanksgiving into the waiting season of Advent, we will light the candles of the Advent wreath as a reminder of the hope that is coming at Christmas. Week by week the light will increase, until we welcome the Light of the World into our midst, the Light that banishes all darkness. God walks with us day by day, moment by moment, even at those times when we feel darkness closing in. Maybe especially at those times.
During this Thanksgiving and Advent season, I invite you to join me in seeking out the light in the darkness and in practicing gratitude daily. When we look for the blessings in our ordinary lives, we begin to see God’s extraordinary hand at work in the smallest moments of our day. That’s not always easy, I know. Whether we’re worried about changes happening in the world around us or about the responsibilities and challenges facing us in our own lives, we all have things that can rob us of our inner peace. When we ground ourselves in God’s love, in gratitude for the gift of our lives, and in hope for a better tomorrow, we find the strength to face each challenge and to help those around us do the same.
I pray that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, filled with joy and peace and, of course, gratitude. When the feasting is over, let us take those first steps together into a season of watchful waiting as we journey through Advent toward Christmas.
Peace, blessings and gratitude,
Dr. Christopher Bott
Interim Superintendent of Schools
