I’m in Cleveland, where those in the area will be able to witness the solar eclipse in its totality today.  Cleveland, though, boasts the following stat: it ranks in the top ten cloudiest cities in the United States. As such, viewing this once in a lifetime event in Cleveland stands as probable at best. For those of us who have heard about how awe-inspiring this occurrence promises to be, we must decide whether or not we travel to sunnier spots along the path of totality or if we just stay put. Personally, I really want to be where it happens. As I’ve reflected on the possibility that no ..read more

How many hallelujahs will it take for you get in line When will you ever learn from your mistakes boy you gotta try Deadlines and progress  Just being honest  You can do what you want with your time I don’t wanna waste mine No, I don’t wanna waste mine - Needtobreathe, Wasting Time Last week we concluded the Christmas season and have officially moved into Ordinary Time within the Church's liturgical calendar. Candidly, prior to last week I had assumed that this meant "non-special" times throughout the year. Ordinary. Average. Meh. However, our Church terms this time "ordinary" not b ..read more

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas! May the joyful hope and everlasting peace of the birth of Christ fill this new calendar year with renewed missionary purpose and visionary anticipation! During prayer and reflection at the conclusion of Advent and throughout the Christmas season thus far, the message "deliver me" has surfaced over and over. It really hit home when this song - one that I had never heard before - popped up on my feed.  Deliver Him. To the world. To my family. To my friends. At my work. Throughout my life.  Deliver the Gospel message. Deliver Christ so that Emmanu ..read more

“Evangelization loses much of its force and effectiveness if it does not take into consideration the actual people to whom it is addressed, if it does not use their language, their signs and symbols, if it does not answer the questions they ask, and if it does not have an impact on their concrete life.” -Pope St. Paul VI, 1975 Throughout this Advent, my family and I have spent time learning more about the saints whose feasts we celebrate therein. From St. Nicholas, to St. Ambrose, to the Immaculate Conception, to San Juan Diego, to Our Lady of Guadalupe, to St. Lucy, to St. John of the Cross ..read more

One of my favorite Christmas songs is For King and Country's rendition of "Little Drummer Boy." As my kids will attest to, I love when songs have strong percussion elements. This version has it in spades.  While we can see the "Little Drummer Boy" as being defined solely by his drumming ability - hence the name of the song - the arc of the song's lyrics demonstrate that the boy has set off with others to see the new born King and to offer their gifts to Him.  This journey - to see and offer gifts worthy of a King - inspires the boy to offer his gift of drumming at the service of the ..read more

Yesterday, the Catholic Church celebrated the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. In light of this celebration, my prayer focused on how faithfully I serve my King. I was reminded of a powerful reflection I heard a few years ago about how Jesus never called anyone to lead. Instead, His invitation was to follow.  Ever since then, I have bucked against a secular view of the importance of leadership, acknowledging that my King and my God has called me to service.  I recently read the Harvard Business Review Leader's Handbook: Make an Impact, Inspire Your Organ ..read more

Hope stands as the second core value in support of my mission for humans to flourish through Catholic education (magnify is the first). From a catechetical standpoint, hope “is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 1997, para. 1817).  Jesus Christ, when He conquered sin and death through the Resurrection, made hope possible through His passion and death on the cross. The Congregation of Holy Cr ..read more

Magnanimity, or greatness of soul, inspires one to work for God’s greater glory. Rooted in the Jesuit motto, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam which translates as for the greater glory of God, magnanimity entails a deep and zealous striving to make God known, loved, and served, honoring and bringing others into an encounter with God’s greatness. Employing the gifts God has bestowed on me, magnanimity spurs acts of heroism, generosity, and creativity to glorify God and magnify His greatness. In a simpler way, magnanimity embodies the spirit of continuous improvement and an ongoing pursuit of excellence. I ..read more

Manifesto: (noun) a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer Ever since becoming a principal in 2010 and first coming across his work, I have tried to incorporate the ideas from Simon Sinek's Start With Why into my ministry. From my efforts to have Incarnation Catholic School focus intensely on its mission to my work at the University of Notre Dame to have emerging Catholic school leaders do the same, starting with WHY a person or organization does something provides greater commitment, inspiration, and direction to these efforts.  Du ..read more

In a recent conversation with a close friend, he offered an insight on Jesus's message to Peter before giving him the keys to the Kingdom " you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Mt. 16:18). Gates don't move.  I had always taken this to mean that no matter what storms our King's castle, no force of darkness will be able to penetrate it. Subconsciously, this perspective offers a defensive posture. It presents an already established and fortified Church, limited in its reach and cloistered behind its w ..read more