From the President’s Desk
It is time to renew commitment to our students
Born from the heart of the Church we are called to continuous renewal both as a school and as Catholics. — St. John Paul II
Dear Mooney Family:
This past week, Diocesan high school administrative leaders met and were joined by The Most Reverend, David Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown. He shared with us his goals for Catholic education which coincide with his priorities listed in his pastoral letter(s) to us all.
For his schools, we are to have a strong and obvious Catholic Identity — to be Christ centered — and exercise a culture of collaboration. I’ll refer to these throughout the year, but in the context of this week, they provide evidence of the providential hand that governs our efforts at Cardinal Mooney.
Bishop Bonnar spoke in terms like what you have heard from Dr. Beiting and me: That to be Christ Centered, we must view our students as Jesus viewed youth. He spoke of the need to respect our past, our customs and traditions, yet not to be hidebound by them. The Church and thus our schools are neither marble statuary nor bronze plaque. They are living legacies that have endured precisely because they adapt. I remarked that a third newcomer (Bishop Bonnar, myself, Dr. Beiting) to the Valley is speaking in similar terms. Clearly the work of the Holy Spirit guiding us.
On Wednesday, Bishop Bonnar presided over the prayer service for our Eagle Cross recipients. The Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit from Pope Francis was referenced. It is lengthy but worth the read — especially for any and all interested in the education of our youth. To be a Christ Centered school, Pope Francis wrote: “Jesus does not teach you, young people, from afar or from without, but from within your very youth, a youth he shares with you.” Bishop Bonnar, Pope Francis, and Dr. Beiting have reminded us of the importance of the “ministry of presence.”
This weekend, Cardinal Mooney students performed the musical “FAMILY! A Musical Revue”. Joseph Morrison, a junior, introduced the performance this way: “The original plan was to perform Guys and Dolls. The directors were so impressed with the [Mooney] talent, they knew something different could be achieve. [They] decided our community needed something different … something more.
The past year has been difficult on everyone. The title “FAMILY!” came to be because we are the Mooney family, and it is our family that helps us through life’s difficult times. As a family, we are stronger now, we have hope for tomorrow and we will be together forever.” Again, Pope Francis in Christus Vivit: “Young people are meant to dream great things, to seek vast horizons, to aim higher, to take on the world, to accept challenges and to offer the best of themselves to building of something better.”
Our performers were not afraid to do something non-traditional. They moved beyond the tautological trap of doing “things as they have always been done.” They came together to do something more for their community. And they reminded us that our future, our welfare, is to be found in how well we form, educate, and transform our students.
An important element in our effort to renew our focus on students is also re-enrollment. Thank you to all the parents and guardians who have helped us plan for the next school year. We encourage everyone to do this as soon as possible to help us craft an even better experience for your student in the fall.
– Cardinal Mooney President, Tom Maj
Click here to download our full April 18, 2021 bulletin (PDF Format)