Remembering Bishop Murry as we plan for August
Dear Cardinal Mooney Family:
On the occasion of the passing of the Most Reverend George Vance Murry, Bishop of Youngstown, I am reminded of St. John Mary Vianney, Patron Saint of priests, describing the importance of the sacraments: “Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in the tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest. And if this soul should happen to die who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again the priest.” Bishop Murry was a good shepherd, and a precious gift of divine mercy to our diocese. The Cardinal Mooney family is saddened by his passing.
He leaves a legacy that will help guide us as we look to the future. At the moment, that includes the work of a multidisciplinary team, which continues to plan for the opening of school in August. We are working through best, middle, and worst case scenarios in the following core operating areas:
Teaching and learning
- Curriculum
- Technology
Catholic identity / formation
- Masses
- Retreats
- Caring for our students, faculty, and staff
Health and safety
- Physical health
- Mental health
Facilities and sanitizing
- Finance and budgeting
- Communications
Student engagement
- Extra- and co-curricular
Each group will focus generatively on responses and actions to open school. My goal is to have a portfolio of actions to help us through the next 12 months successfully and safely.
To assist in these efforts, I’m looking for a few parents who work in health / medical fields to share their expertise with me as I plan for the reopening of school. Please contact me if you are able and willing to assist: tmaj@youngstowndiocese.org or 330.788.5007 extension 201.
I was asked recently “…why choose Cardinal Mooney for my son or daughter?” My short reply was simple: You can pick a school, or, you can choose an education. Those are two very different decisions.
The longer answer is this: I believe families choose Mooney because they want their children to learn from men and women dedicated to teaching the whole student — teachers who meet their students at the door and take them as far as their potential allows. They choose Mooney because we are Catholic and grounded in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Students who choose Mooney, come to us with interests and any or all of those interests get turned into passions, and those passions influence the rest of their lives. They choose Mooney in order to study at a school that will challenge them to become the best version of themselves and one that paves the way for future success. They choose Mooney because its location attracts a diverse mix of students from across Mahoning Valley and that diverse mix yields a higher emotional intelligence. Its location is a benefit — our students attend two classrooms: those on the way to school and those on the inside. They choose Mooney because we guide our students to reflect on the root causes of the problems they see on their way to school and the solutions to those problems that they may one day contribute toward eliminating. They choose Mooney to become part of the powerful legacy of Mooney alumni who are leaders in industry, politics, community, and church.
Mooney creates great people who make an impact in their community. That is why they choose a Youngstown Cardinal Mooney education.
Sincerely,
Thomas Maj
President
Click here to download our full June 14th, 2020 bulletin (PDF Format)