100 Words

No organization can ever reach its full potential without a truly across-the-board excellent leader. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to make mention of one of those very rare individuals to you, Bishop Burbidge, without whom the Diocese of Arlington simply would not be what, and all that, it is. Bishop is the ultimate servant leader, a man of peace, joy, encounter, and an extraordinary humility, who, when I asked him Tuesday, during his second visit of the year to O’Connell, “How do you do it, day after day, being the Bishop with all the unceasing demands of the job and with everyone, always, wanting a piece of you?” he simply smiled and said, “I love my ministry.” While he was here, Bishop’s desire to be in communion with the members of the senior class was happily accommodated. In six short weeks the members of our Class of 2026 will be leaving the cozy, reassuring nest that is DJO, and will be spreading their strong and well-prepared wings to fly off to all sorts of new and exciting adventures as a college student. Fully prepared are they, for their pathways have been profoundly imprinted by the life and example of the Prince of Peace, and by their beloved high school’s Catholic identity. Aware, too, as we and Bishop Burbidge are that many not good and off-message distractions await these young adults, Bishop’s sage advice was to prioritize a trip to the Campus Ministry office in their first week or two of college, as making connections with other likeminded Catholics will provide foundational anchor points in setting roots within their complex new dynamic. As the data show, many young people—including those from families who attend Mass weekly—stop going to Mass in college. Having a squad of great and reliable friends who also go to Mass can make the world of difference for incoming freshmen.

Bishop also shared the following advice about how to live the life that they are called by Christ to live: love and serve the Lord with your entire being; take great care of yourself, to include loving yourself fully and joyfully; and love and take care of others as you love and take care of yourself. Bishop answered one student’s question about what he would do if he were the president of the United States by saying that he would prioritize the message of peace while bringing together for civil exchange people of differing viewpoints.

While here, Bishop blessed our I.H.M. Chapel’s stained-glass windows, a rite that the two senior Theology classes witnessed. He also spoke to the student leaders of Kairos, a group of 125 or so (myself included) that will be away from midday today through Sunday afternoon. What an impressive group of servant leaders and 17- and 18-year-old disciples of Christ! Yes, we are all so very blessed to be a part of this school and to be led by such a Christ-like shepherd and remarkable servant leader as Bishop Burbidge. 

Our community celebrated the news earlier this week of Bishop O’Connell having hired its next Head of School, Mr. Jonathan Brand. Fortuitously, we will be able to extend a warm in-person O’Connell welcome to him, his wife Mary, and their children tomorrow evening, as they will be joining us for “The Sound of Music.” 

The announcement of Mr. Brand as the school’s next Head was music to my ears for two particularly critical reasons—one being that I fully anticipate, in having gotten to know him rather well over these past couple months, that he will be a superb, beautifully dimensional, high energy, and fully in-touch leader of this superb, beautifully dimensional, high energy, and fully in-touch school. On a more of a personal level, ever since announcing that this would be my last year at DJO, all I have wished for is that Bishop O’Connell would secure in its new Head a person of extraordinary character, integrity, scope, and Christ-centricity—someone who will be a wonderfully seamless and extraordinary fit for the school, and that the school, likewise, will be a wonderfully seamless and extraordinary fit for him. In Mr. Brand, I am brimmingly confident that the school has come upon that very person. 

The job of running a high school as complex as Bishop O’Connell is quite challenging, as you might imagine, and in so doing, and to the fullest and best of one’s ability, the person at the helm must be all-in psychologically; fully in alignment with the mission; and completely at peace with, sanguinely positioned for, and joyfully excited about serving as the captain of the DJO ship of state. Thus, in my wish to be able to hand over the incandescently lustrous jewel that is Bishop O’Connell to a person of exceptional discernment, grace, experience, and touch, I see in Mr. Brand that very person—which for me has evoked a sense of great calm and abiding satisfaction, leaving me with an impossible to describe fully-at-peace heart (thank you, Holy Spirit). 

A teacher first and foremost (History, his intellectual calling) and a career educator, Mr. Brand’s references spoke of how much he loves and has functioned deftly throughout his three-decade career in working within every aspect of that which makes up the schoolhouse. And that he embodies in his being and through his lifetime example the very Catholic identity for which our school is renowned is patently evident from the moment you share any time with him. The Head of School baton handoff from me to him formally will take place at the end of June, but know that the two of us between now and then will be communicating regularly such that the transition from Mr. Critt to Mr. Brand will be glimmer-glass imperceptibly smooth.

We celebrated Mass together as a community earlier today, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, with Father Daniel noting during his homily that Joseph is a saint through his unwavering obedience to the Lord, planting the seed for each of us to follow suit as best we can, a pathway that Father framed as while not at all easy, certainly one that has a simplicity to it. As for me, a fellow dad, Joseph—while not at a heroic figure or in any way off-the-charts—is a par excellence role model in regard to being ever there, ever steady, and ever supportive, caring, and loving. A moving lyric from the last line of the last song, “Oceans,” that we sang as a congregation certainly caught my emotional attention then and continues to do so now, as it speaks of the reciprocal nature of our love and devotion to and complete trust in the Lord: “I am Yours and You are mine”—inspiring motivation for us as ever present parents to be with our kids literally and with them in their lives figuratively. 

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On Monday, the youngsters of Bishop O’Connell were able to sleep in, while the grown-ups of this community reported to school bright and early for a diocesan professional development (PD) day. The schedule had been shortened in advance due to a forecast of severe weather, but thankfully the disruption never materialized, allowing us to complete most of the planned sessions. Superintendent Joseph Vorbach kicked things off with keynote remarks highlighting the successful system accreditation this past November, when all four high schools—working together with the Office of Catholic Schools—earned re-accreditation status at an exemplary level. Following the keynote, an impressively diverse array of 22 different 45-minute breakout-group sessions were there for the taking—very enticing topics…so much so that I found myself wishing I could be in three (or more) places at once. Alas. 

The two sessions I attended— “Jesus…Beyond the Religion Classroom” and “Cultivating Excellence in the Classroom Through Skillful Instruction”— were both worthwhile, engaging thoughtfully with practical, applicable ideas as well as more open-ended, aspirational ones. The themes and topic areas included: student health and wellbeing; creativity within the schoolhouse; understanding and right-level utilization of AI; faith and science; helping humans to be human; the power of relationships; sports medicine in leadership; the text as teacher; and dealing with conflict—especially for those who like to avoid it. As usual, Bishop O’Connell—the flagship high school of the Diocese—excelled that day, both as an accommodating and responsive host and in contributing a significant share of the PD presenters: 10 of 22, or 46 percent. Hey, when you’re a leader, you lead by example—it’s what we do and who we are. Go Knights!