![]() Dear O'Connell Students, Parents and Guardians,
Sometimes in life there is a single image, a single incident, which cuts so deeply into our consciousness that we cannot look away. The death of Mr. George Floyd is such an event. We ask ourselves, "How can this be?" With so many others, we enter into the experience of injustice. We see pain and fear. We recognize righteous anger. We feel the profound impact of this event and other similar tragedies on our country in recent days.
How do we respond? What can we do? We can't just react for the moment. We are called to help create the change we envision.
We pray. We pray that laws and policies will change to make us a more just society. But, even more so, we pray that hearts will change, that every human being will treat every person they meet as a brother or sister, infinitely cherished by God, and worthy of love and respect.
We strengthen the bonds which unite us in friendship and common purpose here in the O'Connell community. We recognize the special value of relationships which reach across racial and ethnic diversity and ask God to heighten our respect for and appreciation of our differences.
We learn to value laws and regulations and protocols which protect the personal rights of all others. We strive to be men and women of good character with the courage to do what is right and just and good in the sight of God and others.
We in the administration understand that we can never fully appreciate the daily anxiety and stress felt by people of color, but do know that throughout our history, men and women of faith have always led movements for justice and social change. It is incumbent on us to leverage the power of Church teachings on human dignity to engrain a world view in us and our students that abhors this type of tragedy and compels them to be citizens who lead positive change. We will, as a school, remain focused and vigilant so we can live our mission and serve each other, our students, and our community.
In Christ,
Sister Lorraine McGrew, IHM, Head of School
Mr. Carl Patton, Principal
BISHOP O'CONNELL HIGH SCHOOL 6600 Little Falls Road, Arlington, VA 22213 • (703) 237-1400 |