Retreat, Service, and Science
Pictured above: Martin Saints students huddle on the beach, nearly midnight on Saturday, on retreat at a beautiful convent on the Jersey shore.
The faculty were standing a short distance away in this moment, but over the sound of the waves, we could just about hear them spontaneously singing Abide With Me, O God Beyond All Praising, Amazing Grace, and a few others.
There were many moments of heart-stopping grace on this retreat. Scroll down for more photos.
The retreat was made possible by overwhelming faculty generosity, teachers who go above and beyond the classroom. Academic excellence is the daily fare at MSC, but with things like the retreat, the teachers love for their students overflows. It's this "extra" that enables the Martin Saints way. Our mission is to give our students an experience of lived Catholic culture that is faithful, credible, smart, authentic, and beautiful. It shows in our school motto: "The glory of God is man fully alive."
The retreat is not the only thing that happened at MSC this weekend. On Friday, other students fanned out across the city for our annual St. Elizabeth of Hungary Day of Service. Small groups served at two crisis pregnancy centers, two community gardens, and one homeless ministry.
Then, on Saturday, we were proud to cosponsor Science as a Path to Wonder: From the Darkness of Space to the Light of Christ, a colloquium on faith and science with the Collegium Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
Consider the difference it would make to the future of this Archdiocese if we could grow this school and give this phenomenal education to more students.
There are three ways you can join in and be part of the action:
1. #Giving Tuesday is about two weeks away, which kicks off our year end fundraising campaign. Please pray about how you will be able to give this year. Tuition only covers half of our budget, so this time of year is essential to everything we do the rest of the year.
2. Our annual service of Advent Lessons & Carols is in about three weeks: Thursday, December 12, 7pm. All are welcome. It's a beautiful evening of music and prayer to celebrate the season the way it was meant to be.
3. Our next open house will be at the end of Catholic Schools Week, on Sunday, February 2, at noon. It's not too early to RSVP.
From the day of service, at one of the charitable farms, growing food for those who might not get fresh and healthy food any other way.
From the Penn science and religion conference: MSC students watch a Dominican friar demonstrate an experiment.
