A Saint Like Me?

During the summer, life tends to slow down a little bit. (Though, admittedly, the to-do list for preparing for next school year keeps growing at the admin level.) Still, without the hustle and bustle of the students, parents, and teachers throughout our building, the pace is slower, the mornings are less rushed, and the work hours are, for the most part, shorter.

At least for me, with slowing down comes more time for quiet and reflection. Quiet time is usually a welcome thing, but sometimes it can bring a lot of thoughts, emotions, etc. to the surface, causing normal thoughts for the tasks at hand to be interrupted. In the words of a friend I recently spoke to about having silent time in the car, he said, "Ain't nobody wanna be in there. There's too much going on!" Um...same.

My thoughts have recently been vocational in nature - as in, I have no clue what I'm supposed to do with my life. (Well, that's a little dramatic - I guess I have some clue, as I definitely feel called to this whole Catholic education thing.) But even within Catholic education, what mark am I supposed to make? Am I doing everything I can with what I have to advance the Kingdom of God in the here and now? Am I meant for the single life, or is the good Catholic man I've been praying for going to enter my life at some point in the near future? (I could keep on listing the questions swirling around in my head, but I think this glimpse gives you the idea.)

In life, God tells us to be patient. And that's hard to do, as it's more about trust than patience, IMHO. What's also difficult (yet, I guess you could say freeing at the same time) is there are so many examples and models of how to live the faith. And, as any teacher can tell you, choice is good...until you are overwhelmed by too many of them. Such is how I feel with the Saints. But I was reading an article in the Salesian magazine a few days ago, and one of the things the sister writing the article said stuck out to me: "God knows the world needs a Saint like you, too."

And it's true. God doesn't need another Mother Teresa or Thomas Aquinas, a Therese of Lisieux or an Ignatius of Loyola. He needs us - in all of our brokenness, with all of our gifts. And that is a beautiful thought! So as the pace stays slower (at least for the immediate future), I'm going to take comfort in that. I may not know the road ahead, but I need to trust that God will guide my footsteps.

I hope you take some time to relax and reflect this summer too. And keep fighting the good fight because the world needs a Saint like you, too.

What happens when your twin sister comes to school?

My sister's been very busy with First Communion-related events (yay!) with her students this weekend, but she took a break on Saturday night to come out to my school's performance of Peter Pan, Jr.

All week my middle school students were extremely excited that my sister would be in attendance. (Some of them were quite distressed when she wasn't with me before the show began - she was coming separately a little closer to curtain time.) They knew I had a twin, but most of the 6th and 7th graders had never met her previously...

Student A: How will we know which one is the real Miss Foyle?
Me: It will be easy. She won't know your names.

Student B: What's her name?
Me: Miss Foyle...for now.
Student B: No, like her real name?
Me: Miss Foyle. :)


The show was quite a spectacle, as it usually is, and afterwards my sister, her fiance (yes, he came too - what a trooper!), and I were still in our seats waiting for the crowd to thin so we could go congratulate the students. Lo and behold, some 6th graders found us, and they definitely had more enthusiasm than they knew what to do with. When I introduced them to my sister and her fiance, they shifted gears to asking about the wedding:

Student A: Are you going to be in the wedding, Miss Foyle?
Me: (Sarcastically) No.
Student A: (laughs)
Student B: Are you going to hold flowers?
Me: Yes.

Meanwhile, another 6th grader walked up. She was more composed and calm. The girls we had been speaking with were trying to fill her in on the wedding, but this young lady was trying to make a deeper connection...

Student C (one who just walked up): That's your sister and her fiance? So, that's her vocation, right Miss Foyle - married life?
I wanted to hug that girl right there and then - yes! That's exactly what we've been talking about in religion class the past week - the 4 vocations as taught by the Church.
Me: Yes, that's exactly right. Her vocation is married life.



I'll admit, I run into a challenge every year when I teach the students about vocations because I'm not quite sure I've found my own yet. (That's right, I'm 32 years old and still not sure what God wants me to do with my life.) Questions from the students come from a place of genuine curiosity, but I don't have the answers, and, quite frankly, it makes me a little uneasy:

Miss Foyle, are you going to get married? (Maybe?)
Miss Foyle, are you committed single life? (I'm not sure about that one.)
Miss Foyle, have you thought about becoming a nun? (Yes, but that was a long time ago.)
Miss Foyle, if you could become a priest would you? (Probably not...)

There is one vocation, though, that all of us share, and that is a universal call to love (which we are getting to this week and next), and this is a vocation I strive to live out every day. Love is a choice; love is willing the good of the other, even those we do not particularly like or with whom we may be frustrated at any given moment. As Jesus says in the Gospel of John, "Love one another as I have loved you."

So, at least for now, I'll focus on this vocation of love - goodness knows there are endless opportunities to practice it during the school day. And, through continued prayer and discernment, I trust God will more clearly show me my other vocation as well...

Let me Google that...

Vocation = from the Latin vocare, meaning "to call"

Teaching this unit to 6th and 7th grade at the same time, albeit different standards, is causing my head to spin. I can't keep things straight half the time. And all the time, students are asking me what my vocation is... Most common comment - "Married life?" wink wink. (Let's just say I'm praying about and working on it...)

In 6th grade, they get to do one of my all-time favorite projects: "Doodle 4 Google - Vocations". After designing a Doodle that represents the vocations (as named in the church), the student is asked to provide a written explanation of his/her symbols as well as what the role of each vocation is in the Church.

Most of the students got really into the project, some even begging me to come and see theirs before turning it in because they were so proud of their designs. (Some asked if I could send them off to Google!) Here are just a few of the designs I received today:

I'm really very satisfied with how today shaped up in each class, even though it was a Friday. Nothing was too crazy or difficult to handle, which is sometimes the case at the end of the week, so we are ready to gear up for just a few more weeks of school. It makes me think that some days I am doing things "right" as an educator...

In other news...

At the end of a long day, sometimes the best medicine is fresh-squeezed orange juice (especially when you've had a headache all afternoon and fear you might be coming down with a cold)...

And even feelings of aching and cold-like symptoms can be somewhat forgotten by supportive comments from grad school supervisors... :)

Pray for our Priests

For the first time in quite some time, I had the 8th graders' attention.

Now, I could chalk that up to the fact that, due to the rotating schedule, I had them before lunch (which does not happen the rest of the week), OR I could chalk it up to the fact that this video about the priesthood got their attention.

After watching the video multiple times myself, I'd like to go with the latter.

The 8th grade is in the midst of a unit on vocations, so yesterday we took a deeper look at one of the four vocations: priesthood. We did some other videos and activities too, but this video was, by far, the one that held their attention the most. After the video (about 12 minutes in length) finished, I asked them to give their initial reactions and to share what they noticed about the seminarians & priests in the video.

One comment stood out (and I wasn't sure anyone would necessarily pick up on it, even though it was pretty obvious): They all look happy. Darn right they do - they're full of the love of God, and through their vocation they are sharing that love with others. They are amazing and such a true blessing to the Catholic faithful.

We ended class with a prayer for priests. I invite you to pray it too:

Answering a Vocation

"It is important that you choose your career with care, so that you may really follow the vocation that God has destined for you. No day should pass without some prayer to this end. Often repeat with Saint Paul: 'Lord, what will you have me do?'" 

- Saint John Bosco (1815-1888), Feast day January 31

At the start of Catholic Schools' Week, this quote (which came across my inbox today) seemed highly appropriate. As most Catholic school teachers can tell you, we ain't in it for the money. For many, it is truly an opportunity to answer a vocation and to help nurture the young people in our care to one day answer theirs.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Catholic education! Please instill a deep sense of love and faith in the hearts of your people. Please bless all Catholic school educators, administrators, parents, students, and supporters. Give them, O Lord, a sense of fulfillment in knowing they are carrying out your will. Amen.

God is Good...Monday (6/23)

Monday, 6/23/14

Last night after dinner we all went around and did introductions – it was wonderful to, first, learn everyone’s name, and, second, to learn a little about each person’s story. One of the most moving things shared was a mom who’s here with her daughter – 30 years ago she traveled to Jerusalem. At the time, she was newly married and unlikely to be able to have children. She offered an intention at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and soon after conceived her daughter. How beautiful!

We also went to Deck’s for a drink post-dinner. That was so lovely with the breeze coming off the water.

More about today’s events later – otherwise, we’ll miss the bus…

- - - - -
Today we will go to Cana, Nazareth, and the Church of the Annunciation. I wrote down the Magnificat so I could meditate on it later.

(Youssef just distributed whisper-phones to us.)

God is good…all the time.

- - - - -
Renewal of wedding vows at Cana today – very moving & beautiful. I did not take pictures during that part – I tried to be present in the moment. It seemed to work – I was the most present and the most moved I have felt so far.

(I need to work on balance - notes, pictures, prayer, & being in the moment)

Back at the hotel…

We went to the pool for about an hour. Fr. Ken joined us. I asked him how he became a priest – someone remarked how that was a pretty loaded question, to which I replied it was “deep conversation for deep water.” (couldn’t resist)

Fr. Ken obliged – it was a long story, but it boiled down to him telling us to be careful what we ask for. He was finishing up a silent retreat at which he was sure God would lead him out of it telling him he should not be a priest. Instead, on the last day(!), he asked God what He wanted. Soon after, he saw a manger with a smiling lamb, and he heard “Feed my lambs.” Can’t argue with that, right?

After the pool, it was time to shower and have dinner. I truly enjoyed some great conversation – one woman is such a magnificent story teller. She had us nearly doubled over on the floor laughing at one point. (I’d relay the “sudsing shorts story” here, but I could not do it justice. Sorry!)

Post-dinner we hit up the hotel bar – but don’t worry, we didn’t hit it up too hard…