I have a subscription to Give Us This Day, a daily Catholic prayer book and Monday's reflection was from Therese J. Bouchard, a chaplain and writer. She interpreted the passage This Little Light of Mine, from her patroness, St. Therese of Lisieux, it is really about about love. In St. Therese's autobiography, The Story of a Soul, she writes, "It seems to me this lamp represents charity which must enlighten and rejoice not only those who are dearest to us but 'ALL who are in the house without distinction.'"

Therese explains, "to let our light shine involves using our God-given gifts and desires in our vocations and professional pursuits. But the harder and more important commandment here is to be loving to everyone in our lives - to make a concerted effort to be charitable in every word and action, including all the mundane activities of our day. In the grocery shopping, the laundry, the ordinary exchanges with people we pass in the hall and on the street. It is more about being an instrument of love, transparent to God's light through us, than any big effort or accomplishment of our own".

This month, our Institutional Advancement team is planning multiple opportunities for us to gather together: in moments of reflection and prayer as we welcome alumnae to campus and induct members of the class of 1999 and 1974 in the Circle of Silver and Gold. There will be opportunities to remember Mother Marie Rose during our Legacy Brunch, and without her light, we wouldn't have our school community. We will have time to gather on the green to support our school, be mentors and advocate for each other in New York City on October 18, and on October 22 share our industry wisdom with our aspiring student professionals during Career Day.

Our light, collectively, makes this community vibrant and only together are we able to sustain the legacy of this school for young girls, just like our predecessors did for us.

I would like to hear from you. What do you think of this newsletter and how do you want to get involved with our community?

You can reach me at kamcdermott@ahns.org.

God Bless!

Katie Ann McDermott '98