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**We apologize for the delay in today's Keystone. We experienced technical difficulties with our Constant Contact platform.
Greetings!
St. Thomas Aquinas, when asked what it takes to become a saint, responded succinctly in two words: “Will it.” I’ve been holding onto that line as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of All Saints this weekend.
If I’m honest, the lives of the saints can often feel impossible to imitate. At a conference I attended last week, the keynote speaker Jonathan Doyle invited us to ask what might be holding us back from truly aspiring to live like the saints. I’m still wrestling with that question, and yet I find it easier to see sanctity all around me: in you, our faculty and staff, our pastors, and our students, each one furthering the Kingdom of God through your daily work and example. It’s not hard to see how we are forming saints for today and tomorrow.
In returning to Aquinas’s own words, I’m reminded that a saint is someone with a determined will to grow in holiness through constant effort, guided by divine grace, and directed toward a union with God. It’s not about perfection or a lack of sin. It’s about the daily decision to choose God again and again, through prayer, the sacraments, and the quiet resolution to grow in virtue.
That, I believe, is what I hope to be about, and what I hope for each of the students we serve and for each of you, that we remain determined to grow in holiness and repeatedly choose God, day after day. If we can will that, we might just be saints after all.
Before I close, I want to thank you for joining us last Thursday at our Annual Principal and Pastoral Leadership Meeting. I’d ask that you please take a few minutes and share your thoughts and feedback on the day in this evaluation. Your insights help us strengthen and enrich future gatherings.
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Our friends and partners at the Roche Center for Catholic Education at Boston College are looking for parents in Catholic schools, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic, to share their experiences and perceptions on how their school communities work with them for the education of their children. They recognize that it is an especially vulnerable and uncertain time for school and migrant communities, and assure all participants that all information collected will be anonymous and strictly confidential. The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete and the first 800 parents nationwide who participate will be compensated with an Amazon gift card.
If you are willing to participate, please complete this form. Once the form is completed, they will provide the school leader a unique survey link and communication in both English and Spanish to use with families.
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We highlighted de-escalation training at our meeting last week. Please see below for an upcomign offering at St. James Cathedral.
De-escalation and Personal Safety Training
Nov. 8 | 10 a.m.-noon | St. James Cathedral
Parish staff and hospitality ministers are invited to learn preventative measures, interventions, effective verbal approaches and safety enhancements for parish life.
De-Escalation Training
With gratitude,
NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent
Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle
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