During the first week of school we were blessed to have the students at St. Victor School officially meet our new associate pastor, Father Tim. Fr. Tim started his time with us in March but due to COVID-19 he was unable to meet any of the school children until this past week. Fr. Tim will be leaving to continue his studies in Rome, so it was just a short “get to know you” visit, but I found it quite impactful for the students.
Fr. Tim grew up in the Madison area, attended Edgewood High School, was appointed and graduated from the Air Force Academy. Afterwards he entered into military life, but as he shared with the students, he had always felt a “calling” to do more. He then realized that maybe God was calling him to a life in the priesthood. He answered the call and after several more years of education, he was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Madison at the end of June 2020.
Fr. Tim shared his story with the students, because it is not very often that your priest is also a pilot and a graduate from the military academy. It is a great story because of the fact that not everyone’s story is always laid out in front of them. When we begin to talk to students about their vocation, we often start very simply by asking, what do you want to be when you grow up? With fourth grade this year we heard many great ideas: farmers, veterinarians, teachers, nurses, food truck vendors, dance teachers, builders, and so on. It was great to see the excitement on the students’ faces when they shared what they wanted to do. When pushed as to why they picked a certain vocation most of them all had the same answer. They wanted to do something that would help another person.
The final thing that really hit home for me during Fr. Tim’s lessons about vocation was this question: who does God want you to be when you grow up? The tables quickly turned, but most of our fourth graders didn’t miss a beat. They responded confidently: kind, caring, Christian, helpful, friendly. They got it. They truly discovered that no matter what your “job or career” is, what God wants from you is to follow him. To live by the Great Commandment (love God and love others). To see and help those who are in need. It doesn’t matter if you are building a house, selling tacos from a food cart, or keeping animals or people safe and healthy. What matters is that you care for one another. It is amazing that our 8- and 9-year-olds can get this, but many of the adults in our world cannot.
Our theme for the school year is taken from the book of the prophet Micah 6:8 “No the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” Which led us to this theme: We are Called: Act Justly. Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly.
I can’t think of a more important theme in all of my 20 years here at St. Victor School than this. Each one of us; students, parent, grandparent, teacher or community member is called. We are all called to do the right thing. To act justly to our neighbors to treat them as you would want to be treated. To love unconditionally because each one of us is a person who deserves our respect and understanding. Finally, to walk humbly, to know that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. It is by putting the needs of others ahead of my own that I will truly know how to live as a follower of Christ. This is the goal of St. Victor School for the 2020-21 school year. It is ambitious in nature. We won’t be perfect as we work our way through learning to be just, loving unconditionally, and walking humbly. But I know this, we are going to try our best.
The world needs us to do this. Not just students at St. Victor School, their parents, families and teachers but all people. It is time to hear this calling. Why not join us? Join our school community because I couldn’t think of a better goal for the next year. Could you imagine what we could do as a community if we started acting more justly, loving more tenderly and walking more humbly? The time to answer the call is here and now, will you join us?
— Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.
