Learning and Celebration

At the end of last month, I went to St. Teresa's to participate in Father Kevin's Farewell Weekend Fesitivities.  Among the various elements in the liturgy that were befitting of Father Kevin was doing the "Party Hard with Jesus Christ" routine.  (Or is it "Party Hard like Jesus Christ"?  I'm not entirely sure.)

It was very fittting to do that at the end of Mass, because Father Kevin has masterfully taught us that our faith really is a great celebration of having a relationship with the God Who loves us so much and desires so greatly to be in relationship with us, which we as Roman Catholics express most especially by attending Mass each weekend.

As we "Partied Hard with Jesus Christ", my mind drifted back to teaching Religious Education (RE) class the past year.  I've written about my experiences teaching RE before on my blog, given how significant of an experience it is in my life, and I wish to focus a little more on it in this blog post.

I actually led my students how to "Party Hard with Jesus Christ" toward the end of the year in April.  The vast majority of my students were going through, and are still in, preparations for the sacrament of Confirmation this coming October.  One of the tenets of faith that Father Hurlbert, Ascension's pastor, has been heavily emphasizing is the importance of baptized Roman Catholics attending Mass on a regular basis, and particularly emphasized this with the students as part of their preparation for Confirmation.

Aware that sometimes teens struggle to find meaning in the experience of Mass, I felt it was important to continually talk in class about why Mass is significant, and help them think about it differently.  That's when I decided to lead them in the "Party Hard" routine, and used that as an object lesson to demonstrate how Mass is our opportunity to celebrate our faith.  This was one of several object lessons I used throughout class sessions from January onward, when the Confirmation preparations began.

Indeed, teaching RE has given me much reason to celebrate faith, because it's an opportunity for us to grow in it together as we spend time each week learning about various parts of it.  Even I learn as I lead the students in exploring various aspects of faith.  It was amazing to hear students express profound insights about faith, and also pose some good questions in exit slips I had them fill out at the end of class sessions, which was a way for me to assess how they were learning in class.  I remember one students once asked a question about how we know Jesus really resurrected, and when I addressed that question at the start of the following class, I started by commending the student who wrote it for posing such a question, which is about a matter at the heart of our faith.

And ultimately, I see that the purpose of Religious Education is to help stimulate a measure of growth in my students so that they make meaning of faith, take ownership of it, and carry it on throughout their lives.  It's exciting in the role of teacher to see growth take place, even in small ways, marveling at what may happen years in the future.

That actually connects with what I learned while studying for my MLIS:  One of the ALA's Core Values of Librarianship is Lifelong Learning, which libraries foster by providing access to information that help people continually grow in knowledge and understanding.  (I thought about that as I was exiting the graduation ceremony.  One of the student volunteers remarked we wouldn't have any more school, and I turned around to say as LIS professionals, we're still engaged in lifelong learning.)

With RE, I start something, and then let the growth take hold as students build upon a foundation I lay.  Indeed, teaching RE has been such an extraordinary experience because I'm making an investment that has eternal implications as I spend time with these young people.  And while spending time with them, I am taken back to the time in my life when I experienced significant growth in my own faith, and it stirs something in my soul to be part of this process for the next generation.  Certainly I experienced so much growth taking on the role of caring for the souls of the young people in my charge, and working, even through challenges, to create an environment that stimulates their own growth in their faith.  (It was wonderful to reflect on this when I went back to Julian Middle School and was taking with my former 7th grade science teacher about what it means to be a teacher and have an impact on students, and how to show true care towards them.)  When I step back to take stock of it all, it's amazing to see what an investment I have made, and the impact I've had on 30 students at Ascension Parish.

Furthermore, this experience has taught me what really matters most in life, and has directed my gaze upward to Heaven above, knowing that faith reveals to us that which is everlasting, and life finds truly great meaning in directing our efforts to build up treasure that is lasting.  And that has been a true joy.

Patriotic Greetings 2016: In the Setting for a Movement

Patriotic Greetings!

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays, for it takes us back to the origins of this country, most especially to those pivotal days in 1776.

Tensions between Britain and its 13 North American Colonies that had been increasing since the end of war between Britain and France in 1763 over issues of taxes and tightening control of the colonies  erupted into fighting on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts.  On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia delegate in the Continental Congress, meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, offered the following resolution: "Resolved. That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.  That they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown.  And that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

Over the next three weeks, the delegates considered this significant resolution.  Meanwhile, Congress appointed a Committee on June 11, with the task of creating a document to address the move for independence.  The task of drafting the declaration fell to Virginia delegate Thomas Jefferson.

On July 2, Congress held a vote on the independence resolution, and with a unanimous vote of approval, the United States became independent.  Then, Congress turned to the draft of the Declaration, spending the next couple of days editing it.  On July 4, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, and it was sent to the printer to create broadsides.  The first public reading occurred outside the Pennsylvania State House on July 8.  On August 2, the Declaration was signed by most of its signers.

I celebrate Independence Day this year in an extra special way, because I recently visited the place where these proceedings took place.  Aware of the importance of Independence Hall in the city of Philadelphia to the founding of this country, I eagerly desired to visit there, to get a sense of the physical place that bore this nation.  My long wait finally came to an end last month when I went on a trip to Philadelphia.

Thanks to the fellow tourist who kindly got this picture of me standing outside the north side of Independence Hall, with a statue of George Washington behind me.

Upon finishing my volunteering at the SLA conference, I decided it was the right time to finally visit Independence Hall, and headed straight there for an evening tour.

What an incredible feeling it was to stand outside Independence Hall as I waited to go inside for a tour.  I must have been beaming as I stood at one of the most important places in the United States.  And what a rush I felt as I stepped inside, walking in the very halls where the founders of this nation walked over two centuries ago.

The tour started first in the court chamber, and then moved into the Assembly Room, where the Continental Congress met, and where the independence of the United States became a reality.

Hearing from the ranger while on tour inside the Assembly Room

The ranger leading our tour spoke about the reality of democratic government back in the colonies in 18th Century.  The government established a number of rights for citizens, but they were limited, because, for a time, they only applied to Caucasian male landowners.  It was a start, but there was much room for their expansion in scope.  Even the freedoms mentioned in the Declaration of Independence weren't realized fully for all in society, given the status of women and the existence of slavery at the time to name a couple of examples.  And when the Constitution was created in that same room just over a decade later, liberty wasn't perfectly and fully realized, although that document made important strides toward securing liberty.  The tour guide alluded to how the history of this nation is a process of embracing more fully the reality of liberty and freedom for all, which is now our work.

Independence was declared in a place that had already been making significant strides in the cause of liberty.  For example, Philadelphia was founded in the 17th Century by William Penn, who intended it as a place where people could practice religion freely.  As a result, there was a diverse collection of religious congregations in Philadelphia.  Old St. Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic parish founded by Jesuits in the 1730's, and for many years was the only place in the 13 Colonies where Mass could be publicly celebrated, a testament to the unique nature of Philadelphia's stance on religious tolerance.  A sign outside the church describes how the congregation had to advocate for its right to freely worship before the Pennsylvania legislature, which decided in favor of them based on what William Penn established, over other laws in place at the time.

Since then, US society has fostered greater tolerance of free religious practice for not just Roman Catholics, but other Christian denominations and religious groups.  It adds depth to my sense of who I am to know that my Roman Catholic forebears in this country overcame much discrimination to have the presence we have today in society.

The Declaration of Independence started a new nation that soon came to be governed by the Constitution that was created in the same building.  That new government met in buildings flanking Independence Hall, in Congress Hall to the west, and the Old City Hall building just to the east, where the Supreme Court met.  Congress expanded the scope of the Constitution by specifying the rights of citizens in creating the Bill of Rights, which contain important principles for how we live out liberty in our society, even to this day.

As the tour guide mentioned in Independence Hall, we are indeed part of the process of advancing liberty in our own day, which was a theme I kept encountering throughout the sightseeing I did in Philadelphia.  An important movement was launched in Philadelphia, where a nation was born, and from its start was committed to liberty and freedom for the many, not a select few.  In the years since then, we as a nation have progressed toward expanding that liberty, with important strides being made by those who advocated for abolition of slavery, women's voting rights, and civil rights for African-Americans.  And the work continues today.

This idea was emphasized in the National Liberty Museum, just east of Independence Hall on Chestnut Street, which had artwork speaking to the efforts of making liberty a broader reality, as did the stories shared in the museum's introductory video.  One story was about a musical band that goes on tour performing at concerts.  All its members have one form of disability or another, and their purpose is to bring dignity to those with disabilities by highlighting their incredible abilities.

Another story highlighted in the video was about Katie Stagliano.  She grew a vegetable for a school project to a very large size, and then took it to a local charity kitchen to donate it.  Seeing the long lines of people waiting for a free meal spurred her to do more to help those in need.  She created an organization called Katie's Krops, which has expanded throughout the United States, so that other young people are now involved in the efforts of growing vegetables in gardens that are served at charity kitchens.

Certainly I would consider both of these stories as great examples of works of social justice for those who are on the margins of society.  But to think of them as acts advancing the cause of liberty in our own day was an enlightening new perspective for me.  These people are engaging in efforts that are about something larger than themselves.  And such acts of allowing people to live more fully in liberty find even greater purpose when they point toward the God Who makes us free, that we may serve higher purposes.

The National Constitution Center is a great museum that gives visitors the opportunity to explore the implications of the Constitution's workings for freedom and liberty.  In the Sidney Kimmel Theater, visitors view a presentation called "Freedom Rising", which it talks about the foundations of the United States in principles of freedom and liberty, as well as how they have expanded throughout the history of this country in their being worked out by the Constitution.  The take-away point stated at the end of the presentation challenges us to take charge of the task of continuing the advance of liberty and freedom.

A big part of this effort is understanding the history and the meaning of these principles, like visitors can do at a place like the National Constitution Center.  In the Independence National Historical Park Visitor's Center, I noticed this quotation:

It speaks to the importance of learning in the process of advancing liberty.  We must learn about these matters in order to make our efforts count, just as much as we have the responsibility to use learning to further higher purposes.  And as a recently MLIS-degreed person, I know how important it is to be learning all throughout life, to have knowledge ready at hand for meaningful purposes--and librarians are important in our society to help facilitate access to knowledge.

I also think about the role the National Park Service (NPS) plays in helping us learn about our nation's rich heritage by preserving sites of natural, historical, and cultural significance.  We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to the work the NPS does as stewards of our national treasures, which is all the more reason to join in the celebration of the NPS's Centennial this year, and to go out and visit these sites.  Certainly I feel that all Americans should have the opportunity to visit Philadelphia and tour Independence Hall, to have that physical sense of where independence became a reality.

I recognize the importance of considering the origins of our country, celebrated in a special way on this occasion, because, like with anything else, our origins speak to who we are as a nation this day, and how we came to be the way we are, to give us direction for where we're headed.  We the people of the United States were founded to be a nation committed to freedom and liberty in a way that was unprecedented in the history of the world up to that point in time.  And we make ourselves to be the best version of ourselves when we continue the work of liberty, allowing all people to leave in the full realization of the rights espoused by the principles established long ago by those who gathered in Independence Hall.  And the events that happen there live on as we strive forth to spread that liberty.

My recent trip to Philadelphia was timed so that I was there on June 14, Flag Day, and I attended a ceremony at Independence Hall, where Congress adopted the flag resolution in 1777.  One of the speakers at the ceremony did a reenactment of the "Flag Makers" speech given by Franklin Lane, Secretary of the Interior in the Wilson administration.  His speech was a metaphorical dialogue between a government employee and the US flag.  The flag spoke about good works being done by that employee to help out citizens, and the good works done by others, like a mother raising her child, and a schoolteacher instructing her students.  In these acts, these people were flagmakers, not because they were sewing pieces of fabric together, but because they were giving meaning to the US flag: 

"I am what you make me, nothing more."

On this Independence Day, I think that quotation speaks to this task that the Founding Fathers took up in the Pennsylvania State House so many years ago, and the task that has been handed on through the generations to us today.  Our country was born with a rich heritage of a commitment to liberty and freedom.  It is our responsibility to make those principles a reality today so that all may live fully in freedom that we receive from God.

The meaning of symbols like the US flag and the Liberty Bell; the meaning of the 200-something-year-old Charters of Freedom documents housed in special cases in the rotunda at the National Archives building in Washington, DC; and the meaning of places like Independence Hall and the events that unfolded there, is something that we create today as we advance liberty in our society.

That makes any effort to spread liberty on any day a celebration in the spirit of 1776, and the spirit of Independence Day.

I salute the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of America,
Paul

Above: the Liberty Bell with Independence Hall appearing in the backdrop
Below: Independence Hall, looking to the south from Independence Mall

P.S. This is my annual Patriotic Greetings note. now in its 4th year in digital form.  Please feel free to share with others to spread the Patriotic cheer.  Hard copies of this note are available.  You can use the contact form on this blog to let me know if you would like a hard copy and where I should send it.

All pictures in this blog post were taken by me unless otherwise noted.