Charles V. McPhillips
June 5, 2009

Good morning, Irish Wolfhounds, and congratulations on another outstanding year.

It was a year in which Saint Patrick’s received full, joint accreditation in a certificate hand-delivered by Dr. Eddie Kerson from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Southern Association of Independent Schools, or as 3rd-grader Payton Randolph put it, we got his “stamp of approval.” It was also the year in which you were the first Catholic school in the country to be declared a Glasser Quality School, by none other than Dr. William Glasser himself. Our first graduating class, the Class of 2008, received numerous academic honors in their first year of high school. And, to top it all off, the 8th grade class performed exceptionally well in their Grad At Graduation presentations, demonstrating the well-rounded fitness to move forward on their path to becoming future leaders in this community.

Not bad for a four-year old school. If you were a musician, I would yell, “Encore”. It is my happy opportunity to sing your praises.

Actually, one of the great regrets of my life is that I simply cannot sing. It is also one of the greatest regrets of those who have heard me try to sing. Indeed, my singing voice is so dangerous that I doubt I could get it through the security checkpoint at the Norfolk Airport. Being sensitive to criticism, I prefer to be known as “melodically challenged.”

But, in my mind’s ear, I am constantly filled with song when I reflect on the last ten years as we struggled to create Saint Patrick’s and now to see what a great creation it has become. The song I hear is beautiful; the music must come from the heart – all of yours. Based on all of the dedicated but joyful work of our faculty and staff, the generosity and sacrifice of so many parents and friends of the School, and the cheerful conduct of our students that sets this School apart, I know I am not alone in hearing a song,

Let us build a house where love can dwell
And all can safely live
A place where saints and sinners tell
How hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions
Rock of Faith and Vault of Grace
Here the love of God shall end divisions
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

I congratulate you, Wolfhounds, on the long strides you took this year toward becoming the best Catholic school in the country. But I am most proud when I hear from newcomers and visitors, close-by neighbors and those who have travelled some distance, people of considerable means and people of modest means, folks from all walks of life, that they all feel welcome, sincerely welcome, in this place. That comes from your warmly greeting them, looking them in the eye and shaking their hands, and standing up when they visit your classroom.

It’s your saying, by your friendly welcome, that we are called to love and respect our neighbor. That we at Saint Patrick’s will do unto others as we would have them do unto us. That we see the God-given good in someone who is willing to visit or join our school community.

Can there be any doubt that you and I are following Jesus’ example when we warmly and sincerely welcome someone into our Saint Patrick’s home? To quote my very favorite hymn,

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of All Grace
Your Hands Swift to Welcome, Your Arms to Embrace

So, Wolfhounds, spread out and spread the good news, tell your friends and all those you meet, that Saint Patrick’s was built upon a hope, a dream and vision that we would become the best, most welcoming Catholic school in the country. And when you return in the Fall and when you new graduates come back to visit, let us declare that, in addition to being SACS/SAIS accredited, and a Glasser Quality School, and a school from which our graduates have gone on to excel, that we have become, and are dedicated to remaining, the School of Cead Mille Failte, the School of a 100,000 Thousand Welcomes, making us the most genuinely welcoming school community anywhere. I am nowhere near the educator that Dr. Eddie Kerson is or that Dr. William Glasser is. But I do consider myself the leading authority on the vision that built Saint Patrick’s. If you will do what I have asked, it will be my honor to declare that you have fulfilled the vision that built Saint Patrick’s.

May the Lord of all kindliness, may the Lord of all Grace, hold you and all who visit and join us, in His Embrace.

Category: Milestones