Dear St. Francis Family:
May the Lord bless you! I hope you are
enjoying your summer and will find sometime in the next several weeks to
“recharge” – the new school year will be here before we know it! While I plan
to get away this summer, I must say that I am very much looking forward to
welcoming back the returning students and the members of the 2013 class.
I truly enjoyed my first year as president of
St. Francis High School. The excitement of working in an educational
environment and seeing so many young men going to school every day is fascinating
and most rewarding. Our parents have to be very proud of their sons and
grateful that they are willing to pursue a secondary education in an
environment like the one we have here at St. Francis. Your sacrifices and hard
work will be rewarded by God and will be appreciated by your sons as they
progress in their lives and later on in their professional careers. Our alumni
and their parents can attest to this – one’s St. Francis experience plays an
ongoing “lead role” in all aspects of daily life.
One of the things that impressed me the most
in my first year was the quality of the students we are fortunate to have here
at St. Francis. Their integrity, sense of brotherhood, the importance they give
to their spiritual development and the trust they have with one another are an
indication of the virtues and values we emphasize here at the school and have
since we graduated our first class, sixty years ago. Of course, we could not do
our job without the initiative, help, and support of our parents, alumni and
dear friends – thank you all!
During the 2009-10 school year we will
continue to emphasize the Christian values and the Franciscan virtues, which
are so characteristic of St. Francis High School. We want our students to
appreciate the value of prayer, service, acceptance and compassion. We will try
to seek new ways to raise their awareness in these areas by exposing them to
opportunities to realize how God can use them in their young lives to bring
God’s love to others.
Next Easter we plan to take another
pilgrimage to Assisi to give the opportunity to more students to learn more
about St. Francis and to bring that knowledge to our campus so they can share
it with their brothers. Our initial pilgrimage this past Easter was a great
experience and an enjoyable spiritual journey for those who went to Assisi and
Rome.
We are also looking forward to the sport
events that are so filled with enthusiasm and promote character, respect and
team work. I encourage you to attend the games and to cheer our Golden Knights.
They are always winners because of the way they play and show their integrity
on the field.
I ask you also to encourage your sons to be a part of
the Fine Arts programs we have here at the school. Our productions in our
theater are the best of any school in the Los Angeles area. The artistic
talents of our students make us all proud.
During my time in Europe this summer I will
have the opportunity to reflect on the tremendous gift that God has given me by
working and ministering at St. Francis. My title of President is an important
position as the Chief Executive Officer of the school, but for me personally it
is not as important as being a priest. I say this because I want you to know
that I am interested, and it is a priority of mine, to be of service in the
spiritual area to the St. Francis family. The students who already know me are
aware that I am available to speak with them.
I ask you to please pray for our faculty,
staff and for me. Please also know that
you are present at my Mass and in my prayers every day.
Sincerely in Jesus and Francis,
Fr. Tony Martí, OFM Cap
President
