Catholic High School: A Faith Community in Times of Trouble

On the Mirror of Justice, we've often posted messages on the practical advantages of Catholic education, in terms of educational quality and opportunity for a diverse population of students.  As Mirror of Justice readers may remember, my daughter attends Benilde-St. Margaret's High School school in the Twin Cities, which exemplifies those qualities.  I am so very thankful that she is in an environment where being "cool" and being "smart" are not incompatible.  At Benilde-St. Margaret's (BSM), to be the captain of the football team or a state tournament quality player on the girl's soccer team and also to be a top student is commendably seen as unremarkable.

But what makes Catholic education distinctive is our Catholic faith.  The events of this past week at Benilde-St. Margaret's has reminded me of the inestimable value of a Catholic educational community when tragedy strikes, as administrators, faculty, students, and families come together openly in the name of Jesus Christ.

As reported prominently in the Minnesota news media (for examples, see here and here), as well as in the BSM high school press (see examples here and here), a sophomore playing on the BSM hockey team was checked from behind into the boards and suffered a spinal injury, leaving him hospitalized with paralyzing injuries.  Although the injury came during the holiday break, within a couple of days, the whole BSM community had come together to support Jack Jablonski (the injured player) and his family, with visits to the hospital, school rallies in support, etc.

And, being a Catholic high school, prayer has been central to the support.  When a young person suffers such a tragic injury, our faith can be tested, as we question how a loving God can allow such a thing to happen.  But it is precisely in such times of hardship that we see the fruits of longstanding faith and the enduring value of a high school that is unapologetically and openly united as a community by faith in God.

A recent message from the BSM principal, Dr. Sue Skinner, says it so very well:

What happened to Jack doesn’t make sense and it’s very difficult to see him, his family and our community suffer.  What does make sense is that we can talk about this in the light of our faith.  What does make sense is the outpouring of love and support for each other.  We know that God has not and will not abandon us.  We have hope and faith that miracles happen.  They may not always appear as we planned, but they appear nonetheless.

When classes at BSM resumed after the holiday break, there was a prayer assembly in support of Jack, that my daughter says was one of the most amazing experiences of her high school years.  The quiet seriousness of the students, the intensity of their devotion and prayers, their heart for Jack, and the tangible unity of their faith (my daughter describes the students joining to make the Sign of the Cross almost as if in practiced synchronicity).

We have been delighted to learn from Jack's mother that he is improving, able to move his arms on command in ways that had not been anticipated and contradict the initial diagnosis (here).  We do understand that his recovery will be slow and that his life has been changed forever.  But the BSM community has shown that he will never been alone in that struggle.  (Those who read this message and are moved to offer support to Jack and his family can find information here.)

And we have been deeply moved to learn that Jack has insistently been asking about the other team's player that checked him, wanting to know that he was doing well and wanting to assure him that he too should not carry this burden alone.  When that other player courageously visited Jack in the hospital, the Star-Tribune (here) described him as bringing "tremendous guilt but left with forgiveness."  Jack and his family understand that the check was not malicious and not intended to cause injury.

Such an admirable and loving response is reassuringly typical of the kind of young men and women being formed in faith and conscience at Benilde-St. Margaret's.  I pray that we will see a flourishing of Catholic education -- and similar programs and schools for other faith communities -- in the years ahead.  God knows that we all need it and will all benefit from it.

Greg Sisk