Fitting everyone in the frame of a family photo can take some maneuvering. But after Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory celebrated a Sept. 6 Mass at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church in Leonardtown, Maryland, marking the 70th anniversary of the adjoining Father Andrew White, S.J. School, the cardinal along with the participating clergy, the school’s nearly 270 students in the pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, and its teachers and staff, posed for a group photo in the church, after photographers in the choir loft directed the shifting of students to fit in the composition.
At the beginning of the First Friday Mass, Cardinal Gregory noted that day was “a celebration of 70 years of Catholic education. For 70 years, the Word of the Lord, the sacraments of the Church and trust in Our Lady have been celebrated here.”
Before the Mass started, Janet Szoch, the principal of Father Andrew White, S.J. School, told the students, “Let us remember who we are. We are the children of God. Let us remember where we are, in the house of the Lord. Let us remember why we are here, to offer worship to God, our heavenly Father. And let us remember whom we are about to receive, Jesus in the Eucharist, the true body and blood of Christ.”
Father David Beaubien, the pastor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish, welcomed the cardinal to the anniversary Mass, and noted the school is named for an important figure in Maryland’s history.
“Our school takes pride in being named for the English Jesuit priest, Father Andrew White, known as the ‘Apostle of Maryland,’ who celebrated the first Mass in the original 13 colonies not far from here in 1634 and who with great dedication evangelized the local populace,” Father Beaubien said.
Jesuit Father Andrew White celebrated that historic Mass on St. Clement’s Island on March 25, 1634, the Feast of the Annunciation, after the approximately 150 settlers who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean from England aboard the ships the Ark and Dove landed on what became the Maryland colony. Each year, Maryland Day is celebrated on March 25 to commemorate the establishment of the future state.
Lord Baltimore, who was Catholic, established the Maryland colony as a haven for religious toleration, and historians now regard Maryland as the birthplace of religious freedom in the United States.
In his remarks on the anniversary of Father Andrew White, S.J. School, Father Beaubien also noted “the faith of countless of our ancestors in all walks of life and social strata on whose shoulders we stand. We also recognize the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, who served our school with dedication from the outset.”
The pastor of St. Aloysius expressed hope “that this celebration of our 70 years will inspire in our students, faculty, administrators and families a commitment to a successful future in educating our children in the Catholic faith.”
In addition to Father Beaubien, the concelebrating priests at the Mass included Father Edward Hegnauer, the pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Newtowne, and Father Joe Cwik, the pastor of Our Lady’s Church at Medley’s Neck and the chaplain at St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown. Father Andrew White, S.J. School is cosponsored by St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish, St. Francis Xavier Parish and Our Lady’s Church.
In his homily, Cardinal Gregory expressed gratitude to the Sisters of Charity and to all the teachers who have educated generations of students at the school, and he also thanked parents, parishioners and community members for their support.
That day’s gospel from Matthew 5:13-16 included Jesus’s words during the Sermon on the Mount, when He encouraged his followers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and Jesus told them, “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
Reflecting on that gospel, the cardinal told the students that “Jesus says we are to be the light of the world, you and I… We have to give light to the world that brings people hope.”
He noted that in the time of the gospels, salt was needed to preserve food. He encouraged the students to be like salt, “and preserve the faith that is ours, and keep it fresh.”
Concluding his homily, Cardinal Gregory said, “For 70 years, this school has been a source of preserving the faith, of keeping the faith alive in this part of the archdiocese and being a light of encouragement… You young people really are the light of the world.”
After Communion, two students brought up gifts to the cardinal that included a framed photo of the school community and drawings and thank-you notes from students.
Janet Szoch, Father Andrew White, S.J. School’s principal, thanked the cardinal for celebrating the 70th anniversary Mass, and noted, ““Many lives have been formed by the teachings of Jesus in our school building. Our alumni have established medical centers, formed foundations, assisted in mission work and become sisters and priests in service to our Lord.”
The principal said the school’s staff and its priest director, Father Beaubien, are “dedicated to our mission of teaching our students to know Jesus, to grow in knowledge and Christian virtues, and to reach out in service to affect the lives of others for the better. Our students are encouraged to let their light shine for the glory of God, and for 70 years, they have done just that.”
Father Andrew White, S.J. School received a National Blue Ribbon School Award from the U.S. Department of Education in 2012.
In an interview, Szoch noted that the school’s students are active in serving others, including collecting food for local pantries and holiday gifts for soldiers overseas, visiting the elderly and supporting outreach to the homeless.
Noting the school’s connection to Father White and the first Mass celebrated in the English-speaking colonies, she said, “This (area) is where the Lord wanted his Church to begin and spread to the rest of the United States.”
Asked what she hopes that Father Andrew White students leave the school with, Szoch said, “I want them to know that each one of them is a beloved child of God, and He has a plan for their life.”
