Spiritual Life

Dear Families,

At Archbishop Spalding you will hear us repeat our motto, “One in Christ” consistently.  You will encounter these words in classrooms, in the Performing Arts Center, on our playing fields, posted on our walls, and etched into the original cornerstone laid down in 1966.

What does it mean to our community and every person we encounter to say we are One in Christ? It means that you belong here. It means you are loved by God and this community exactly as you are.   There is no earning of God’s love. There is no changing to have God love you or feel God loving you. Remembering that is the first piece of becoming and reflecting our “One in Christ” way. 

The second piece is your response.  Being loved requires a response. Our response as individuals, and as a community, is accompaniment. During our time at Archbishop Spalding, we accompany each other on this spiritual and intellectual pilgrimage.   We accompany each other as we work to create a hope-filled and faith-filled future. We help each other thrive spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and physically. We take care to make sure that each person on this pilgrimage knows they are loved, guided, and never alone.

We become One in Christ when we love each other the way Jesus loved the disciples. 

We become One in Christ when we move ourselves to the margins, embracing the lost and the least, such that God might recognize us as a community of connection and belonging.

We become One in Christ when we aren’t indifferent to our classmates and colleagues.

We become One in Christ when we offer our families clear, kind and compassionate conversations.

We become One in Christ in our daily morning prayer, before each class, on retreats and service trips.

We become One in Christ when we realize communal experiences like masses, pep rallies, club gatherings, athletic events, and foster spontaneous connection.

We become One in Christ when we remind each other that, in the words of Ekhart Tolle, each of us is here, “to help the divine purpose of the universe unfold, that’s how important we are.”

It is our hope that knowing you are loved unconditionally by God, and responding to the world with that as your foundation, will liken our time together at Archbishop Spalding to the apostles on the road to Emmaus, echoing, “Were not our hearts on fire when we were together!” 

Being one in Christ helps us carry that fire into the future and most certainly will change us and the world.

Peace,

John McCaul, Principal