“So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor 13:13
It is no coincidence that Mount Royal Academy’s Virtue Formation Program features the virtue of charity in December. In the dead of winter, when the world is cast in barren darkness, the Church remembers and celebrates the greatest act of charity in all of history: the Word made flesh. God dwelt among us and revealed the depths of His love. This supreme act of love demands a response. The response takes shape in the kind and merciful acts carried out by MRA students in many ways.
Recently, students from various grades traveled to local senior centers and spent time with the residents. The high school Sacred Choir sang carols at Sunapee Cove and Summercrest on December 14th.
Students in 1st and 2nd grade also paid separate visits to Summercrest this past week and spent time with the residents singing, decorating gingerbread cookies and reading letters they wrote.
Campus Ministry has sponsored several charity drives recently. Just prior to Thanksgiving, goods were collected for American forces deployed around the world through the "Support our Troops" initiative. Then, leading up to Christmas, two drives were undertaken to collect goods for local charities.
The RepurPURSE project collects gently used purses and backpacks that are filled with useful items such as tooth brushes, wipes, sanitizers, lip balm, etc. The purses and backpacks are then distributed to local crisis centers.
A Toys for Tots collection is also underway. In the center hallways of the High School and Elementary School buildings are drop-off tables piled high with dolls, games and toys of every sort. These items will be collected and brought to the Twin State Detachment Marine Corp League designated locations for dispursement.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, a primary fruit of charity is mercy (CCC1829). Thus, as the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis begins, our students are reminded that a soul formed in the virtue of charity acts mercifully towards his neighbor. These acts enable the recipient to experience “the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened.” (Letter of Pope Francis on the Jubilee Year).