July 2026
Dear Alumni of Chaminade and Kellenberg Memorial,
This July 4th, we celebrate something truly unique and truly profound – the 250th Anniversary of the birth of these United States of America. It is a proud day for all of us Americans, and rightfully so. Our noble experiment in democracy has endured for two-and-a-half centuries. We have enjoyed unprecedented freedoms that are the envy of the world: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and many more. The “land of the free and the home of the brave” has become a magnet for immigrants the world over who seek a better life – a life characterized by liberty, equality, and human dignity. We have embodied the motto emblazoned on the Great Seal of the United States – E pluribus unum – Out of many, one. We are indeed a “shining city upon a hill” and a beacon of hope to peoples far and wide.
Yes, this is a time for celebrating. It is also a time for safeguarding. Sadly, as I write this reflection, deep-seated divisions threaten to tear asunder our “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We need to safeguard dialogue from diatribe, politics from partisanship, God-given individual rights from reckless individualism. This is the great challenge of our day, and as Catholics and, a fortiori, as the beneficiaries of a Marianist education, we need to meet this challenge head on.
How might we do so? Jesus offers us the first clue (no surprise there!) : “I pray . . . that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” (John 17: 20 – 21) Prayer goes a long way, and we need to pray for a healing of the divisions in this country. I do – every day.
Further, as we pray for healing, we can think and speak and act with healing in mind as well. Do my words promote unity? Do I demonize those who disagree
with me? Do I really have to post on social media every unfiltered reaction that pops into my head? If I am peeved or perturbed, am I better off saying nothing
than saying something? In many cases, restraint is a virtue. “So that they may be one,” let’s exercise restraint, not only in our speech, but in our attitudes as well. We could all do a better job of finding merit and worth in those we deem to be our “enemies.” We can all try a little harder – often, a lot harder – to listen to others as if we might be wrong. We can all start to dismantle the walls that we erect and build bridges instead. We can all work to overcome the fears of those who look and speak, act and believe differently than we do. E pluribus unum. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That they may be one.
All this requires patience and forbearance – two more virtues that are sorely in need of safeguarding. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade offers us compelling wisdom in this regard. As he worked tirelessly to re-Christianize his beloved homeland after the French Revolution, he observed, “I am like a brook that makes no effort to overcome obstacles in its way. All the obstacles can do is hold me up for a while, as a brook is held up; but during that time it grows broader and deeper, and after a while it overflows the obstruction and flows along again. That is how I am going to work.”
To be sure, all of this might sound a little too tolerant for some – indecisive, ambivalent, lacking in conviction. Aren’t we called to defend our beliefs, and to do so vigorously? St. Peter the Apostle sheds light on this question: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3: 15 – 16) Do it with gentleness and reverence. Or, as I regularly advise my senior-religion students, “Always be able to explain and defend your faith, with clarity and charity.” Clarity and charity. Both parts of the equation are indispensable to any dialogue with those who believe differently than we do.
This month, the United States of America marks 250 years of standing tall as “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Let us celebrate our heritage. Let us cherish our freedoms. Let us safeguard our Union, so that it may endure even stronger in the centuries to come. May God give us all the strength, the courage, and the conviction to do so.
On behalf of all my Marianist Brothers,
Bro. Steve