Moments at the Mount

A Season of Gratitude
To steal a quote from “Encanto” (a prime favorite among the MSM student body in the category of animated films), “every year our family blessings grow.”

This is evident in the recent history of Mount St. Mary Catholic High School, because on Dec. 9, students and staff were greeted by representatives from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. An assembly commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing took place, with Memorial representatives giving a presentation on the history of the bombing, its significance and the history of the Memorial in downtown Oklahoma City.

It was a day of darkness that has progressed into years of light. Mount St. Mary was presented with a sapling from the Survivor Tree that was later planted near the Marian Grotto on campus. The Memorial is currently completing a campaign to visit a school in all 77 counties in Oklahoma, making Mount St. Mary Catholic High School the stop for Oklahoma County. 

The assembly sparked conversations and reflections around campus about gratitude for life-changing gifts and experiences.

  Lily Fairchild, Class of 2027, explained how she thinks that her greatest gift in life is, 
  well, life. 

  “While everyone experiences it, to me, the opportunity to make my own decisions is an   incredible concept,” she said. “I am a child of God. Nothing will ever change that, but yet, I get to determine whether or not I want to acknowledge the fact that God created me. 

“My greatest wish is to spend the rest of eternity united to the Lord, since he is the source of all I know to be good and true.”

As we conclude Advent and move toward the Christmas season, here is a sample of what the people of Mount St. Mary consider their “greatest gifts”:

  Emily Strah, a sophomore English teacher, jumped (literally) at the opportunity to 
  discuss her greatest gift: her Catholic faith. While admitting that she doesn’t 
  remember  exactly when she received this gift, since she was baptized as an infant, 
  she recalled that, “my parents were the ones who gave me this beautiful gift.” 
  
  Jammed with gratitude for her family, she also explained how her older brother’s    
  influence on her has continued to guide her to Christ throughout her life, especially in trying times. 

“Through the Catholic Church, the Lord introduced me to Mount St. Mary, where I’ve been able to advance my career and foster friendships with the most amazing individuals on the planet,” she said.

For Matthew Vaughn, his love for music was the only way for him to answer the question of  his most treasured gift. Growing up, he received a tiny drum set that was also electronic. Not thinking much of it and being more hesitant than anything to pursue music, he later discovered through joining the Mount St. Mary band his sophomore year, that playing music, he believes was something he was called to do. 

“I think I found out that I was actually pretty good at drums and percussion, so since then, I’ve been playing and making music,” he said. “I couldn’t be any happier or get any luckier.”

Sister Christine Nguyen shared that she once received a short, handwritten letter from her older sister before she moved to the United States for school. Consisting of less than 50 words, the letter is, put simply, short and sweet. 

“Whenever I go back and read the letter,” the sister said, “I’m reminded of my sister’s genuine support for me as I was leaving home, as well as God’s boundless love for me.” 

  Annamarie Brown, another Mount St. Mary senior, reflected on the great gift of 
  friendship. Considering herself introverted, she never imagined she’d form as many 
  friendships during high school that would strengthen her faith and self-confidence. 
  After years at a public school, she was terrified to talk to anyone on the first day of her
  freshman year. 

  “God had a different plan,” she said. “He knew I needed good friends, so that’s what 
   he gave me.”