Fordham Preparatory School - Ramview Ramview FALL 2017 | Page 54

Identity
Each year as we welcome new faculty
and staff to the Prep, we give them an
orientation packet which introduces
them to the Ignatian heritage and
mission of the school. One document
in that packet is entitled “The Gifts of
our Ignatian Heritage.” One of the
gifts it highlights is Solidarity and
Kinship: “the invitation to walk
alongside and learn from our
companions, both near and far, as we
journey through life.” Our students
experience that gift in so many ways
throughout their four years at the
Prep - in the classroom, on the
playing field or stage, and through
retreats and service programs they
grow in solidarity and kinship with
one another. This past summer, over
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150 students also experienced
solidarity and kinship with our
brothers and sisters in need through
our Christian Service Immersion
program. In Ecuador, Tennessee and
Camden, NJ, those who had less of
the world’s material riches enriched
our students through their hospitality
and shared the riches of their culture
and community. As our students
worked alongside a young mother
who struggles to raise two young
children in a home with black mold
and a leaky roof, they began to
experience the compassion for their
brothers and sisters that leads to true
solidarity and kinship.
Throughout this past year, we also
witnessed the gift of solidarity and
kinship at work in the lives of our
alumni community. During our
month-long celebration of service in
April, alumni shared stories of
solidarity and kinship as they worked
with people in need throughout the
country. Our many 175th anniversary
celebrations also gave witness to the
kinship shared among our alumni
community. Opportunities to gather
together reminded alumni that bonds
of friendship forged at the Prep can
last a lifetime.
This year, our Office of Mission and
Identity looks forward to continuing
to offer opportunities for alumni to
come together to share in our
mission of faith, scholarship and
service. On December 1st, we will
gather for an Advent supper, where
Fr. Thomas Scirghi, SJ, Rector of the
Fordham Jesuit community, will offer
the keynote reflection. Our Faith on
Tap program and annual Forum on
Faith with America Media will bring
alumni together to dialogue about
important matters of faith. We will
again mobilize men and women for
others across the country for our
April Month of Service and for the
first time in many years conclude our
academic year with an Alumni Day of
Prayer on June 24th (Founder’s Day).
All of us at the Prep look forward to
continuing to experience the Ignatian
gift of solidarity and kinship as we
gather with alumni throughout the
year. May God bless you and your
family.
Brian Carney
Vice President for Mission & Identity