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President Clem Martin's Remarks at 2017 King Of Hearts Part 1

Added Feb 02, 2017 •

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one of these years I think I'll convince Steve to let me talk after the before the students I look a little bit better on behalf of our board chair Bob Mars on Temple painter School principal our entire faculty and staff our students and their families I'd like to welcome you to our 9th Annual King of Hearts Gala I'd like to begin by saying thank you your presence here tonight and support of our mission and support of our young men and women helps to make many amazing things possible thank you all for being here  I'd especially like to thank Kathy and Jerry Mr chair couple for this evening  with their time talent and energy were able to have a party selling out for the fourth consecutive year while significantly increasing our attendance and sponsorship support we are very very grateful for your leadership not only of this event but all you do to support our kids so thank you very much  we also had an incredible host committee they're listed in the program books that could be found on your table this group was instrumental in making tonight at you success from centerpieces to silent auction they did it all you guys have been great too what is an incredible group of people in supporting Christ the King thank you all for all your help tonight  and finally sing thank the team from Christ the King Steve holte Maureen Kelly Kitty Carriage Tony has a papa Jessica Douglas and David Bowles they do a tremendous have every day and a responsible for much of the work behind the scenes that makes this event run so smoothly every year you guys been fantastic to work with thank you all very much Anthony stood in front of the classroom and beginners reading off a sheet of paper he held in his hands  I believe Chicago is dying  he paused you looked up his classmates before completing the thought and I am dying with it in September are sophomores use the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's March through Chicago's Marquette Park as the pretense for their assignment titled our March in which they talked about the need to address some of the complex problems facing our city and our country sitting in the classroom listening to those sophomore speeches was a powerful experience speech after speech spoke to the violence that has become seemingly intractable in the streets and communities that surround our school  students also shared concerns about domestic violence and abuse housing and absentee parents students clearly Define these problems and shared how they impact the neighborhood and many of them individually as well  defining the problem seems to be the is he part satistics and data or readily available  in Austin where Christ the King is located there are 537 shootings including you two homicides last year  add and Garfield Park in North Lawndale the two neighborhoods that about Christ the King to the East and that number becomes 183 lights and almost 1,200 shootings the violence and employment diminishing access the social service programs and poverty continue to ice many families it's easy to understand why a young man or woman may feel like Anthony if you're desperate and to be in search of Hope mission to challenge and Inspire young men and women through academics work experience an extracurricular activities is now more important than ever the need for Christ King has never been greater  for centuries Jesuits have always stood with those on the margins and I've gone where the need is greatest hang around with the Jesuits long enough they speak their own language there many phrases that you often hear men and women for others ad majorem Dei gloriam the managers personalis but the particular phrase that has resonated with me this past year is finding God in all things  as a Catholic School in the judge tradition where when and how do we find God  thinking about what I'd like to share with you this evening I reflected back on her first semester and ask myself where and when and how did I find God over the past 6 months when did I feel God's grace and presence in our school amongst our students and their teachers and in our community  what time is it was easy it was easy to find God at the set a beer and it Roman had grown and we had a very nothing another strong freshman class  following communion that are mass of the holy spirit that starts our year to student Sheridan interpretive dance about how the holy spirit is alive and present in our lives as to dance finished Kennedy that's the Holy Spirit mr. Wings Over Destiny as a sign of God's Embrace and protection if you were to go if you were in our building that day God's presence was palpable find a gardener National Honor Society assembly was also quite easy we had 19 new inductees this year the highest total in school history or academic programs continue to grow longer challenging our students and preparing them for the rigors of college  is also quite easy to find God in our judgment volunteers as part of the your service program they work tirelessly in support of our community while living simply in the Lizzy seeberg house across Jackson Boulevard from the school we have 5 this year including to Jessica Douglas and Josh Allen or four-year college graduates from CTS first graduating class the class of 2012 another time is it add always be clear or easy to discern God's presence our judgment region Joshua Peters gave a sermon at one of our prayer service is titled if your I get to it you got to get through it if you're going to get to it  Seattle the website everybody would respond it's let's try this one more time if you're going to get to it very good  Joshua spoke about his first day in the classroom 3 years ago and how Newton raised her hand and when called upon told him I heard you were cool but obviously that's not true is Sharon over the course what's the next 3 months the same student gave him hell almost daily  first year teaching is definitely not easy but over the course of the semester mr. Peters retard at becoming an Effective Teacher and earn the respect and the trust of the students through his commitment to them  can I shared more about this student without mentioning her by name jet some challenges at home she lost a sibling to gun violence and also a close friend to gun violence but through her challenges she persevered over the next three years she pushed herself academically as now on the honor roll and is a member of the National Honor Society  in a few short months in a few short months the student will graduate she is College Bound as Joshua is finishing a sermon that day Nakaya Ranford from The Stance of the gym with tears in her eyes and gave him a hug of gratitude  even if it's difficult situation God is present in the powerful relationships built sometimes slowly between her students and are very dedicated and caring faculty and staff who's initially very difficult to think about God's presence and one of the most challenging situations I've had to deal with us at administrator  a spinning of your a stray bullet struck a school bus carrying 32 of our students back from their corporate work-study jobs Downtown on a Friday in late September  the Bold greatest Arbus where is head and pass through the bus missing a chaperone and a student by less than a foot  how could God be present if it's this type of Horror  call emails quickly flooded into the school ask me about my child my student our student  they were in all from parents reductase Chicago has always been viewed as a city of neighborhoods unique individual separate and segregated it's easy to remain cast in few incidents like our bus shooting as a problem and one of those neighborhoods they are not my problem

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