Vision SPRING 2013 Faith and Education - Chaminade Julienne ...

message from the PRESIDENT
Isaiah 43:19
“See, I am doing something
new! Now it springs forth, do
you not perceive it?”
To someone like me, who is not quite content with things as they are and always thinking
about opportunities for improvement, God’s promise outlined in Isaiah provides a source
of inspiration. In this passage, I hear God calling me toward my natural inclination to
start a new project, begin a new initiative, or launch a new program that might strengthen
the Catholic educational experience at Chaminade Julienne. I love it when I can find a
Bible verse that seems to fully endorse exactly what I want to do.
Deeper in reflection, I see that God says that He is doing something new, not me. It
becomes clear that I must discern what it is God is springing forth so I can play my
role in making His “something new” come about. Such insight is humbling to me.
My good ideas, initiatives, programs, or projects can only be truly successful if I can
become God’s instrument and inspire others to join me in bringing forth the Kingdom
according to His design.
I don’t know how to always be confident that my plans are God’s intentions. However,
at CJ, given our Marianist and Notre Dame heritage, we believe that the will of God
can best be discovered in community. If we can gather people who share a commitment
to our mission and who are bright, informed, and open to God’s call, we can more fully
understand the challenges of today and opportunities ahead. We, together, can then
outline and develop our response — our “something new.” If we can work through the
challenges of collaboration and consensus and the tediousness of meetings and discussion,
and overcome our human weaknesses in the process, then we are more likely able to align
our plans with God’s desire.
The progress made at Chaminade Julienne over the last several years is the inspired result
of the work of many people who care about the school and our students. This universal
approach — this Catholic approach — gives testimony to our manner of community
collaboration in renewing our school’s ministry in service to our Lord. The renovation of
science and math classrooms this year provides the latest evidence of its effectiveness.
The CJ STEMM Center is only made possible because our teachers made important
enhancements to our curriculum; our Board of Trustees had the foresight to approve
new resources for our programs; and, key benefactors embraced a vision for what can be
possible to enhance our students’ learning. By coming together in a common mission,
each person brought insight, experience, energy, wisdom, and a generous heart in
providing all our students with an environment that will allow them to more fully discover
how God is calling each of them in service to His people.
For someone like me, who is never quite content with the way things are, I am excited to
be able to serve in a school community that continues to seek God’s “something new.” As
we complete a year of strategic planning, which has used the input of hundreds of parents,
students, alumni, and friends, we look forward to outlining the next steps in our progress
toward achieving our vision for the future, which calls CJ to leadership for excellent
Catholic education. We will continue to be bold, proactive, and resourceful. With great
humility and hope, we believe that our plans for Chaminade Julienne continue to be the
very ones that God has in mind for our school and the students we serve.
May God continue to bless you in great abundance.
Daniel J. Meixner ‘84