This Advent as a school community we
were invited once again - all of us - to do whatever is necessary so
that we can all experience the REAL meaning of Christmas – MERCY, HOPE,
PEACE, LOVE – and to make right our relationships! Our Advent/Christmas
theme was, “Mercy began in a manger and continues with us!”
Although
this jubilee year ends, the need for mercy does not. Pope Francis
called MERCY “the very foundation of the church’s life and credibility,”
and said that wherever there are people, everyone should find an oasis
of Mercy.”
During this Advent Season – we were
challenged by the Pope’s words to actively practice MERCY, which means
to come to the aid of another out of a sense of RELATIONSHIP.
Together
as the BGA family, we focused on what each of us needs to do to make
right our relationships by continuing what was begun in the manger –
MERCY!
In various ways, BGA took part to
spread the spirit of Christmas and encourage others to do the same. The
school has held many collections, fundraisers, and charitable events to
do this. The Christian Social Action Club (CSAC) held a Christmas
collection over a four-week period where people donated food, other
canned goods, food certificates, gift cards, and more. These goods were
then brought to local food pantries and soup kitchens. Members of CSAC
also made Christmas cards for the retired Felician Sisters. Bishop Ahr
students, faculty, administrators, and alumni personally delivered them
to the Felician Sister’s residence in Lodi, NJ. While delivering the
cards, they spent some time visiting with the sisters and singing
Christmas carols with them.
The holiday season
was also a busy time for the National Honor Society (NHS). They held a
Christmas Toy Drive, where students donated everything from books,
dolls, and toy trucks to games, puzzles, and action figures. The
presents provided through the Toy Drive were given to the NIA Community
Habitat Development Center in Plainfield. The NHS also sponsored a
Winter Blood Drive, which saw many students, faculty, staff, and other
BGA community members donate their blood and give the precious gift of
life. This year, 92 units of blood were collected.
In
conjunction with Catholic Charities, the BGA community also adopted
five underprivileged families to support during the Christmas season.
Through generous student, faculty and BGA family donations, these
families were now able to experience Christmas when they might otherwise
not have. Members of the BGA faculty also donated to the poor by
responding to the faculty “giving tree,” which is a Christmas tree
filled with gift requests by needy individuals in the local area. The
BGA family also does their part on a global level, and once again
participated in Operation Christmas Child, a program sponsored by
Samaritan’s Purse. This year, 150 shoeboxes were packed with toys,
school supplies, hygiene items and other gifts, which were given to poor
children in third-world countries. Finally, the school brought back an
old tradition and held a Christmas Tree Decorating Contest. While the
contest itself was fun, there was greater joy in bringing the decorated
trees to St. James Church, where they were then given to needy families.
Bishop
Ahr has also been lucky to receive donations from other organizations.
Rutgers University sponsors a Big Chill Run every year for which the
registration “fee” is a new toy for a child between the ages of 3 and
14. For the last 8 years, Rutgers has donated over 150 toys to Bishop
Ahr. BGA then donates the toys to various local groups, with the
majority of toys being donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society.