As we break for the Thanksgiving holiday, it is a wonderful time to count the blessings that have been bestowed upon our beloved school. During Mass this morning we were able to show our appreciation to some of the fire fighters from Rincon Valley Fire Department. They, along with first responders from Windsor Fire Department were among the heroes who saved our home campus from complete destruction.  Your children feted them with a spirited standing ovation and presented them with hand-made thank you cards.  Two of the fire fighters who were with us today are St. Rose parishioners and one is an alumni of the school.  I wish you all could have shared this profound and deeply moving experience with us. I will never forget it.

The work of the first responders is just one example of the support and love our school has received in the aftermath of the fires from St. Rose parents, the diocese, local community members, other Catholic schools, and our alumni.

A particularly bright ray of sunshine happened just a few days after the fire when I received an email from a young man named Andrew Braccia who graduated from St. Rose in 1990.  Although I had not heard from him in years, I remembered him immediately as a former student body president and the boy who had a deep affinity for the rock band U2.  Andrew had heard about the damage to our school and offered his help.  His gift of $100,000 toward tuition assistance for families affected by the fire is what gave Fr. Denis and I the confidence early on to declare that no student would have to leave St. Rose because of a fire-related downturn in the family's finances.

Every day I receive checks from individuals whom I have never even met who want to help our school.  The list of Catholic elementary schools that are remembering us in prayer and have sent our students consolation cards grows every day. Many of the cards are accompanied by funds raised by their students.  One school sent the proceeds from their "Jeans for Jesus" monthly free dress day. Another school did a Halloween candy drive for the troops abroad and turned it into a fundraiser for St. Rose.  This school's benefactors offered a dollar in fire relief for every pound of candy collected and those funds were sent to us.  We have received funds raised from Scholastic Book Fairs and the proceeds from a pumpkin sale that another school held for our benefit. Students and teachers from St. Helena Montessori School attended our Mass this morning and presented us the proceeds from a spaghetti dinner they held for our benefit.

A number of our school parents have worked tirelessly to raise funds for play equipment, new books, and supplies. In addition, you have also engaged in countless acts of kindness to each other and to those who lost homes.  I am so grateful to the Advisory Council and Parent Association who organized quickly to help with our temporary relocation to the parish and our Moms' and Dads' Clubs who have also mobilized.

All members of our school community have embraced our theme of "Fortitude - - Courage for the Long Haul". The temporary re-location has been difficult and inconvenient for us all; students, parents, teachers, and staff. Yet rather than complaints, you offer gratitude and encouragement.  You are providing your children with a fine example of living according to the St. Rose Way and I am eternally grateful to you. I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and pray that each of you will feel God's love and care as we work through this adversity together.