The Friars and COVID-19
I am typing this on Tuesday and as it stands now, Fr. Noel has made some progress. For now he is off the ventilator but receiving a significant amount of oxygen. We continue to hold him up in prayer almost every moment of the day. The rest of us are pretty much fully recovered and doing much better. We are exploring ways to donate convalescent plasma and encourage anyone who has had the virus to do the same. On another positive note, I’ve been told that Fr. O’Connell from Holy Family has been released from the hospital and is doing much better. This has certainly been a challenging time for him and we are very happy that he is on the mend.
I want you all to know that we are overwhelmed by the love and support we have received these last few weeks. There is a stack of get well cards sitting on my desk. Fr. Noel’s box is overflowing with cards from all over the country. We received meals for three weeks and we enjoyed every one of them. They were all delicious and we are most grateful to those who provided them. The school faculty and staff came over and prayed for us as we watched from our chapel window. Some parishioners from Our Lady of Lourdes came over and sang for us as we watched from the friary. One Saturday morning 50 Knights of Columbus and others sat in our driveway and prayed the Rosary for us and, especially for Fr. Noel. We have been surrounded by love indeed. Thank you.
When It Rains
As I type this, crews are working all over our campus to repair the damage done by the storm that came through Monday night. Six trees were damaged or fell over. One of them hit the front of the weight room and I fear it also punctured the new roof. Our new soccer goals were lifted up into the air and crashed down on our new field fence. The parish offices, the main church and Outreach had minor flooding. The main network server was down and we thought it to be damaged, but it’s back up again. We were unable to stream Mass Tuesday morning because the Internet was also down. Needless to say, there is considerable damage all over the place and we are in the process of documenting everything in hopes that our insurance will help cover some of the cost.
Our School is Opening
After lots of consultation with our school families and the Diocese of Savannah, we have decided to open our school for in-person classes. Distance learning is also available for those who wish. Ronie Collins, Jocelyn Smith, and the whole administrative team have developed a COVID-19 plan that is so well thought out and well done that it is being copied by other schools. I have complete confidence in our school administration and the plan they’ve developed. Rest assured, they will adapt the plan as needed to keep our students safe and provide an excellent learning environment. Our beautiful Catholic school gives us so much to be proud of and grateful for. Let’s hold our students, faculty, staff, and administration up in prayer as they begin this new school year under very different circumstances.
Friar Franck Has Arrived
We are so excited that Friar Franck Lino has arrived in Columbus. Friar Franck is a friar in formation and he will be here with us in our school for one year. He will assist with campus ministry programming, offer classes to all grade levels on Franciscan Spirituality, and pitch in where needed should a teacher be absent or out for a couple of days. With all that is going on, to have a young friar filled with good will, energy, and passion will be an incredible gift to our school and we are so grateful for his presence with us.
