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American Province Ministry Connections
April 2021

Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep 
 
Preston Kendall, President

I was very rebellious - a troubled kid.
Excerpts from an interview with
-Marco Carrillo, CRSM '12
 
Marco (CRSM ’12) finished art school in 2016. He’s now a motion graphics artist with a unique and positive attitude about art and creativity - one that’s been a driving influence for as long as he can remember.
 
Things worked out well for you at Cristo Rey...
Actually, I hated it at first. I was going through a lot. My dad had passed away before I started at CRSM. Mom was working 4 jobs. The expectations at CRSM were tough for me. I was very rebellious - a troubled kid. I was confused and didn’t know what I wanted. 

So, what turned it around?
I ended up getting fired from my work-study job. So, I was re-assigned and worked with someone who didn’t care about work. I didn’t want to look like him and waste my last opportunity. All my teachers really cared, and I started wanting to go to college. Now that we’re talking, I wonder how the staff at CRSM had any patience with me! 
 
You mentioned channeling your rebelliousness into art… 
When I drew on the walls in our house, instead of punishing me, dad bought art supplies. In art, if it’s been done already, why do it? Attitude can work. CRSM is responsible for a confused kid believing he could go to college and have a career using his talents.
Cristo Rey New York High School  

Dan Dougherty, President

Cristo Rey’s Lenten Fundraising Tradition

Cristo Rey students take the giving spirit of the Lenten season very seriously. Every year our Campus Ministry team hosts a fundraising competition between classes, with all money raised going toward an organization in our community that needs help. This year our students chose to raise money for a cause very close to our hearts – Cristo Rey’s “Hope Walks.”

Led by long-time CRNYHS teachers Sister Jude and Sister Janice, “Hope Walks in the Bronx” are weekly missions that share meals, clothes, and love with people experiencing homelessness in our neighborhood. The sisters spend their Friday afternoons walking around the Bronx with an ever-growing group of Cristo Rey students and do their best to bring sustenance and smiles to those who need it most. All the money raised through the Lenten Fundraising Competition will go towards food, clothes, masks, and other necessities that make these walks possible.  

Along with inciting some healthy competition between classes, this tradition serves as a great example for our Campus Ministers to teach our students about sacrifice in the Easter season. While there is never any pressure to give to the fundraiser, this challenge really resonates with our students, and we are always humbled by their generosity. 2021’s Lenten Fundraising Competition raised $1,026.33 total – a school record! The sophomore class won by a narrow margin, with the juniors and the seniors trailing close behind. We are so proud of the work our students are doing to make a difference in their community. 
Sponsored Ministries of the Society of Holy Child Jesus 
Casa Cornelia Law Center * Providence Center

Co-Sponsored Ministries of the Society of Holy Child Jesus
South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project (LAMP) * 
Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep * Hope Partnership for Education * 
Cristo Rey New York High School * Washington School for Girls
 
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Ministry Connections is a monthly publication highlighting ministries sponsored or co-sponsored
by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.