Head's Weekly Message — Jan. 8, 2021
Dear Mayfield Senior School Parents,
I hope you had a blessed, safe, and healthy holiday and that you and your family were able to find some time for some well-deserved rest, relaxation and joy. My husband, Skip, and I enjoyed a very quiet but lovely Christmas with many Zoom calls and video chats with our children. Like many of you, we very much missed being with our family physically, but we know that next Christmas is just going to be that much more spectacular—especially for us with the addition of our first grandson, who is due in April!
A source of joy for us was welcoming a new furry, four-legged member to our family over the holiday. After being dog-less for almost two years since our beloved but very challenging last rescue pup died at age 16, we have adopted a senior Corgi/Jack Russell mix (a Cojack) from a local rescue organization. Freddy has settled in beautifully, and Skip and I are totally enjoying our new little buddy.
Along with the joy that Freddy is giving us, I think more than in many years past for me, this New Year season is filled with hope. While the COVID-19 case numbers continue to be dangerously high, we have been working closely with the Pasadena Department of Health to facilitate the vaccination process for our faculty and staff. As essential workers, California is prioritizing teachers so that we can reopen our campuses as soon as possible. We are very grateful that our amazing School Nurse, Cathy Cota, has already received her first dose, and we are hoping that the vaccine will be made available to Mayfield employees in February. I will keep you all posted on the progress.
In the meantime, we continue to do all we can to plan for our return to campus as we pray that we are able to get “back to Bellefontaine” soon. As your daughters return to their pre-holiday routines and we complete our first semester, please let us know if we can do anything to support you. Our teachers are keeping a very close eye on our students, recognizing how difficult all this is for everyone.
We also recognize that the alarming events in our nation’s capital over this past week may also be causing some added stress and anxiety. The Society of the Holy Child Jesus issued a statement denouncing the recent violent attack on our democratic institutions, and I know you all join me in prayers for unity, peace and compassion during these challenging times.
That the events in Washington took place on January 6—the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany—seemed especially poignant to me. For our Founder, Cornelia Connelly, and her Holy Child Sisters, New Year’s and especially the Feast of the Epiphany represented a very special time. Cornelia referred to Epiphany as “our Great Feast” and she established a tradition very early on to honor this feast in a distinctive way through a three-day retreat and a special annual Epiphany letter that she wrote to her sisters.
I’d like to end with a beautiful prayer that Cornelia included in her Epiphany letter of 1854, which I think is particularly inspiring as we begin 2021. Cornelia wrote:
And I would add my own prayer for the safety and health of our beloved Mayfield community with the fervent hope that we will all be able to be together soon.
With Love and Gratitude,
Kate Morin
Back
I hope you had a blessed, safe, and healthy holiday and that you and your family were able to find some time for some well-deserved rest, relaxation and joy. My husband, Skip, and I enjoyed a very quiet but lovely Christmas with many Zoom calls and video chats with our children. Like many of you, we very much missed being with our family physically, but we know that next Christmas is just going to be that much more spectacular—especially for us with the addition of our first grandson, who is due in April!
A source of joy for us was welcoming a new furry, four-legged member to our family over the holiday. After being dog-less for almost two years since our beloved but very challenging last rescue pup died at age 16, we have adopted a senior Corgi/Jack Russell mix (a Cojack) from a local rescue organization. Freddy has settled in beautifully, and Skip and I are totally enjoying our new little buddy.
Along with the joy that Freddy is giving us, I think more than in many years past for me, this New Year season is filled with hope. While the COVID-19 case numbers continue to be dangerously high, we have been working closely with the Pasadena Department of Health to facilitate the vaccination process for our faculty and staff. As essential workers, California is prioritizing teachers so that we can reopen our campuses as soon as possible. We are very grateful that our amazing School Nurse, Cathy Cota, has already received her first dose, and we are hoping that the vaccine will be made available to Mayfield employees in February. I will keep you all posted on the progress.
In the meantime, we continue to do all we can to plan for our return to campus as we pray that we are able to get “back to Bellefontaine” soon. As your daughters return to their pre-holiday routines and we complete our first semester, please let us know if we can do anything to support you. Our teachers are keeping a very close eye on our students, recognizing how difficult all this is for everyone.
We also recognize that the alarming events in our nation’s capital over this past week may also be causing some added stress and anxiety. The Society of the Holy Child Jesus issued a statement denouncing the recent violent attack on our democratic institutions, and I know you all join me in prayers for unity, peace and compassion during these challenging times.
That the events in Washington took place on January 6—the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany—seemed especially poignant to me. For our Founder, Cornelia Connelly, and her Holy Child Sisters, New Year’s and especially the Feast of the Epiphany represented a very special time. Cornelia referred to Epiphany as “our Great Feast” and she established a tradition very early on to honor this feast in a distinctive way through a three-day retreat and a special annual Epiphany letter that she wrote to her sisters.
I’d like to end with a beautiful prayer that Cornelia included in her Epiphany letter of 1854, which I think is particularly inspiring as we begin 2021. Cornelia wrote:
“Let us all be diligent in giving proofs of love this year, and as you step on through the muddy streets, love God with your feet; and when your hands toil love Him with your hands; and when you teach children, love Him with His little ones; and thus may you be blessed in your actions with an abundance of Divine Love, and purified and prepared in this world to enjoy an eternity of Love.”
And I would add my own prayer for the safety and health of our beloved Mayfield community with the fervent hope that we will all be able to be together soon.
With Love and Gratitude,
Kate Morin
Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 28 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.
