April 18, 2019 Dear Mercy McAuley Community,
"God, give us the courage to begin tasks that are longer than our lives." —Catherine McAuley
Blessed Easter Week to each of you!
Whether we realize it not, our journey through life is a series of tasks and events that sometimes take on meaning and permanence only when looking into the rear view mirror. I can imagine that Our Lord must have had a powerful dawning of this fact over the course of His ministry, and that this dawning came to a head in the Garden of Gethsemane when he experienced a very human mixture of fear and anticipation; of confidence and uncertainty; of confusion and acceptance.
Our last couple of months have been the result of Catherine's prayer for us. We truly appreciate that what is worth beginning is worth fighting through fear and doubt to reach acceptance and confidence. For it is with acceptance and confidence that we will succeed and arrive fully as a united Mercy McAuley community!
We need only look as far as our young women who are beginning to see the fruits of their dedication, passion and gifts. Already, Mercy McAuley students have begun to celebrate and reflect upon this year's many achievements that will be the foundation of all future success at our school. Kudos to our young women for accolades in just this sampling of their success:
On our Big Day of Giving, we received even more validation that together, we have begun something transformational. On this day, YOU, our alumnae and friends, made a statement that you believe in Mercy McAuley by exceeding our expectations. We were humbled when the final tally demonstrated that funds raised exceeded $118,000 in just 24 hours! Perhaps more heartwarming was our realization that out of the 550+ donors that made gifts that day, 9% came from "friends," 43% came from Mercy alumnae and 48% from McAuley alumnae. Many former donors returned and many new ones joined our family of givers for the first time. We are incredibly grateful and humbled that you believe in Mercy Education in Cincinnati as portrayed through our young Wolves. Thank you!
Still, we are only just now nearing the "end" of our "beginning." As I pen this reflection, our board and leadership have begun again the process of visioning and renewal.
This spring we will kick off a school strategic planning process that will culminate in a new 3-5 year strategic plan by the fall of 2019. Such a planning process will become our regular pattern every 3-5 years as we continuously strive to innovate and lead women's Catholic education in Cincinnati for generations to come. It will include several opportunities including live, facilitated visioning sessions and stakeholder surveys for YOU to participate in and give feedback about the school's long-term direction.
Through this process, we will identify and maximize what Mercy McAuley does well, focusing on the positives while still addressing areas of need. We will identify and discuss strengths and opportunities, plan for our future, and determine measures of success.
Please consider being a part of this very important process. Your insights and perspectives are valued and invaluable because you are among those who care most about a Mercy, Catholic education in Cincinnati. If you are interested in participating in a visioning session, please email Kathy Jones at jonesk@mercymcauley.org. Alumnae are encouraged to RSVP for a special alumnae-only session which will be held on April 27, 2019 from 10 a.m. -noon. Please RSVP for this session to Brigitte Foley at foleyb@mercymcauley.org.
As we close our time of Lenten renewal as a school community and celebrate our Lord's resurrection with a time to refresh over Spring Break, I know that we will return with optimism and HOPE for the future. As we pivot into our final weeks as a "new school," our seniors will return to enter yet another period of "lasts" and "firsts." Our juniors will begin to look forward to their time to lead and step into those roles almost unconsciously. Our freshmen and sophomores will look to "finish strong" as they make their way toward the school year's end. Soon enough, we will welcome a new class of Wolves into our sisterhood for the first time. I invite each of you to join us in lifting all of our students, faculty and staff in prayer and well wishes. As any year comes to a close there will be mixed feelings. But there will be satisfaction in knowing that together we have "begun a task that (will be) longer than our lives." Sincerely,
Patty Lusheck Ragio Mercy McAuley High School 6000 Oakwood Avenue • Cincinnati, OH 45224 • (513) 681-1800 |