Op-Ed
Students pray the “Our Father” at first FAM of the year
The word “holy” literally means “set aside.” As a freshman, one of the holiest times in my week was the weekly Friday morning liturgy I attended, along with many other students and faculty. FML made me feel a part of a larger community of faith, while also growing my relationship with God. The time was holy because it was set aside as totally dedicated to God, even in the midst of schoolwork, tests, and extracurriculars. FML was holy, so it was rightfully set aside.
Unfortunately, as a senior, I now feel that this sense of holiness has been somewhat lost with the relegation of our weekly ministry to an X-period. Mandatory X-periods, sports practices, club meetings, and Friday afternoon fatigue all prevent attendance. Now, the busyness of school and extracurriculars intrude on a time which was once holy, once set aside. I have even seen a last minute cancellation of FAM due to the number of required X-periods one afternoon.
I had the opportunity to speak with our Assistant Principal for Mission, Mrs. Pryor Lorentz, on this topic, and she was incredibly sympathetic to my and other students' feelings about the scheduling of FAM; however, she did make many important points about how, as she said, “the dynamic of FAM has changed.” She emphasized that while FAM serves many students, there will always be a large number of others who do not attend, and that we need to ensure the schedule takes this into account. She also added that while FAM (originally FML) used to be a weekly liturgy, “the ways in which people are experiencing ministry are changing.” Now, the Campus ministry team uses the time in ways other than liturgy to serve the community. Mrs. Pryor Lorentz made a beautiful point when she said, “The why behind why we are trying to do FAM differently is not the numbers. We’re trying to meet students where they are.”
I completely agree with Mrs. Pryor Lorentz that FAM has changed, and that there are other wonderful, new opportunities we are presented with each week at FAM besides a liturgy to grow our spirituality and worship God. But I also feel that these new forms of worship are still holy and should be treated as such.
St. Ignatius is first and foremost a Catholic school. Our school motto is “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” or “For the Greater Glory of God.” How can we see ourselves as working for the greater glory of God if we do not treat Him as more important and more necessary in our schedule than schoolwork and extracurriculars? I don’t neglect the importance of extracurriculars, of which I am a part of many, or of certain required X-periods, but I do not believe that any of these are holier than experiencing God in FAM.
As a Catholic school we should prioritize our school’s spiritual life, particularly because many who want to attend FAM are unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts.
I spoke with several other students about the scheduling of FAM as well. Max Briones '23 said, “It’s not the same as Freshman year…If it was in the morning, more people would be able to go and there would be more of a spiritual culture at SI.” Emily Fable '23 and Elizabeth Willson '23, like many of our music ministers, both constantly have scheduling issues and have been unable to attend FAM. Emily said, “I would be able to go to FAM more often if it was at a better time.” Elizabeth added, “I love singing in music min, but I often can’t make it because of other scheduled mandatory meetings. I wish FAM was in the mornings.”
In fact, music ministry may be unable to provide music in upcoming FAMs because so many of our ministers have required Xperiods. Naomi Ko '24 echoed this sentiment, saying “Although I used to participate in the FMLs, now that they’re during X-period I am often forced to skip them…I really like FAM…but the scheduling makes it difficult.” Alex Salentine '26 said, “It is important to leave time for God and for others in our busy schedules.”
There are so many students who look for spiritual nourishment in FAM, and they are unable to achieve this regularly because of our school schedule. We need to prioritize God in our weeks, above all else. Set Him aside.
Grace Brady '23 is a Vol. 71 Managing Editor