All Are Welcome is not just a familiar hymn that we enjoy hearing and singing at Mass. At All Saints, it is our mission to build and nurture a Christ-centered environment that warmly welcomes and celebrates all of our students and their families. We know that our diversity is the cornerstone of the All Saints school community, and that each student and family is a thread in the rich tapestry that is All Saints Catholic Academy.
The following comes from Open Wide Our Hearts – The Enduring Call to Love – a pastoral letter against racism from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Holy Scripture boldly proclaims, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are” (1John 3:1). This love “comes from God and unites us to God; through this unifying process it makes us a ‘we’ which transcends our divisions and makes us one, until in the end God is ‘all in all’ (1 Corinthians 15:28).”
When we begin to separate people in our thoughts for unjust reasons, when we start to see some people as “them” and others as “us”, we fail to love. Yet, love is at the heart of Christian life. When approached and asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus answered: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). This command to love compels each of us to steadfastly resist racism.
At All Saints, we believe we see God in all people and that we are called to love one another. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community in which each person feels a sense of value and belonging, where all voices have power, and where diversity is celebrated.
We warmly welcome you to join our All Saints school community. We humbly thank you for your consideration and your trust.
O God,
you created all people in your image.
We thank you for the astonishing variety
of races and cultures in this world.
Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of friendship,
and show us your presence
in those who differ most from us,
until our knowledge of your love is made perfect
in our love for all your children;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
