The Living Stones of North Catholic

Nov 3

"Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house." - 1 Peter 2: 4-5

This past weekend, on the feast of All Saints, 300+ people gathered in Philadelphia to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Northeast Catholic High School for Boys and the centennial of Oblate ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Oblate and diocesan priests who are graduates assisted at the Mass. I was proud to be celebrating Mass and representing the Class of 1987.

The alumni and friends of "North" were celebrating a school that officially concluded its mission in 2010. To the world, a school that closed sixteen years ago is history. But to everyone who was ever shaped by its walls, this school is not gone—it is a living reality. The Letter of Peter reminds us that God does not dwell in buildings made of bricks and mortar: God builds His Church, His Kingdom, and His Legacy out of living stones.

When North was founded in 1926, the builders raised a majestic building in a working-class neighborhood. The men who climbed the scaffolding, carried the bricks, and poured the concrete were immigrants who later sent their sons to the school they had helped complete. They built a building on Torresdale Avenue that would last for their grandsons and great-grandsons.

But the real building happened quietly, day by day, one young gentleman at a time. Northeast Catholic High School - not the building, but the center of so many young lives - was shaped, molded, and formed by the Oblates and the spirit of St. Francis de Sales. Salesian gentlemen were shaped, molded, and formed for over 80 years.

When the school closed its doors in 2010, it felt like an ending. It felt like a rejection of a beautiful history. But we know that "God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28)." So, for the last sixteen years, the living stones of North Catholic have been actively spreading the legacy of Torresdale Ave and the spirit of St. Francis de Sales all over the world.

Alumni took the spirit of this school—its faith, its resilience, its dedication, and its tenacity—and you built a spiritual house in your own homes, workplaces, and parishes. The building has lasted for over a hundred years. The beautiful school the immigrants built remains and now houses a charter school for young men and women from new immigrant families.

When we gathered last weekend, it was appropriate that we were also celebrating All Saints' Day. For on this holy day we remember and enjoy the company of all the saints who now watch over us - and the many saints still among us. We gathered to celebrate a living, breathing lineage. Like the saints, North Catholic still lives in our hearts, our memories, and our faith.

As we celebrate this centennial, we give thanks for the visionaries who built the physical structure 100 years ago and the many priests, brothers, seminarians, and lay teachers who built up the Body of Christ. But even more, let us commit to being the living stones Peter spoke of. Let us continue to build a spiritual house wherever we go, carrying our Salesian spirit to a world in need of God's gentle strength.

The motto of North Catholic - and of St. Francis de Sales - is Tenui Nec Dimittam: "I have taken hold and will not let go." May all graduates and friends of North take hold of the spirit of this great school and never let go.