(The following remarks were made to the entire student body during a special assembly on November 13 honoring the State Championships won by Cross Country and individual titles in Swimming.)
(Our Seniors were present in class for the last time on April 27. It brings to an end a stage in their lives which began anywhere from four to seven years ago and has defined them as Belen Jesuit students. Therefore, I would like to dedicate my reflection in this enewsletter to the Class of 2017.)
The New Year and the beginning of a new semester is a time of both reflection and action. We can reflect on our current situation, consider what aspects of our lives we need to modify, and plan to take action throughout the year.
It may be hard to believe, but almost three quarters of the first semester has passed and we’re well on our way to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thus far this school year, we have experienced many blessings as well as a few challenges, which call us to reflect and grow as a community.
“Through Cura Personalis or attending to the needs of each individual, we strive to build a desire in our students to reach for the Magis, i.e. to be more or to be better, for the greater glory of God,” said Jose E. Roca
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.