A Message from Mr. Watson, Head of School

Dear Academy Family,
 
Thanksgiving Break is so close, and we all have last minute tasks to complete. Fortunately, today I check one of my favorites off my to-do list—Mr. Watson’s Atonement Thanksgiving Top Ten. 
 
King’s Faire. I know I speak for all when I say a special “thank you!” to the PTC and event coordinator Mrs. Landry for all their work on this. I was delighted to see families enjoying the festivities, and to evade summons to the dunk tank for yet another year.
 
Flannery O’Connor. The Catholic intellectual tradition is alive and well at Atonement. I’ve just finished reading, discussing, and theorizing about the novel The Violent Bear it Away with the Seniors, and, as is always the case with O’Connor, I am left in awe of way she subjects her readers to brutal spiritual interrogation before they are even aware of what is happening to them.
 
Senior Class of 2022. Speaking of the Seniors, the more we get to know them, the more they impress. These men and women are both deeply intelligent and humble, servants and leaders. They are a worthy installment in the proud Crusader tradition.
 
Big Give San Antonio. We had an overwhelming response this year. The last of the new computers have been hooked up in the Tech Room, we are conducting a systematic investigation into possible faculty development partners, and are getting quotes for a playground refresh.
 
Texas Geography. The Atonement Catholic Academy is situated in a truly impressive state. If you ever get a chance to go to the Witte Museum here in San Antonio, the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery conveys the diversity of the Lone Star State’s regions in a series of impressive, life-sized dioramas. A great Thanksgiving Break family field trip.
 
Varsity Volleyball. Varsity Volleyball’s strong season ended today in Waco. This was the second year in a row they have earned a trip to the TAPPS state tournament. We are especially thankful for the team’s four Seniors and the legacy of excellence they will leave behind.
 
Daily Mass. Where does the strength come from to act righteously in a wayward age? In the Mass, Crusaders have the daily opportunity to orient themselves Christward and take their place in the lineage of those who “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). Not surprisingly, daily Mass is a note that sounds in most of the lives of the saints that I have read. What a privilege that this is a part of our school day! 
 
The Liturgy of the Word. Daily Mass also means deliberate travel through the Scriptures over the course of the year. For instance, have you noticed the past few days’ Old Testament readings from I & II Maccabees? I am always inspired by the magnanimity and (proper) pride of the Hebrews as they were persecuted during the time of the Maccabees—aged Eleazar who disdains the offer to extend his life a little longer by pretending to violate the “reverend and holy laws” of his people; the mother who encourages her seven sons to defy the pagan king Antiochus and whose “noble spirit” never falters while they are slain in front of her; Mattathias, who in his “just fury” kills the king’s messenger and forfeits his worldly goods to wage rebellion from the mountains. 
 
4th Grade Soccer. We are all proud of the 4th graders and Coaches Dr. Ku and Dr. Garza for announcing our parish’s re-entry into CYO with a city-wide soccer championship! Well done.
 
Academy Teachers. Saint John Paul II wrote in his letter The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School that “In a Catholic school, everyone should be aware of the living presence of Jesus the ‘Master' who, today as always is with us in our journey through life as the one genuine ‘Teacher,’ the perfect Man in whom all human values find their fullest perfection. The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real. The gospel spirit should be evident in a Christian way of thought and life which permeates all facets of the educational climate.” The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real—Academy teachers strive to do this every day. Let’s make sure and thank them!
 
And so another year draws to a close and we have much to be thankful for. I wish you and your family a very blessed Thanksgiving.
 
Let us continue to pray for one another. Our Lady of The Atonement—Pray For Us!