Greetings once more from the Land of Enchantment or perhaps that should be the “Land of Extremes”.
Normally I would be sending you greetings from the hot, dry desert, but in the last couple of weeks the monsoon has arrived with a vengeance. Just a couple days ago, in the matter of a few hours, the Pueblo received 1-2 inches of rain.
The usually dry stream bed running through Zuni suddenly overflowed and burst its banks overnight, flooding nearby homes and turning streets into rivers. It has been hard to cope with so much water at one time, yet after such a dry winter we still see it as a blessing for which we are grateful. Our campus sustained some damage, but it was relatively minor. We did have a few roof leaks, and we are scrambling to repair these as we prepare for the reopening of school in just a few weeks. Thankfully, we are coping with the generous help of volunteers.
This summer vacation time has been especially busy for us. We hosted three summer camps this year! I felt this was ambitious but very worthwhile. As I mentioned in our parish bulletins, the camps were great for the children and provided a nice break for the parents as well. Happily, both took advantage. The first and largest camp was the art camp. Art always attracts the Zuni people. I sometimes think our students have art in their DNA as I see beautiful colors and shapes emerge from the papers of even the youngest students.
Our magnificent seven ladies from Kansas did a marvelous job of entertaining the students with drawing, music, dance and theater. Happily, several students brought friends with them. The art camp culminated by hosting the parents at a spaghetti lunch where the students entertained them with song and dance while the parents had the opportunity of viewing their artwork. Every student left with a bag of art supplies. The ladies also took the time to give our churches a thorough cleaning, as well as supplying us with beautiful flower arrangements for the altars. I wish they could be here all year round!
Hot on the heels of the art camp came our first vacation bible school. This year thirty-plus young people from Daphne, Alabama arrived. They were sleeping all over the campus and embraced the experience without a single moan. They took as their theme “Saints as Superheroes”. Truly, I think it was those young people who were the heroes. I watched as teenagers took amazing patience to play with and entertain our youngest students. Everyone had enormous fun, and at the same time by word and example, the Alabamans taught our young people valuable lessons. I noticed a first grader very patiently teach a kindergartner how to draw pictures: lessons well learned. Between camp classes, the visitors were working around the campus: cutting weeds, tidying up and even doing some concrete work on the pathways.
I selfishly took some time off during the month when my sister and nephew came to visit. We toured around, visiting places such as the Grand Canyon. Coming from Scotland, they thoroughly enjoyed the New Mexico sunshine to the amazement of some of our teenagers. Thankfully, the rains arrived after they left, and they took home memories of glorious sunny America. After their departure, it was hard to settle into the old routine.
Of course there was no time to “rest on our laurels”. The second bible camp was soon underway. This time our young friends from Centennial, Colorado arrived well prepared to entertain and educate our little people. Once more, I noticed how carefully the teenagers looked after our little ones. Kids were arriving way ahead of opening times and lingering around afterwards simply not wanting the day to end. At each camp the numbers attending grew each day. The kids have their own communication network and were eager to let their friends know: St. Anthony’s is a good place to be.
I am especially grateful to the Coloradans for their help after the rainstorms. Without hesitation, they dived into clearing debris, repairing roofs and a dozen other tasks that would have overwhelmed our staff. The adults with this group were particularly skilled in many areas. They addressed plumbing and electrical problems as well as roofing issues: professional people who gave freely of their time to support their own youngsters and help ours.
With so much going on at one time, I found it hard to keep a handle on so many projects. But as it turned out, my anxiety was unnecessary. There was a great camaraderie amongst the various groups and our staff. They worked hard together and always with a lot of laughter. I don’t know what I would have done without them and their unending generosity of spirit. As each group departed, my heart missed a beat as I saw tears in the eyes of our students.
Of course now it’s a matter of making sure that we are ready for the students’ return to school in the first week of August. And the teachers will actually return the week before the students. As it happened, the worst of the rainstorms arrived on registration day, and only a few people turned out. So as I write, I don’t know how many students we will have this year. Meanwhile, I have to prepare for an “In Service” training for staff as well as the influx of eager students.
Our new principal will arrive the second week of school, as she is attending a previously arranged family gathering “back East”. She texted to make sure we were all okay after she heard about the storms. I am looking forward to her arrival, and will fill in as best I can until she arrives.
I find it odd to mention the rain so much in my letter, but as I say so much at one time is very unusual for us. As I walked around with my umbrella, some of the young ones reminded me that rain comes from God: do not hide from it; just accept the blessing (a Zuni tradition).
Thank you for being another one of God’s blessings for the students of St. Anthony’s!
Fr. Patrick McGuire
Help Us out.
It Will Do Your Heart Good.
Make a Donation: Click Here