Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This week brought the sad news that Marist High School will close at the end of this school year. As many of you know, my father taught at Marist for many years - and our Senior Warden Patrice Maynard is an alumna. Founded in 1954, Marist has long been a fixture near the Jersey City - Bayonne line but, like many Catholic schools both here and across the country, it was ultimately doomed by the drop in religious vocations, changing demographics, the rise of charter schools, the declining role of religion in the lives of many, and I'm sure lots of other factors.
I've now lived long enough to see many religious institutions of my childhood and young adulthood vanish. I was baptized at St. Boniface Church on First Street, which is now condos. Sue and I were married at St. Peter's Church on Grand Street, which is today the St. Peter's Prep cafeteria. Nearly all of the Catholic schools of Hudson County have closed. And, you longtime Episcopalians will remember that Jersey City was once dotted with "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" signs, but these days it's just Grace and us.
As a sentimental person who loves local history and is committed to the church, this is all very sad, upsetting, and, yes, frightening. However, it's also a reminder that only God is forever. As much as we love our traditions and our institutions, as much as we tend to our old buildings, our focus must always be on the God who will never decline, who will never close.
This Sunday when we hear the story of the Baptism of Jesus, we'll be reminded that just as God the Father and Jesus the Son are one, we are united with God forever. In the water of Baptism, God makes an indissoluble bond with us. No matter what we do or don't do, no matter what happens to our institutions, God will never let go of us. It's the best news ever.
See you on Sunday,
Tom
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