The greatest gift we can give our students is relationship with Jesus Christ. Like all relationships, a relationship with Christ requires an openness to His presence in our life and a willingness to respond to His call. St. Paul defined this response in three words when he wrote to the divided community of Corinth. He said, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”. St. Paul is reminding us that the perfection of community will be seen in the kingdom of God, but here and now the joy of Christians is found in getting to know Jesus through the practice of virtue. Faith, Hope and Love are recognized as the cardinal (pivotal) virtues of the Church, as it is upon them that all of our spiritual life turns. Each of these virtues is an active response, not a mere state or label, but a call to action: to have faith in God, to embrace hope over despair, and to give love even at the cost of sacrifice. When we practice these virtues we get to know the things of heaven, but more importantly we get to know who lives there. May we enjoy the journey of this year, together.