“Lord Jesus Christ, Let my gifts change the world, Help us Live the Call, Build the Kingdom, Veni Sancte Spiritus.” This prayer is something we say every Friday together to start our morning. But where did it come from? Senior, Cort Peters II, is the answer.

In an interview with Cort, he states, “This prayer originated from an ND Visions retreat. At the University of Notre Dame they had a retreat that was a lot like Kairos. My dad went to Uni and then went on to Notre Dame and came back to teach at Uni. While he was teaching here, his connections at Notre Dame allowed for some Uni students to go on the ND Visions retreat with them. That was where they had the whole experience with the ND Visions prayer which is very similar to our community prayer now.”

Father of Cort Peters II, Cort Peters, is the man who sparked the inspiration to make the ND Visions prayer Cathedral Catholic’s community prayer. He states, “I am very proud of how it has impacted the community and I know that students carry it with them for four years, at Cathedral, and after, when they carry it to their college of choice and beyond.”

On 1 February 2023, CCHS honored the life of beloved teacher and coach, Mario Fierro; “Let my gifts change the world.” Coach Fierro’s gift of teaching and coaching truly changed our world.

As a student who had Coach Fierro as a teacher two years ago, his way of teaching history was unlike any other teacher. In some classes, your teacher may ask you to read the textbook and answer the questions at the end of each chapter, but instead of giving lectures, Coach Fierro would read the textbook with us in class and have us take notes. This way, we truly learned the material. His teaching techniques were unique and he thrived in building academic connections with all of his students. If a student ever had a question, he was there to give you an answer you would understand. I still use his studying tactics I learned in his class, in my other classes as a senior.

“Help us Live the Call.” After speaking with graduate and football player, Marcus Terzoli, he opened up about the guidance he received from Coach Fierro while being blessed to know him; “Coach not only helped me and the ones he knew to live the call but everyone that was around him by being an example of what it means to have a relationship with God. He always found a way to incorporate God in a lesson or teaching and that’s what made Coach a very special man. Some advice that coach always said was don’t strive to be average or mediocre, go above and beyond what you think your limits are. That’s what will make you great.”

“Build the Kingdom.” During his lifetime, Coach Fierro was greatly involved in the Catholic community. During his celebratory mass this past Wednesday, Father Paul mentioned how Coach Fierro lived his life, vibrantly in community with God. Coach Fierro was an inspiration to everyone not only as a teacher and coach, but also as a Catholic.

“Veni Sancte Spiritus.” A prayer for guidance. As a community who was so close to Coach Fierro, if we are ever in need of guidance or help, we know we can always lean on his love and his direction he granted us while knowing us.

In a recent survey sent out to Cathedral Catholic students, they were asked if they really know what “Veni Sancte Spiritus” means. 63.7% of students said no and 36.6% said yes. “Veni Sancte Spiritus” means “Come Holy Spirit.”

Mrs. Wells, Dean of Mission and Ministry, gave insight as to what the prayer means to us as a community; “The community prayer is reflected in our community as more than just a prayer it is our way of being. It is wrapped into all we do, all we hope for and expect of students. We often talk about what it means to be a Don and I feel like the community prayer defines what it means. It is someone who is gifted, special, wonderful! Someone who knows they are loved and worthy and important. With these gifts comes responsibility to live up to them… how will we use them to change the world for the better? What are we being called to do? How can we put our faith in action? How can we build a better world, God’s kingdom? We do all of this by the light and guidance of the Sancte Spiritus, the Holy Spirit!’

You may not have noticed, but all of CCHS’ retreats are based on our community prayer. Freshman retreats relate to “Let my gifts change the world.” As a freshman, they are learning about themselves and their gifts and are starting to recognize the expectation as a Don to change the world. Sophomore retreats relate to “Live the call.” Sophomores are asked to reflect on how they serve our community and God’s calling. Junior retreats, also known as the Quest, focus on “Build the kingdom.” Quest is a journey to figure out where they fit in the kingdom of God. Once they can recognize that, they can use it to help make the world better. Lastly, Senior retreats, also known as Kairos, focus on “Veni Sancte Spiritus,” meaning come Holy Spirit. As we are about to graduate and venture out into new experiences, we are able to recognize that we all need the Holy Spirit to guide us.