Administrative Update - 04/14/2020

Michael A. Marinelli, Ed.D. '76
Dear Members of the Archmere Community,

It's Easter! The long wait of Lent is over, and we are now in a time of celebration. Forty days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving gives way, through the Easter Triduum, to fifty days of hope and joy when Jesus resurrected was present to his followers. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT!
That's one of two comments I want to share with all of you on this Tuesday of the Octave of Easter: IT WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT. Since we have been "sheltering in place" for weeks now, there will be a time when the wait will be over and worth it, having slowed the spread of the virus, and, in the process, saved lives. What we have had to give up though, has been more than what we usually consider giving up as part of our annual Lenten practice - traditional family gatherings for Easter, special events including weddings, anniversaries, proms, and graduations, and much-anticipated and well-planned vacations. Even though the disappointment of cancelled events, the heartache of physical separation from those we love, and the mounting anxiety of economic uncertainty are real emotions that can sometimes eclipse the hope of better days, we need to remember that IT WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT.
 
So, how do we get through those days of eclipses, when we find ourselves depressed and upset? I discovered one answer on Holy Saturday evening. I have been the Director of Liturgy and Music at my parish, Saint Joseph on the Brandywine, in Wilmington, since 1993. With the closure of all of the churches to the public, our pastor, associate pastor, and I have been recording services and Masses during Holy Week, and posting them on the parish website. Practicing social distancing, the three of us celebrated the Easter Vigil together.

Imagine a darkened empty church that became illuminated by the Paschal Candle, followed by the lighting of dozens of altar candles. In that glow, our associate pastor chanted the Exultet. It echoed throughout the empty church, as did the chanted psalms after the readings for the Liturgy of the Word. It was an emotional, hauntingly beautiful time for me, as I realized how fortunate I was to be celebrating this ancient rite in such a personal way that (hopefully) I will never experience again in the same way. The ringing of the bells as the Gloria was sung sounded especially joyful to me, as did all of the other parts of the Mass that evening. As the Mass concluded with the hymn, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today," followed by a postlude of "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah," EVERYTHING BECAME SPECIAL. That is the second comment I share with you.

During this unprecedented time, consider the positive aspects of our unique experiences: more time with family, a time to really think about priorities in our lives, a time to recognize that we make our schedules and our schedules do not make us. For me, in that moment of the Easter Vigil Mass, and I have attended, planned, and executed many, many Easter Vigil Masses, since 1977 as a sophomore in college and "part-time" organist and liturgist, it was special and impactful in ways like no other. I felt comforted in knowing that I was a part - an insignificant part - of a timeless existence, that has been beautifully captured and rhythmically prescribed by the universal Church. It is the natural cycle of birth-life-death-rebirth. It is the assurance that I am a part of something greater than myself, and I don't have to bear the burden or the worry alone. I appreciate my religious tradition more deeply and sincerely after this Easter experience. My hope and prayer for each of you, no matter your particular religious tradition, is that you can find comfort in making connection with the greater, and in doing so, realize that EVERYTHING BECOMES SPECIAL.

That leads me to speak of our current Archmere school community of students and their families, faculty and staff and their families. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and administration of Archmere, we continue to be committed to working together in the coming weeks, supporting our families spiritually, emotionally, and financially, not knowing for certain how the days will unfold.

When we "return to school" on Monday, April 20, we will continue our virtual schedule at least through May 15, as the State of Emergency mandates in Delaware. The governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania have closed schools in those states through the end of the year; however, as of this writing, Governor Carney has not made that decision. We will wait and see what future decisions he may make in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, our faculty and staff are prepared to continue with virtual classes, support services, and some scheduled events, including the "Flipgrid Virtual Course Fair" and Virtual 7th Grade Open House, later this month.

Knowing that this next stretch of time extends beyond the dates of the Junior Class Ring Mass and prom, be assured that we are considering when these will take place. And as we have been assuring our seniors, we will celebrate your traditions and they will be celebrated well -- time, place, and format to be determined once we have a better sense of what will be possible to plan. Perhaps if we can focus on the uniqueness of our experiences -- probably no other classes in the history of Archmere will have these experiences -- we can reframe the situations, and we can appreciate more the things that we may have taken for granted, so that EVERYTHING BECOMES SPECIAL.

Finally, I share with you the Gospel reading from John 20:11-18 for today's Mass:
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher.
Let us be like Mary, looking for Jesus, only to find that he is right here in front of us, if we just call out to him! He is WORTH THE WAIT because EVERYTHING BECOMES SPECIAL with him in our lives. Happy Easter!

Sincerely,

Michael A. Marinelli, Ed.D. '76
Headmaster
Back
Archmere Academy is a private, Catholic, college preparatory co-educational academy,
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.