Teaching Students Goodness, Truth, and Beauty!
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
1 Thessalonians 5.18
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Livia depicted as Fortuna holding a Cornucopia (42–52 AD)
When Chrysostom Academy opened our doors for the 2024–2025 school year, we declared this to be the Year of Gratitude. While not one of the seven Christian Virtues, gratitude is found throughout the Holy Scriptures and Orthodox Tradition. Now that we are more than halfway through our school year, it is time to pause and reflect on this virtue, and how we apply it to our lives at the Academy every day.
The principal way we as Orthodox Christians confess our beliefs is found in the phrase lex orandi, lex credendi (as we pray, so we believe). To begin our exploration of gratitude, it is fitting to begin in prayer. In the Liturgical Tradition of the Orthodox Church, gratitude is interwoven throughout the services. Beginning with Vespers, believers are reminded of the gratitude of St. Simeon the God-Receiver who was promised by God that he would live to see the Messiah. Upon receiving Christ, St. Simeon sings a hymn of gratitude that God had kept His word, allowing the elder to behold the salvation of the world. During Matins (or Orthros depending upon your liturgical tradition), the Polyeleos is sung. A combination of Psalms 134 and 135 (LXX), each refrain begins with, “All give thanks” for the different deeds the Lord has done for all of us. In the Divine Liturgy, we follow the actions and words of our Savior, by taking bread, giving thanks, and breaking it for the life of the world. Finally, in the post Communion prayer, the opening sentence is, “I thank thee O Lord my God that thou hast not rejected me a sinner but has vouchsafed me to be a communicant of Thy Holy Things.” This liturgical tradition of gratitude is intended to permeate our lives both inside and outside of Church.
At Chrysostom Academy, we take this exhortation to always give thanks to the Lord seriously. Each and every school day, we gather as a community to pray. We end each morning with a prayer of gratitude for our amazing extended Academy family of students, faculty, staff, all our families, the Board of Directors and their families, and our Benefactors and their families. At the end of lunch, we give thanks to God for nourishing our souls and bodies. Finally, we end the day in gratitude and prayer before sending everyone home. Our students are taught to give thanks from the time they enter our doors to the moment they leave. I have also been told by many parents that they carry this spirit of gratitude home with them.
We at Chrysostom Academy have many good reasons to be grateful. Why? When my family and I packed our van and moved from Texas, this Academy was still a hope and a dream. We had no students, no teachers, no curriculum. For all intents and purposes, the Academy didn’t yet exist. Then we opened our doors in 2022 with an inaugural student body of 26. That first year was challenging, but we made it and grew into our second year. The program we had built began to work for itself. Families took notice of our little school, and we doubled our enrollment for our second year. In our third year, we are nearing 100 students and have built a community that I could not have imagined. If you are reading this, you are a part of our community, and I can only say one thing: thank you.
Thank you for trusting us with your sons and daughters. Thank you for helping to build an Academy where students want to come and learn. Thank you for the gifts of your time, your talent, and your treasure. Thank you for joining us on this extraordinary journey. I am grateful for your partnership, for your friendship, and for your children who make coming to work every day a joy. As we teach our students to give thanks, it is important that we first model this virtue them through our example.
As a community, you have blessed us beyond belief. When Mrs. Wood’s son in-law Scott reposed unexpectedly in the fall, you rallied around her and showered her and her family with love and prayer. She has asked me to pass along these words to you all:
A Heartfelt Thank You – The outpouring of support bestowed on our family by the St. John Chrysostom Academy community since the sudden passing of my daughter’s husband, Scott Williams on November 5 has been humbling. We are truly grateful for each and every blessing shared and pray that our Lord will bless each and every one of you as you have blessed our family during this unexpectedly difficult time. May God grant you all Many Years! With Love in Christ, Chris Wood on behalf of the Williams Family – Jill, Harvey, Eva, Charlotte, Lillian and Abigail
This is why we give thanks every single day because you bless each and every single one of our faculty and staff. As a final word of gratitude, I want to thank those who blessed my family and I over the Nativity holiday. Thank you for all of the goodies, gift cards, and nativity wishes.
Gratitude cannot be something we selfishly hold on to, but is something to be shared, so I’ll end with this. I pray that you will pass this spirit of gratitude on to someone else today, because everyone has so much to be grateful for. This school year truly is the Year of Gratitude. Glory to God for All Things!
In Christ,
John W. Heitzenrater, II A.B., M.H.M.
Headmaster
jheitzenrater@chrysostomacademy.org
610-427-2758