At St. John School in Canton (SJS), our core belief is love. This is the word that students, parents, and faculty hear the most around our halls. This may seem like a simple statement, but it is powerful. We believe that love can change the world and it is our responsibility to lead lives of love and to instill love in all our students. We are both models and teachers of this idea. We then ensure that our students understand that their role in the world is to love and one of the most powerful ways to show love is to serve others.

At St. John School this ethos of love has a strong foundation, as seen in our guiding principles. Our patron saint, St. John the Evangelist, wrote that "We must live in the way that Jesus lived . . . My friends, I am telling you to love one another" (John 2: 5-7). This has formed the framework of the SJS motto -- "Follow Jesus, Strive for Excellence." One of the most powerful ways to live as Jesus lived and follow him is to love one another. This love is not just about familiar love. It extends well beyond this. As the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, who used to staff our school, believe, "we must always move towards profound love of God and love of the dear neighbor without distinction." We must, as Pope Francis expressed, go to the margins with our love. We must bring our love to all people.

We honor the sisters by living their message through service. This is also instilled in us through the Archdiocese of Boston's operating principles, which state that "We treat each other and those whom we serve fairly, with dignity and with honor, holding ourselves accountable for our commitment to service." St. John School is committed to service. This service can be large, or it can be small. As a school, we are blessed to be a part of St. Oscar Romero Parish. His ideas, which form the Romero Prayer, expand on this message -- "We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it well . . . We are workers." Yes, we are the workers, serving others through love.

At St. John School, these ideas have helped us craft special messages of love and serve. Years ago, we used Marian Wright Edelman's message -- "I care and am willing to serve" as a rallying cry. We challenged our students to look for and to take advantage of every opportunity to serve others. During COVID, we emboldened our students to "Love Radically." During this challenging time, this radical love and caring for others fed our souls. Last year, we challenged all our students to be Agents of Love. We recognized students who performed acts of service, kindness, or love to another, beyond the normal scope of everyday expectations. Our halls were filled with kindness.

No matter the foundation of our love or how we frame it, the ethos of love shines through at St. John School. It is powerful and is particularly seen in our philosophy to service all. This is proudly what St. John School believes and teaches.



DR. CHRIS FLIEGER (CHRIS.FLIEGER@SJSCANTON.ORG) IS THE PRINCIPAL OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST SCHOOL IN CANTON. THIS IS HIS 11TH YEAR AT ST. JOHN SCHOOL AND 24TH IN CATHOLIC EDUCATION. ST. JOHN SCHOOL IN CANTON, FOUNDED IN 1883, IS A PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE EIGHT SCHOOL SERVING 250 STUDENTS.