We Take St. Albans Wherever We Go

Two months ago this Sunday, St. Albans announced that it would begin spring break three days early. When we all left on March 10, little did we know that it was likely the last time we would see each other in person, possibly for the remainder of the school year. Seven weeks later, here we are gathered in our 6th Zoom chapel.

So let’s take a minute, and imagine what a typical spring at STA would look like for all of us. The elegant landscape of the close is coming back to life, the flowers are beginning to bloom in Bishop’s Garden, students from all Close schools are going to eat and shop at Flower Mart, scientific projects are on display in the Activities Gym, we are heading outside to play spring sports, and Form II students are looking forward to their weeklong trip at Woodlands. During this time, not all of those things are going to happen. At the moment, I feel a sense of sadness when thinking about all we have missed this spring. Spring at STA for me is playing on the baseball diamond with my teammates, eating General Tso’s with Jasmine Rice family style in the refectory, worshipping shoulder-to-shoulder in the Little Sanctuary, and talking with my friends in the hallways as we go to class. Being physically distant from St. Albans has made me think about the values STA has taught and continues to teach us. In particular, the rigorous and high standards that shape us into boys of academic and athletic excellence and teach us to be always in the service of others. These are the values and beliefs we live by at St. Albans.

These values have never been as important to me, as they are today. At times, I have felt isolated and found it hard to manage my time properly. That said, I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way during this strange and uncertain time. However, I have found that these values make me want to do my best at all times despite being away from St. Albans and not in the classroom. This has made me realize that we take St. Albans with us, wherever we go in life. Both today, and in the future, when we all set out on our own explorations to make our mark on the world. Whether we're at home with our loved ones, playing on the athletic fields, or someday starting our first job, all of us embody the values instilled in us during our years at St. Albans, and they will always be with us.

In the reading, the psalmist explains how with God you have nothing to fear. God is with us in times of good: “The LORD is my light and salvation whom then shall I fear, the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? He is also with us in times of bad: When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.” God will always be there for you, and God gives us help for the present, and hope for the future. Just as we take St. Albans wherever we go, God comes with us wherever we go.

One of the greatest poets of the Twentieth Century, T.S. Eliot, wrote in his work the Four Quartets, the following four lines which embody the heart of my chapel talk. Eliot said:

“I shall not cease from explorations,
And I look forward at the end of all my exploring,
To arriving where I started,
And knowing the place for the first time.”