President’s Message

Dear Ursuline Family,

I hope that you are having a very safe and relaxing summer. We are hard at work at Ursuline making preparations for the upcoming academic year. Repairs and renovations to the physical plant will also be ongoing. And, as is customary at the end of a school year, we are setting goals as we prepare to open the Academy for its 283rd school year.

What is our goal as Ursuline Academy and as an Ursuline sponsored institution? The pursuit of each student’s intellectual development to the full measure of God-given talents rightly remains a prominent goal of Ursuline education. Its aim, however, has never been simply to amass a store of information or preparation for a profession, though these are important in themselves and useful to emerging Christian leaders. The ultimate aim of Ursuline education is, rather, the full growth of the individual which leads to action – action, especially, that is suffused with the spirit and presence of Jesus Christ. This goal of action, based on sound understanding and enlivened by contemplation, urges students to self-discipline, initiative and integrity.

Renewal of our social, economical and political systems, so that they nourish and preserve our common humanity and free people to be generous in their love and care for others, requires resilient and resourceful individuals. It calls for persons, educated in faith and justice, who have a powerful and ever growing sense of how they can be effective advocates, agents and models of God’s justice, love and peace within, as well as beyond, the ordinary opportunities of daily life. Accordingly, education in faith and for justice means assisting young people to enter into the sacrifice and joy of sharing their lives with others. It means helping them to discover that what they most have to offer is who they are, rather than what they have. It means helping them to understand and appreciate that other people are their richest treasure. It means walking with them in their own journeys toward greater knowledge, freedom and love.

Please know that your partnership with us as we strive to achieve our goal as an Ursuline ministry is vital. Ursuline Academy is very proud of its long and rich history in the city of New Orleans, and we feel empowered to not only keep this incredible legacy alive but to secure it for many more generations of young women to come. In the weeks ahead you will be receiving some materials on our Keeping the Legacy Alive campaign. I ask that you consider them carefully and as a call to action.

Yours in Christ,
Gretchen Zibilich Kane

P.S. If your daughters are participating in activities or competitions this summer, or if they have received awards, please share this information with us by sending pictures or stories, along with a brief description, to our communications director, Amanda Lataxes, at alataxes@ursulineneworleans.org.

Tags: Gretchen Z. Kane