By Peggy McCormick Platz
The travel packet had arrived in the mail from the travel agency which included a comprehensive list of what to pack for seven exhilarating days in Italy. The final item listed would prove to be a game changer: sturdy soled shoes. Although the country of Italy offers spectacular views inside and out, level surfaces on which to walk simply do not exist. Thoroughfares forged by poundings of hoof and heel alike reveal unpredictable, sometimes treacherous stone paths which belie the beauty of Rome and the tranquility of Florence. On closer inspection, the individual stones are worn to a smooth finish. Italy is a country paved and polished by history itself.
Between the cities of Florence and Genoa, lies the city of Carrara, Italy. From Carrara, the finest marble is mined. Although massive blocks are excavated, it is estimated only one percent of all marble harvested will become a visible surface. The majority of marble utilized in construction remains untouched, unseen.
We celebrate today in the remarkable edifice of our Church of the Immaculate Conception, and see in her grand structure a tiny fraction of what lies beneath. The extremities of earth’s reproduction serve a different but no less remarkable purpose: the surface view appears exquisite, but we trust the internal, we trust the powerful marble construction will uphold this House of Faith, built by Providence.
Our first reading, selected from Proverbs, resonated with the message of trusting in the Wisdom of God. But how? God’s answer is before us – we must turn our ear, we must incline our heart to seek the path God intends for us, a path which may appear straight but can sometimes feel treacherous and unsteady. Proverbs tells us Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding are guides of the journey, mapping the “way of the good and the paths of the just.” Our own Saint Mary-of-the Woods Alma Mater reinforces these same truths: “Words and deeds alike, revealing Wisdom we have learned from Thee.”
Shared in our second reading is the example of our own Mother-pilgrim, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. Having completed her second trip from France in four years, here she is, in New Orleans, awaiting the final leg of a much interrupted return trip to St. Mary-of-the-Woods, one hundred and seventy two years ago this very week. Witness to a burgeoning city, Mother Theodore queried,
“What was New Orleans a few years ago? Nothing but sea; afterwards a few tribes, and today it is a world of itself, but tomorrow?”
Saint Mother Theodore had come to recognize the metamorphosis of America’s landscape could not be ignored nor could its progressive human spirit be solely depended upon. After all, hers was a journey which included perilous sea storms, chronic illness, and a delayed return to remote, cold, Indiana which she lovingly referred to as “her inheritance.” Saint Mother Theodore and her companions trusted in God’s wisdom to inform, guide and protect.
We can use her observations as an examination of today;
What were you a few years ago?
What are you today?
But tomorrow?
By fulfilling the Academic requirements which brought you to RING DAY, you receive a portion of your inheritance, but only a portion, as you still have promises and miles to go before you sleep. Yours is a journey of polished stone, pathways which are sure to include changing landscapes but are illuminated by the trusting footsteps of Saint Mother Theodore and her companions who leaned heavily on The Great Provider for their footing.
As the adorned marble surfaces of this space reminds us, your polished Onyx ring will represent only a small fraction of what lies beneath the hand on which it rests. Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding are lovely and deep commodities which afford you this one-of-a-kind mile marker along your journey. They serve as the intangible compass to incline your ear and turn your heart as you navigate your paths unforeseen.
In her first Travel Journal of 1840, during a significant but rare moment of peaceful solitude, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin penned the following:
“Happy ah, thrice happy they who can then look out to the never-ending future with calm and confidence.”
May wearing your Ring enlighten your remaining academic journey with calm and confidence. May it remind you to draw your strength from the deep well, which will always be your home in The Woods, and may you never be without sturdy soled shoes!
May you always know the loving Spirit of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, your companion along the way.
Congratulations.
About the Author
Peggy McCormick Platz
Peggy McCormick-Platz graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 1988 with a Bachelors in Music Education. While raising five children with her husband Tony, Peggy continued working with elementary students through classroom and private music education and in Catholic Music Ministry. Peggy is in her fourteenth year as the coordinator of Community Service-Learning for St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, OH. In addition to being a community and civic volunteer, she has been actively involved in her local Parishes, serving as a PTO president of St. Michael School and All Saints School. Peggy currently serves on the SMWC National Alumni Board.
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