Dear Ursuline Parents,  

Happy New Year and Happy (belated) Feast of St. Angela!  

As Ursuline global educators, we strive to develop qualities in our students that will help them to be strong global citizens. Some of these qualities are flexibility, comfort with ambiguity, patience and a hospitable spirit in the tradition of St. Angela. Over the recent “Dallaska” event, I think many of us were tested on these qualities.  

When we welcome our sister schools from abroad, we aspire to be warm and hospitable. We want everything to run smoothly and as planned. Sometimes, however, that smoothly-running goal is far, far out of our reach – or nearly impossible, as it was this week.  This week, we had students from our Taiwanese sister school unexpectedly snowed in for five long days with their Ursuline host families. Additionally, we had arriving Peruvian students, stuck at a local hotel with their teachers. It seemed like a complete disaster. However, our generous (and eager) UA Host parents rose to the occasion, offering to drive across the frigid metroplex to “rescue” their already-loved Peruvian daughters. Thankfully, the ice began to melt just in time as we knew we would not be able to keep the Dallas and Peruvian sisters from each other for one more day. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese host families just kept moving and grooving through the winter wonderland – drinking hot chocolate, playing games, watching movies, baking, hugging pets, etc., in a valiant effort to familiarize our Taiwanese sisters with American family life despite the frozen environment.

As I reflect on last week, I am feeling profoundly grateful for our host families. Our special and loving community is deeply rooted in hospitality, a gift from St. Angela. I don’t know that St. Angela ever imagined that her “piazza” would take shape one day in Texas with groups of girls and their families welcoming young women from far-away lands and sheltering them during an ice storm. Nevertheless, I like to think that she would see these moments as a way of living out the message of the Gospel in the tangible, compassionate action of offering food, shelter, and comfort to others.  

Gratefully Yours, 

Cecilia Nipp

Director of Global Relationships & Cultural Exchange

 

 

 

 

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