Dear Ursuline Family,
With great joy, I welcome you and your daughters back to Ursuline Academy of Dallas for our 151st year! Faculty have been preparing to welcome our students, the buildings are shiny and ready, and the hallways, which have been too quiet, are primed to be filled with the beautiful presence of students. It will be delightful to hear their young voices and see their smiling faces!
Ursuline has a wonderfully rich history, which we celebrated wholeheartedly last year. The time we spent exploring our legacy leads us to the truth that we are about the future as much as we are about the past. Our heritage and charism, gifts of St. Angela and the Ursuline Sisters, compel us to look at how we care for our students through the vibrant mission of Ursuline. Apostolic care, which our Ursuline ministry entrusts to us, begins in the care we bring to identify our integral mission as educators with the mission of Christ. There is nothing more powerful than the sight of our students to remind us of why we are here and what we must hold in place for them.
Today, Ursuline employees gathered to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is nothing more inspiring than to be part of a community that prays together, and it was moving to hear our colleagues raising their voices in songs honoring our Blessed Mother. Mary has so many lessons to teach us – and to teach our girls:
Trust in God and be open to His love.
Pray with an open heart.
Believe in the miraculous.
Serve God in every action.
Be ready to meet unexpected gifts and challenges, because God knows what you are capable of doing.
As students return to school, this is also the perfect time for parents to look to Mary as a model. As she guided Jesus, you also guide your daughters with love and wisdom.
I hope that the summer has been one of rest and rejuvenation. Some may be eager for the start of school, while others may be wringing out the last drops of summer. Freshmen are preparing for their first days of high school, and seniors are readying themselves for a year of “last firsts.” The four years of high school certainly keep us all moving forward!
Thank you for sharing the Ursuline mission with us and for entrusting your daughters to our care. On behalf of our faculty and staff, please know that we are eager to work together to make our extraordinary school the best it can be. Please join me in praying for a successful school year; you are all in my prayers every day.
Yours in Serviam,
Dr. Andrea Shurley
Principal