Spiritual Life at Lehman
At Lehman our goal is to make faith in the Lord Jesus, in and through His body, the Church, the foundation and reason for everything that happens here. Therefore, we strive to make certain that the spiritual life is being fostered in every dimension of school life.
At the same time, it is possible to highlight four areas where the spiritual life finds particular emphasis: prayer, liturgy and the sacraments, formation and service.
Prayer
From the first words spoken during the morning announcements to the first words spoken after the bell rings to begin each class, prayer grounds all that we do. As we come to know the Lord Jesus, the Father and the Spirit in prayer, we come to know our true selves, the people we were made in Baptism. Prayer reminds us who we are, helping us to become the holy people of God.
Liturgy and the Sacraments
For Roman Catholics, we believe that Christ himself through the Church provided us with privileged moments of prayer in liturgy and sacraments. At Lehman we celebrate the Church's two greatest liturgies, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, together as an entire student body once a week.
More than most other Catholic high schools and in tune with the thinking of the Church throughout the ages, Lehman sees the Eucharistic Liturgy as the source and summit of the Christian life. As we gather each week to hear the Word, to be contrite, to praise, to thank and to petition God, we receive the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. We strive to become who we receive, the real presence of the Lord Jesus.
On some Fridays or special days we make the hours of the day holier by celebrating the Liturgy of Hours, morning prayer, led by students themselves. The Liturgy of the Hours is the second most important liturgy of the Church, next to the Eucharistic Liturgy.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated for several hours each week. It is a wonderful blessing to see so many of our students participating in this great sacrament of Jesus ministry of forgiveness and healing. In addition to weekly celebration of penance, communal penance services are experienced during Advent and Lent with the assistance of many priests in the area.
In order to make such liturgies possible, we rely upon a large percentage of the student body and faculty to share their gifts as, acolytes, Eucharistic ministers, lectors, musicians and sacristans.
Formation and Service
Formation of their children in the Christian life continues to be the primary duty of parents, who by practicing the faith in the home and worshipping on the Lord's Day creates a domestic church in the family. As a partner in this formation, Lehman provides a balanced religious formation curriculum over a student's four years here.
Freshman year, students learn the insights of and study the Hebrew (Religion 101) and Christian Scriptures (Religion 102). Students will become familiar with scriptural themes, which help to form them in faith and to become better Christians. Such themes include, creation, salvation, morality, justice and peace, and of course, the life and person of Jesus Christ.
Sophomore year, students study the history of the Church (Religion 201) to grow even more in the rich tradition that is ours. During the second semester students consider more specifically each sacrament, as well as the rich and varied types of prayer experience manifest in the Church (Sacraments and Prayer, Religion 202).
Junior year, as students have been solidly grounded in Scripture and Tradition, the topic of Church Doctrine (Religion 301) is explored, where the teachings of the Church are explored and the mind and heart of Christ speak. Christian Morality (Religion 302) is the second semester topic where students receive the sources and the parameters of who they are and how they are to be in Christ. Such topics as virtue, moral decision-making, contemporary moral problems and issues of peace and justice are considered.
Senior year finds students preparing more directly for life beyond high school as they wonder formally about the vocation to which the Lord is calling them. In Christian Lifestyles, Family and Vocation (Religion 401) students explore in detail the range of Christian vocations open to them. Catholic Social Teaching: Justice, Peace and Special Moral Issues (Religion 402) allows students to deal in greater detail with the blessings, dilemmas and problems of our modern world through the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching. Values such as the dignity of the human person, option for the poor, promotion of peace, the common good, respect for life, subsidiarity, stewardship and human labor, as well as issues such as war and peace, medical ethics are viewed through the eyes of Christ in the Church.
Our retreats offer additional opportunities for formation they include the Senior Kairos retreat, Junior "Net" retreat and the Freshmen "Tugs" retreat.
Since, as the Letter to James states that faith without works is no faith at all (cf. James 2), students have the opportunity to volunteer to serve Christ, His body and the world through nearly thirty service projects. Building the City of God and furthering the Kingdom is the natural response of a deep and abiding faith in Christ. Such projects include tutoring and mentoring primary age children, soup kitchens and cooperation with social service agencies. These opportunities allow students to proclaim their faith in and love for Jesus inside and outside the school setting.
At Lehman we are blessed to have faith in our God of love, particularly as shown to us in Christ, as the focus for all that we are and do. This is a high calling and an awesome challenge. We rely upon the power of the Spirit, the grace of Christ given to us through prayer, liturgy and the sacraments, formation and service to help all in our community grow in the spiritual life.