Over the weekend I have been giving some thought to how I've become who I am. Is that deep enough to scare you? Last week I had lunch with a group of men that together attended high school and some even grade school. This means that we have known each other for 65+ years. This always takes me back to those formation years. Our school years were shaped first by the nuns and then by the Christian Brothers. Both instilled in us rowdy boys a sense of reverence for those holy and spiritual ideals. The nun's firmly believed in discipline and enforced it whenever necessary (quite often in my case). In this process, we developed a great respect for authority. They also expected in us our very best effort at our studies. They provided the foundation for our lives.

The Christian Brothers, while honoring the same values, went the next step. Again the religious aspect of our lives was emphasized foremost and the academics followed suit. They had a way of getting us to do our best - not only in our studies but we became "Brothers Boys". This meant a great deal to us. Our integrity became a major concern in our lives. We were to represent the school at all times and present it in its most favorable light. We were to be people of integrity, people that others could count on, people who not only represented the school but also represented our Catholic faith.

Looking around the lunch table at these high school friends I see a group who have lived their lives as "Brothers Boys". They all have achieved a degree of financial success, have had good marriages and several children and grandchildren (some even great grandchildren!), and all are respected men of this community. Their faith has remained strong and this has been passed on to their families.

And to think that all this started with a group of dedicated nuns and polished by an equally dedicated group of men - the Christian Brothers. God bless them all.