Letter from the Head of School
Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB
December 2021
Dear Shaw Family,
John the Baptist is a key figure of the Advent Season. He tells us clearly to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. In the Gospel people ask John the Baptist what they ought to do.
John the Baptist gave three recommendations to the people of his time and I think they can apply to us today in our stressful world. He said: 1. Share 2. Be fair and 3. Be humble. Let’s break it down.
Share: God’s desire for us on this earth is to share the blessings that we have received. We are called to be generous. John the Baptist preaches clearly that God’s Will for us is to share. “Whoever has two coats should share with a person who has none.” “whoever has extra food should do likewise.” Sharing is very needed in today’s world. There are a lot of people needing food, friendship and prayer. We can be the ones who give it to them. So… amidst the stress of life don’t be selfish. A selfish attitude just makes things worse in the world. Share your love, share your things and share your time with others.
Be Fair: John the Baptist told the tax collectors and the soldiers to be fair and to treat everyone the same. He preached that everyone has dignity and should be respected. Giving special favors to some people while disregarding others is not God-like. It hurts society and causes division. The gospel calls us to be just in all we say and do. In our world today we are called to practice fairness so that the two extremes- favoritism on the one hand and neglect on the other-- will not dominate our culture.
Be Humble: When the people asked the prophet what they needed to do he told them to be humble. John the Baptist said: “Jesus must increase and I must decrease.” He said that his cousin Jesus was so great that he wasn’t even worthy to touch his sandals. For us today, humility is crucial for growth as spiritual people. If we act like we just want to be left alone and don’t need friends or family we won’t learn how to love properly. If we think we can handle all the stress in life on our own and don’t need God’s Help—things will eventually become overwhelming. We need God. John the Baptist points us to Jesus.
May Jesus come into our hearts this Christmas and may we take the advice of John the Baptist—Share, Be Fair and Be Humble.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB
Head of School
Archbishop Shaw High School
Fr. Steve Ryan is an ordained priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the current Head of School of Archbishop Shaw High School. Fr. Ryan was born in Staten Island, NY in 1964. He discerned his vocation from a young age after attending Camp Don Bosco in Newton, NJ. Fr. Ryan received a M.A. in Theology from the Josephinum Pontifical College in Ohio and a M.A. in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University Chicago.
Fr. Ryan served as a teacher at Archbishop Shaw from 1986-1988 as a Brother. Fr. Ryan was ordained a priest on May 31, 1992 at Saint Anthony Parish in Nanuet, NY. Since his ordination, he has ministered in youth ministry and served as the province Delegate for Youth Ministry.
While directing Salesian ministry in Tampa, Florida, he was part of a team that founded Cristo Rey Tampa High School. He served as the Vice Provincial of the Eastern Province for three years before being assigned to the role of Head of School at Archbishop Shaw.