Dear Archbishop Shaw Families and Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! All of us here at Shaw, especially the Salesians of Don Bos-

co, are grateful for you.

We are grateful for your generosity and support. We are grateful for your good-

will. We are grateful that you love Archbishop Shaw and believe in this mission of

educating and evangelizing young men.

Yes, we are grateful for all of you.

This Thanksgiving, let’s promise one another that we will live our lives with an attitude of gratitude. That way we

can continue to respond joyfully to the blessings we have received from Almighty God.

Our gratitude to God and others is shown and exemplified in our attitudes and actions. In response to God’s Love,

let’s get busy practicing the 5 P’s. What are the 5 P’s?

1. Peace: I will be a peacemaker. I am not “looking for a fight” with others. Even though things may not be go-

ing my way, I want to be an instrument of God’s love to others. So, I will not take my frustrations out on those

around me. I choose to be an instrument of peace. I am going to pre-empt negative attitudes by coming out

with kindness, joy and gentleness in my relationships.

2. Patience: Things happen! People disappoint! Relationships are sometimes painful. The ordinary stuff of life

always seems to get fowled up. So, I will be patient. I can’t control much of what happens. Help me Lord to

accept patiently the challenges of life. I am going to practice patience.

3. Perseverance: You gotta be tough to make it in this world. Keep going! I will persevere in difficult circum-

stances. I am a person of faith and THE ONE who is greater than me will give me the ability to endure. I will

not despair or become despondent. I’m making up my mind with determination—I want to be a saint. Saints

are sinners who keep trying. I will not give up!

4. Prayer: I’m going to keep praying out of gratitude. With a thankful heart I will make time each day to go to the

source of all good and all blessings. I have scheduled some prayer time in my life. Also, when I feel the prompt-

ings of the Holy Spirit to pray—I’m going to pray. Prayer works.

5. Praise: I will Praise the name of the Lord. I will spend part of my prayer time praising God. I will also be gen-

erous in offering others praise for their goodness to spread encouragement to all.

Happy Thanksgiving.

God bless you,

Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB