FEBRUARY MODULE

 Fortitude: Si Se Puede

Objective: LEAD Fellows will be able to define fortitude based on their own experiences and examples. 

LEAD Fellows will be able to recognize educational opportunities in schools as calls for fortitude, hope, and action to support their communities.

Prayer: 

St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is people fully alive.” A fully alive person has knowledge of what is true, good, and beautiful. A fully alive person has the freedom to choose the right path and does what they ought to do with joy. The fully alive person is a person of virtue. 

Help us Lord today to focus on and develop the cardinal virtue of fortitude within ourselves. Dear God, we ask for your grace to work on developing the Cardinal Virtue of fortitude. Help us to work hard; to never give up even while knowing it is very human to be tempted to quit. Help us to persevere toward reaching our goals, especially when they seem so far away. Most of all, Lord, help us to have the courage at all times to be persistent in pursuing our goals with determination.

In your name, we pray to grow in fortitude while working for the glory of God. Amen.

 *Based on a prayer by Play Like A Champion 

Introduction:

During Ordinary Time, we reflect upon the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. His daily interactions with those around him were the foundation of encounter and transformation. Through his example, the ultimate leader shows us the importance of connection and the collective. As a diverse and universal Church, we are connected as the Body of Christ, called to appreciate, honor, support, and advocate for one another. 

These challenging times can sometimes cause us to lose hope and the persistent spirit to lead with strength in times of adversity. In this month’s module, we turn to the virtue of fortitude, embodying the persistent “Si Se Puede!” spirit Bordas writes about in this month’s chapter. We also consider the current context of Latino schooling and how fortitude is demonstrated in working towards equity and justice for our community.

As Catholic leaders, we are called to serve others and advocate for them with “determination, commitment, and utter reliability” (p. 170). In the readings this month, Bordas likens fortitude to the presence of consistencia - fierce determination. 

In our community, we have a tradition of fierce love as a call to action - leaders such as Archbishop Óscar Romero, Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, and Pope Francis preach a message of compassion and conviction in one’s beliefs. We have several examples of strong Latino leaders whose values come to life through their work, and each one of you, as Catholic school leaders, are doing the same. 

We thank you for all the ways your leadership has animated your school communities and served the needs of those around you. Your persistence in living a vocation of love through your work brings us hope and is reminiscent of the conviction that si, se puede — con Dios, todo es posible.

Reflection Questions:

1. How do you define fortitude? Please feel free to draw on definitions from the reading and/or your own experiences.

2. What areas in your work call for fortitude and fierce determination?

3. The author writes, “I learned early on that bringing people together meant more strength” (p. 166). Do you hold this same view, and if so, how have you seen this played out in your school?

4. We all need encouragement - ¡si se puede! In what areas of your work do you need encouragement? In looking at your school community, who is in need of encouragement?

Required Readings

Supplemental Readings

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