More Than a School
Opening House Mass: Salesian Reflection
Luca Rossi
Salesianum School 2025
Fr. Chris Beretta, OSFS, at Open House Mass
Good morning. My name is Luca Rossi and I am a senior here at Salesianum. I am pleased to give this Salesian reflection today, as it is likely the first time most of you are hearing one. For those of you who don’t know what a Salesian reflection is, it is a short speech given by a member of the senior class at the end of mass, reflecting on their Salesianum experience and relating it to one of the readings from the mass or a St. Francis de Sales quote. As I sat down to begin writing, I was, quite frankly, at a loss: I had no idea how I could take a reading about marriage or divorce and use it to tell the story of my time in high school. I began searching for other ideas to prompt my writing until I noticed that the perfect theme had been right in front of me. To me, and all of my Salesian brothers, Salesianum is more than a school: it’s a companion.
In the first reading from the Book of Genesis, God creates life on Earth to accompany Adam. He says that Adam cannot be alone, and he needs a “suitable partner.” God makes animals to liven the world, and He makes Adam a wife, Eve, from Adam’s rib. He says that the man and woman will come together and form one flesh. Although it is no longer conventional for people to marry in their teenage years, we can interpret this idea differently in the context of Salesianum. When you come here, you enter into a brotherhood that you become one with. It will always be there for your support and it will help you learn and grow. We are always reminded that Sallies is nothing without the students, teachers, and faculty members who occupy it each day; we make the school full, and with it, we become “one flesh.” Nothing that we do would be possible without the brotherhood, the communion of students who share one thing: their Salesian identity. By becoming one with Salesianum, we find a community that cannot be found anywhere else, and we are able to bond because of this one great thing we share.
It feels like just yesterday I was in your seats: touring high schools, not sure what my near future would have in store. I did know one thing, however: the power of the Salesian brotherhood. I remember coming to 18th and Broom thinking, “How could this place be so great? It’s just a regular building in the city.” At the time, I didn’t realize how Salesianum was more than just that, a school building in the city. I also didn’t realize that Salesianum was not the building itself, but what was inside. When I learned, I was immediately drawn in by the camaraderie of the students and the joy they seemed to bring each other. Naturally, I wanted to experience this for myself, so I trusted, as one must do when entering a marriage, and now I am here. As a freshman, one of the first things I noticed was that this “brotherhood” that everyone talks about was real. From the first day of school, people just seemed to get along and want to be there with each other. Now, as a senior, I can confidently say that the brotherhood is what has made my high school experience unlike any other. The support system here creates the perfect environment for growing academically, socially, and spiritually. Everyone has this opportunity to grow; they just need to allow themselves to become one with Salesianum. The friendships the brotherhood provides are genuine, supportive, and fun, and they are why I look forward to coming to school every day. I have been able to take hold of many opportunities offered because I became one with Salesianum on the first day. If someone were to ask me what defines my identity, I would answer Salesianum, and only for good reasons. This school has made me a better person, and more importantly, a true version of my best self. Salesianum is everywhere in my life; it will always be there to support me and it will never leave me behind: it is my companion.
In the first reading, God gives Adam the animals because his world is empty. Similarly, we become a part of Salesianum to give the school life. In return, the school gives back. It gives us purpose, identity, and the brotherhood that is always there to better us. Choosing Sallies as my high school has been the best decision of my life, because it is more than a school. As my time here is coming to an end, I look back on my high school years with nothing but gratitude. My partaking in the Salesian brotherhood has made me myself: it has shaped the values that will guide me in my future, and it has formed my identity, one that I share with all of my brothers. I feel like I do not want to leave, but I know that even after I inevitably do, Salesianum will never leave me: like a companion, it will always be a part of my life.
Live Jesus.