The Value of Service
Feast Day Mass: Salesian Reflection
Patrick Williams
Salesianum School 2025
Hello everyone, my name is Patrick Williams and I am a member of the Salesianum senior class. Recently we performed our week of service, and at first, it seemed like a job for most of us. My group and I went to Urban Promise in Wilmington for our service.
Urban Promise is a school in the city that provides kids with the skills necessary to achieve academic success and grow personally and in leadership. As the week went on and we got more comfortable with the kids, this job that was a requirement turned into something we all looked forward to doing by choice.
While I was there, I had the pleasure of working with the fourth grade. This class of five girls and one boy was a joy to work with. They found ways to make every little thing in the classroom fun and sometimes even devised clever tactics to avoid their work. I quickly realized that these kids were not much different from how we were in fourth grade. They delighted in simple things, made silly jokes, and discovered ways to dodge their responsibilities.
The kid I worked with most was the one and only boy. David is your average 4th grader with tons of energy and enthusiasm towards school but not always his work. As the week went on, we became very close. Their teacher, Mrs. Moore, told us that David looked forward to every day the Sallies guys came.
We see this message in today’s second reading from Paul, “And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.” St. Francis de Sales taught that love is the bond of perfection, it is this bond that we are called upon to share in our Salesianum brotherhood and the community at large.
This bond of perfection based on love is connected directly to our senior service week - It defines Salesian service - service that is measured less by what we did, and more on the relationships and connections we formed. When we started the week, we were strangers. But over just a few days, a bond was formed, a bond so real that the students cried when we left. The impact we had on the kids is an example of showing our love and appreciation for others. Whether it was David telling us how he wanted to go to Sallies or Mrs. Moore thanking us for doing small tasks like stapling papers, we showed love and appreciation for others through service simply by doing ordinary things well.
What I did not expect about last week was what I learned about myself and what I took away from being at Urban Promise. I realized that we take a lot for granted. There is a lot of joy in little things and more importantly helping others, even when it is something small. David enjoyed being surprised when we brough lunch but what he really cared about was spending time with us and the relationship we formed over the short time we were there.
It made me reflect on the values I should cherish and how the small moments in my life, especially those at Salesianum, have woven into the fabric and foundation of who I am. The impact that people have had on me – the relationships we forge, our life of service to others - whether it be David, my closest friends, teachers, or the entire brotherhood - will continue to shape me as a person and become integral to my identity. I am grateful that David reminded me of these important truths.
This experience really made me, and I'm sure the rest of the senior class, realize the importance of service. We were able to not only experience the impact you can make on someone’s life in just a week but also how a person you came to serve can change you.
Seeing the smiles on the kids' faces when we came in the door truly helped me see God's beauty and image, but somehow I think David had an even greater impact on me than I had on him. The impact we had on these kids, and the impact they had on us, will hopefully last a lifetime. Choosing to love as Jesus taught us not only allows us to impact the lives of young kids like David but it also gives us the opportunity and privilege to have our own lives change. This bond is not only the true source of strength for our brotherhood here, but also what we are called to share with a world, we are called to serve in gratitude.
“Over all these put on love, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:14-15).
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