Letter From Students
February 12, 2020
To the Editor,
On January 23rd, a group of students were invited to participate in a conversation with Monsignor Cihak in order to discuss the problems surrounding the homily given on December 11th, 2019, as well as the resulting fallout from the homily.
In writing this letter we — the group of students who attended the meeting — hope to share both how we felt the ensuing conversation developed, and our main takeaways from our conversation with Monsignor Cihak.
Before the conversation began, many of us were nervous about how our message would be received by Monsignor. However, as the conversation progressed and we began to discuss the effects of both the homily and the letter to the editor that was published in The Falconer, we found ourselves having a highly productive and civil conversation. We felt as though Monsignor Cihak respectfully listened and took responsibility for his choice of words in the homily in a truly sincere fashion. He also acknowledged our concerns about his actions after the letter to the editor. It was this sincere apology and acknowledgement that allowed us to move the conversation forward and discuss how to heal together as a community.
After running out of time in our first meeting we all met as a group again on January 30th. We began this meeting by discussing the hurt felt widely within our Lasallian community and acknowledging it was not only the ten people in this meeting that were affected, but rather a broader group of people from both the La Salle and Christ the King communities. This led us to two main focuses for the meeting: first, the effect on the La Salle community, and second, the effect on the Christ the King community and its relationship with La Salle. After much positive discussion, we as a group concluded that there needed to be clarity surrounding the situation, and we hope to achieve some measure of closure and healing through the writing of these two letters.
Finally, we by no means intend to speak for the entire Lasallian community. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the matter. We simply hope that by writing this letter we can offer our perspective having spoken with Monsignor firsthand.
For anyone who would like to know more about the meetings or our perspective following the meetings, please feel free to reach out to any of us and we will be happy to share more details with you.
We thank Monsignor for having a constructive dialogue with us as we renew a trusting relationship with him and the Christ the King community whom we deeply value. We believe that these letters are a very positive step in that process of healing.
Sincerely,
Aylin Begines, Franny Bengtson, Grace Elkhal, Jonah Jutzi, Alyna Nguyen, Liam Rinehart, Abi Sanchez
Tom McLaughlin (aka Mr. Mac) • Feb 12, 2020 at 8:57 pm
As one who attended both meetings discussed in these letters, I am grateful for the progress the La Salle community and Monsignor Cihak have made in the reconciliation process described above. And healing always requires a process that includes time, intention, attention, and a sincere desire to be whole. That’s what I’ve seen on all sides here. Especially after the progress we made during our January 30th conversation, I saw the power of honest, difficult, courageous, and respectful dialogue between parties who truly want to connect.
I am immensely proud of the students who wrote this letter. They have engaged in this process with openness, intelligence, courage, and respect. The critical thinking they have consistently brought to this matter impresses me deeply.
I am grateful to Monsignor Cihak for meeting with the students with an open mind and heart, for speaking truthfully and listening mindfully. His desire to be a pastor to our community is clear. I look forward to getting to know you better, Monsignor. And I encourage members of our community to take up Monsignor on his offer to speak with you. You’ll both find the conversation life-giving.
Because of what I’ve witnessed during these two meetings, I know we can continue growing together in mutual respect and genuine affection.
Love wins!