Stephanie Wong, Theology Department

I love Mary’s Day. I love the way the day contains elements of community, spirituality, the arts, ritual, beauty, food and just plain ol’ fun! The buildup of the weeks prior when the whole community works together to create this beautiful celebration reminds us that, while academics are important, we also value cooperation, creativity, joy and tradition. On Mary’s Day, we are reminded of our Catholic roots and we pay homage to our patroness, Mary, who guides us through the year. It feeds my soul.

 

To be a “woman of great heart & right conscience” is to be someone who sees their kinship with all humanity and the earth; who has integrity; and who has the knowledge and critical thinking skills to make the world a better place. At Immaculate Heart, we want to create the Kingdom/Kingdom of God on Earth by guiding our students to be people inspired by compassion, who seek to address injustice, suffering and intolerance in a manner which is both loving and wise.

 

I had never planned to be a teacher. I found out I wanted to be a teacher by being a substitute teacher at IH. Teaching combines my ability to express complex ideas in a lucid manner and my enjoyment of expanding peoples’ ways of thinking. This is especially true in Theology classes where we often toss around ideas as we delve into Scriptures and other theological writings and apply them to our lives today. Theology is not about memorizing and being lectured to. It teaches students to analyze their own values and beliefs through exploration of texts and other resources.