The quiet won’t last.
Soon, the hallways will fill—
with footsteps and backpacks, with names being called out and friendships beginning, with nerves, with energy, with a hundred different kinds of stories arriving all at once.
And maybe you’ll be one of them—stepping through the front doors of Juan Diego Catholic High School not quite sure how to feel.
Maybe you’re excited. Maybe you’re anxious. Maybe you’re both at once.
Maybe you’re worried about being noticed, or worried about not being seen at all.
Maybe this school feels huge, or unfamiliar, or like you’re still waiting for it to feel like yours.
Wherever you are coming from—whatever you’re carrying—hear this first:
Do not be afraid.
You are not here to be perfect.
You are not expected to have everything figured out.
You don’t need to prove your worth—you’ve already got it. Just by showing up.
This school isn’t just about books and tests and rules.
It’s about becoming.
Becoming yourself.
Becoming someone who listens well, who loves deeply, who notices the people around them.
Someone who learns how to carry both joy and difficulty, and how to walk through life with courage and kindness.
You’ll hear about Christ here—in classrooms, in prayer, in chapel.
But even more, you’ll come to understand that Christ is already with you.
Already in your story. Already in your quiet moments. Already in the middle of your questions.
Even when you’re unsure, even when it feels hard to believe,
God is whispering,
“I am with you.”
There will be days when you feel strong and confident.
There will be days when nothing makes sense.
There will be moments when you laugh until your stomach hurts, and moments when you wonder if you belong.
All of it matters.
Your small efforts—your kindness, your apologies, your honesty—are not small to God.
They are part of something sacred.
Part of how the world is made better, bit by bit.
Here, you’re not alone.
Your teachers are here to walk with you, not to judge you.
They are not asking you to be perfect—they are learning right alongside you.
Together, you will grow.
So let this year begin.
Not with fear, but with open hands.
Not with pressure to impress, but with the quiet trust that you are loved already.
You are welcome here. You are needed here.
Do not be afraid.
You are exactly where God (Love) needs you to be.
