Greg Lewis Peace Garden

I went to the Greg Lewis Peace Garden dedication at Mt. St. Joseph Academy (MSJA) today. The Peace Garden was designed by faculty members, Deirdre Clancy, and Ted Becker to honor Greg Lewis. They did a wonderful job at creating a memorial to an amazing religion teacher who made a significant difference in the lives of many young Catholic women in the Boston area.

I was delayed on my way to the dedication because of traffic on Western Avenue in Cambridge. It took me 35 minutes to get down a road that usually takes me one minute. I arrived late and was disappointed for two reasons. One, I was scheduled to read the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-17) during the ceremony and did not get there in time to do so. Two, I was not able to commemorate his life by participating in the dedication as I had hoped. I was late to the ceremony…but I can still celebrate what he did for me…

My freshman year at MSJA I remember having a conversation with my guidance counselor (Carolyn Dwyer) about how I was feeling like there wasn’t a place for me in the Catholic Church. My politics was very far to the left, I identified as a feminist etc. She reassured me that I would find my place. I just needed to keep looking. My sophomore year two events happened in my life that proved to me that she was right. One, I went on a retreat that made me realize that my relationship with God was a unique and individual experience that goes beyond celebrating church on Sunday and at school. Two, I took a religion class with Greg Lewis. The first class I took with Greg Lewis was called social justice. This was only the beginning. I ended up taking two (Death and Dying, Peace) other classes with him and got to know him by my involvement with the social justice club.

What Greg Lewis taught me is that we, as Catholics, have a responsibility to work towards social change in the world. He also showed me that we have the ability to change the world through our actions and ideas. Mr. Lewis opened my eyes to things like Liberation theology, the Catholic Worker Movement, and the Just War theory. These were all movements/ideas that I could identify with. They were all about justice, peace, and freedom from oppression. The major premise behind all of these being that that we need to treat each person with dignity and respect because we are all children of God. These are very empowering and important messages. In today’s world being Catholic can be difficult. However, it is these teachings that keep me coming back to church today. I am thankful to Greg Lewis for showing me that there is a place for me in this Church. I owe a big part of who I am today to him.

Much of what Greg Lewis taught is represented in the Beatitudes.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. Jesus began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.