AS AN ACT OF LOVE, SERVICE LEARNING AT CATHEDRAL IS A MULTI-STEP CYCLE THAT INVOLVES EMOTIONAL AND CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING, ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT, AND REFLECTION.
GUIDED BY LOVE At Cathedral, service is a spiritual act. That is why the service program is overseen by the School Chaplain. Understanding service as spiritual is important for at least three key reasons. First, the spiritual dimension of service incorporates us into a spiritual tradition that spans across time and space, across borders and religions. Through service, we strengthen our bonds to the past and take responsibility for the future. We see ourselves in a long line of servants, continuing the work of the ancient Israelites and Hebrew prophets, the ministry of Jesus and the saints, the path of the Buddha and the Brahman, and the humanitarian efforts of all people, with or without a faith tradition. In other words, when we serve we locate ourselves in the
larger story of humanity's spiritual quest for celebrating goodness and redeeming a hurting world. Second, we have faith that service is the basis for transformative spiritual connec- tions in the present. These connections can be described in various ways— friendship, solidarity, meaningfulness, hope, collaboration, belonging, and justice. Service generates these spiritual connections, and serving others has a profound impact not just on the person who is being served but on the child who serves. For instance, when Lower Schoolers are spending time with senior citizens to help prevent loneliness, that service is as meaningful for the boys as it is for the elderly they’re connecting with. Through service we discover the goodness
in others, the goodness within ourselves, and the grace that surrounds us all. Third, our call to serve comes from a spiritual place of love for the people and the world around us. As an Episcopal school, our spirituality is centered on love and the faith that we humans are distin- guished by our capacity to love, learn, and serve. It is a mistake to separate these qualities of human nature from one another. We cannot be fully ourselves without serving others, and we cannot fully serve others without trying to love and learn about them. What is distinctive about Cathedral’s vision for the service is that it is guided by this “Trinity” of love, service, and learning.
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