Dear members of the Villa Community,

The mission of Villa Victoria Academy, consistent with the Catholic vision of the Religious Teachers Filippini, is to respect the inherent dignity of each individual, to educate the whole person, and to empower young women to reach their full potential and influence the world in a truly Christian manner.  Jesus holds all people in His heart. Each and every human being is made in His image and likeness. As a result, to be human means to reflect the image of God, and God is love. As Scripture tells us in 1 John 4:19-21, “We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must love his brother.” We know in our hearts, as people made in God’s image and likeness, that all people have a right to be treated with respect. God intends our world to be safe and just, and currently it is not. It can only change if we change, and if we care enough to do what we can to work for justice and respect for all human beings.

On May 29, 2020, seven U.S. Catholic bishop chairmen of committees within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement in the wake of the death of Mr. George Floyd and the protests that have broken out in Minneapolis and in other cities in the United States:

“We are broken-hearted, sickened, and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our very eyes. What’s more astounding is that this is happening within mere weeks of several other such occurrences. This is the latest wake-up call that needs to be answered by each of us in a spirit of determined conversion. Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a throwaway political issue to be bandied about when convenient. It is a real and present danger that must be met head on. As members of the Church, we must stand for the more difficult right and just actions instead of the easy wrongs of indifference. We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice. While it is expected that we will plead for peaceful non-violent protests, and we certainly do, we also stand in passionate support of communities that are understandably outraged. Too many communities around this country feel their voices are not being heard, their complaints about racist treatment are unheeded, and we are not doing enough to point out that this deadly treatment is antithetical to the Gospel of Life.”

To read the entire statement and additional pastoral letter against racism, click here.

As a Villa Family, we need to work together so that change and growth are possible. This requires taking action and opening our hearts, cultivating listening hearts, changing our hearts, joining our hearts, and protecting one another’s hearts, not just now, but for a lifetime. We must love. We realize a statement such as this is not enough. Moving forward, we intend to better participate in ongoing conversation and ongoing action.

Sincerely in Christ,

Sr. Lesley Draper, Principal

Sr. Lillian Harrington, President