A Message From the President

Dear Loyola Family,

As we all know, over the last week our Los Angeles area has experienced an unprecedented loss of life, homes and property. We also know that the toll in dollars, however great, will be calculable. However, the psychological, emotional and spiritual toll will be more difficult to tabulate, and, in fact, may never be fully understood. Because of this, it is becoming clear that the healing from the grief that this has caused will take much work and many prayers.

And yet, as I tell anyone who will listen, Loyola opens its doors every day to give everyone who is part of this community the most profound, life-changing experience of God’s unconditional love possible. In the days since the first outbreaks of wind, fire and loss, that unconditional love has shone brightly through the good works of our Loyola community, and proven once again to be the most powerful force possible for healing, both in this particular time and situation and in the overall healing of our world.

From the first Zoom call I joined on Wednesday morning with the team who were exploring what Loyola could do in this crisis; to sending out the first appeals to the community for help; to the arrival of volunteers, both adults and students, to help sort and distribute anything and everything we received; to the never-ending line of cars in Hayden Circle bringing those donations in and taking our surplus to other places of care; to the welcomes received, and the gratitude given, by the families who have lost so much and who came to Loyola looking for help; to the constant and effective reevaluation of what we have done and how to adapt to be of better service; to the smiling faces of those sitting at tables in Caruso Hall and enjoying a hot meal while they regrouped and regained strength; to everything else that has happened over the days of this un-paralleled time – this community – you, our Loyola Family – has responded with unconditional love through thought, prayer and, most especially, deed. And in doing so, Loyola has been Loyola in the ways that we know best – by all of us being Men and Women For and With others in order to help save our world.

I am humbled and proud to be part of this community, and humbled and proud to work with and serve such an extraordinary group of human beings as all of you are. Our students, our faculty, our staff and our administrators all came to help, full of energy, generosity and strength. And our parents, former parents, alumni, Board of Directors and all of the family of Loyola – even those of you who have experienced loss in this time – have contributed to this effort, and together we have shown what it looks like to be the Body of Christ.

I thank you all from the deepest depths of my heart for all you have done, and for all you will continue to do.  If there is a blessing to be had in these days, it is that we have further proof that the Spirit of Loyola never dissipates and only grows stronger, no matter what the circumstances of the world around us may be.

And to our families, alumni, colleagues and friends who have suffered great losses, we are here for you, now and forever. Please bring your needs to Loyola, and know that, in our encounters with one another on campus, we help each other as family, and, of course, serve one another with unconditional love.

And because of that, we know that we will all get through this together!!

With much love and many prayers,

Fr. Gregory M. Goethals, SJ ’73
President
Loyola High School of Los Angeles