A Note from Our Director

Welcome to the season of light!

At this time of year, diverse cultures around the world celebrate light to symbolize the triumph of radiance over darkness; hope over despair; and, for some, the arrival of miracles.

Speaking of miracles, you will soon meet the Nowak family of Buffalo, New York where legend has it that in 1943 on Christmas Eve, the Virgin Mary appeared to the family patriarch (a barber) and gave him a message to spread world peace. The barber built a 17-foot-tall statue of the Blessed Mother, and the shrine still stands outside the family home on South Division Street. The Nowak family—for generations—has built their identity on this miracle, ensuring the legend continue to offer hope, faith, and peace to those in need.

And I wonder: Is this the only miracle on South Division Street? Is the word “miracle” limited to holy sightings? Living right now in a world that often feels divided, I wonder: Is it a miracle when we choose to be curious about what we don’t understand (versus disparaging the unfamiliar?) Is it a miracle when someone opens their heart and offers unconditional acceptance? Perhaps it is a miracle when we offer our light to someone walking in their darkness. Throughout my life, I have deeply benefitted from those who gave freely of themselves in my time of need; and because of their encouragement (and selflessness,) I was able to walk out of the shadow of hardship and imagine a new tomorrow. Which felt like a miracle.

As the poet Rumi reminds, “If everything around seems dark, look again: You may be the light.”

After all,

‘Tis the season!

Scott Shallenbarger

Director