Monday in the USA was, Martin Luther King Day, a national holiday. It was a day for reflection and an opportunity to celebrate the great black Civil rights leader who did so much on behalf of all African Americans. In fact, Reverend Martin Luther King Junior dedicated his life to building bridges between peoples of all different backgrounds in the great American melting pot. So essentially, the national holiday was a day to celebrate diversity, racial equity, peace and compassion. It was well timed on the heels of the traumatic shooting only days ago in Tucson Arizona that killed or injured more than a dozen people, including a member of the House of Representatives who has miraculously survived a bullet to the brain.
So as America reflected and searched for avenues toward a more peaceful society, here at LCC we are also reminded of the callous impact of violence. Sadly, Jason Peagram, 22-years old and an LCC graduate from the Class of 2005, was killed late last week in a shooting here in our fair city – Montreal’s first homicide for 2011.
Monday, as America celebrated Doctor King’s important message of peace, I joined colleagues from LCC and attended Jason Peagram’s funeral. It is always tragic and somewhat unnatural to watch a mother bury her son. The fact that he was a victim of such a violent act only made it more difficult.
As the presiding priest shared with the congregation, this untimely and violent death of a 22 year-old with his future before him, reminds us that there is indeed evil in the world. That the grace and sanctity of life was taken from Jason in the street in a violent manner was shocking and brutal. We were advised to be cautious of violence that is creeping onto Canadian streets and into our households. Indeed, we should all be alarmed. We were also asked to consider what we have done for others recently. You see, Jason was a regular volunteer. A love of service was an attribute he picked up while at LCC–most recently as a volunteer with kids involved in basketball programs at the Trevor Williams Kids Foundation. The priest at the funeral also asserted that we should all be wary of selfishness, narcissism, and a tendency for all of us to be too self-absorbed. So how can we counter reckless, illogical violence? It is only through love, sharing and community outreach that we will defeat brash violence. Together we have to smother it. It begins in our daily lives at school and in our homes.
A young LCC brother was buried on Monday. He was a victim of a willful act of violence and we should all feel a sort of inner personal outrage. However, we cannot allow violence to triumph. Stop and reflect how you can respond through a personal gesture or act of compassion or empathy. However small or large, let’s each dedicate an individual private act of kindness to the memory of Jason Peagram, Class of ’05.
Jason’s Irish roots were evident at his funeral and the final words of the following traditional Irish prayer provided a fitting farewell.
Jason: “May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.”
—Chris Shannon, Headmaster
Cette semaine était aussi magnifique que la précédente. Dimanche, j’ai visité le Château de Chantilly avec la famille de Pierre. C’était très intéressant et le château était vraiment beau. L’école est maintenant plus ou moins ordinaire. Les professeurs sont très gentils et si j’ai des problèmes, il y a toujours quelqu’un pour m’aider. Paris était formidable, encore. Nous sommes allés à la tour Eiffel et nous sommes montés jusqu’au deuxième étage. Vous pouvez voir toute la ville autour de vous. J’aime beaucoup les monuments et les statues qui sont à Paris. C’est vraiment une métropole culturelle et de patrimoniale. J’ai aussi vu la place de la Concorde, l’église de la Madeleine et j’ai marché sur les Champs-Élysées. Demain, j’irai à Bruges (Brugge), en Belgique. Il y a aussi les classes de conversation qui sont très sympas, les parents qui les animent sont excellents et je trouve que mon français s’améliore de jour en jour. Cela fait déjà 2 semaines, le temps passe rapidement quand tu t’amuses.—Samuel Ergina ‘12
