In 1897, an eight year old young girl asked the editor of the newspaper, the New York Sun, if there really was a Santa Claus. " And the editor Francis Church responded,
"....Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. ... . Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. ..."
On Dec. 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas we celebrated the faithfulness, generosity and secret gift-giving of the real Bishop Nicholas of Myra. Nicholas was a saint known as the Wonderworker for the many miracles of love God granted through his intercession for the poor and young children. He became a model for the legend of Santa Claus and the joy of gift-giving during Christmas. Our Campus Ministers, Priscille and her many elves delivered gingerbread houses to all our staff with young children. And everyone was invited to send a letter to Santa Claus with one wish for a better world in the year 2010. Santa will be delivering these letters to Macy's as part of their Make a Wish Program. For every postcard they receive, Macy's will be donating $1. to Make a Wish Foundation for young children with a terminal illness. Doing small things with great love is a tradition at Benedictine Academy! 
