“Pledge to excel 
through love and unity.” 
~ Bahamian National Anthem

Readers of my books and blogs, and those who know me well, might have noticed that I have this thing about the Bahamas. Let me explain.

I spent eight years of my life at Saint Gabriel School in San Francisco, yet rarely do I speak of those memories. The same can be said for my four years at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, the five years I worked at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San José, or the four years I spent working at Saint Christopher School and Parish. In fact, I make an effort to consciously avoid speaking or even thinking about my thirty-one years of employment at Saint Lawrence Academy and Parish in Santa Clara. Yet, it’s clear that my one year living and teaching at Saint Augustine’s College in Nassau had a profoundly positive, long-lasting effect on me.

I arrived in Nassau in late August 1974. Just one month before, on July 10th, the Bahamas had celebrated their first anniversary of independence. During a ceremony to kick-off the 1974-75 academic year, I, along with the rest of the Saint Augustine’s College faculty, was personally greeted by Sir Milo Butler, the first Bahamian Governor-General. The colorful Bahamian flag waved gently in the morning breeze. The overwhelming sense of school and national pride could not be overlooked that day. The students enthusiastically sang the Bahamian national anthem.

As I’ve mentioned so many times before, that one brief year at SAC was life-changing. The opportunity to teach at the highly-respected island school, when I was just twenty years old, was both challenging and humbling. Despite my lack of credentials, I more than just survived the experience. My career path was permanently altered. I grew up in countless ways. And, most importantly, I developed a number of friendships which I’ve nurtured through the years.

Since completing my teaching gig at SAC in 1975, I’ve traveled to Nassau several times — 1979, 1981, 1985, and 2006. And just this past March, I made a special visit to the island to say goodbye to my friend and former student, Kim, who was dying of cancer. Each visit to Nassau provided the opportunity for me to connect with a number of my former students and colleagues. Each trip also enabled me to revisit the SAC campus, local restaurants, churches, beaches, and neighborhoods which brought back pleasant memories of my first experience of the island nation.

Today, the Bahamas celebrates fifty years of independence. It will be a day of festivities, parades, music, dancing, fireworks, and yes, perhaps a bit of alcohol. I wish I could be with them to participate in these celebrations. 

I pray for the people of the Bahamas, especially for their elected leaders. The task of being a self-governing nation can be overwhelming, and the Bahamas, like most nations, has experienced both successes and failures. The key to the future success of this country is integrity in leadership. A number of Saint Augustine’s College graduates serve in key leadership roles in the community. I am confident that the values they learned at SAC enable them to provide the positive leadership so desperately needed in this young country.