Dear Friends:
This production of Les Misérables allowed us to revisit French history and resolve the question as to when this story actually took place. During the June Rebellion, when the gunfire started, Victor Hugo was nearby in the Tuileries Gardens while working on a play. He decided to follow the sounds. Unaware of the barricades that were being erected everywhere in Les Halles, he found himself in the center of the heated fighting. When he started working on Les Misérables in 1845, he chose to incorporate the events of the June Rebellion he witnessed as a young man.
The Saint Bernard community has been celebrating Founders Week 2024 along with the other twelve Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools (XBSS). We do our best to recall the charisms shared with our fellow XBSS schools; simplicity, humility, compassion, trust, and zeal. If you think those qualities might be tough to find in a group such as ours, well...there are times when that is correct. Then again, there are times when they are so clearly evident that it takes our breath away. Theatre Education can check off many boxes. This production gave us reason to check off many including the development of stagecraft, critical thinking skills, time management, and so much more. While we are proud of our Saints for their growth in these areas, we would be remiss not to celebrate them for the seemingly "little" things they have achieved. Saints, we want you to know that we see you and we give thanks for you.
Thank you so much for joining us as the Saints Players recreated Victor Hugo's timeless story of Jean Valjean and the miracle of redemption. This will surely be a production we will hold close to our hearts for many years. We recently shared this quote from St. Francis Xavier with the Saints and offer it for your consideration:
"It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards one’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken."
Theatre Education embodies all of that and more. The Saints Players hope that the fruits of their community spirit will encourage you to recognize the continued fight for Liberté, Egalité, and Fraternité.
Until our next production, we wish you peace and all good things.
