On Monday, December 9th, the STA community gathered to share in a mass honoring the Advent season. Advent is a special liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church. Catholics use this as a time to come together and mediate in preparation for the birth of Christ. The Eucharist is a special item in the mass because it means “giving thanks.” Mr. (Wiz) Wisnowski, a current philosophy teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas High School tries to lead this mass through music, “so…students can get something, whether it [is] a song, a line, or some part of reading and even a moment of silence.”

Being a part of a faith community can help you in your day-to-day life. Mr. Wiz, a prominent and active believer as a Roman Catholic, says, “…it’s really helpful…to have set guidelines, but also something you can look to and rely on constantly in different phases and seasons of changes in your life.” The Advent season can help us continue and strengthen our practice in faith. 

Mr. Wiz believes that having a central faith is very important and tries to implement it in his classroom. He likes and tries to connect with his students and tries to build a community in his classroom. Mr. Wiz does this by “being… loud and kooky” , and he believes that, “[it’s] just as valuable to someone that may be more reserved or pious… and that commitment to faith comes in many different flavors, and committing to yourself is really what matters.”