BSM community members were encouraged to read the book, Chasing Forgiveness, and attend a community discussion before school, after school, or during lunch. The discussions took place on Wednesday March 15, and free food and beverages were provided by the BSM Parent Association.

The book, Chasing Forgiveness by Neal Shusterman, is a fiction piece based on a true story. The plot centers around a young boy coming to terms with the fact that his father murdered his mother, and his decision to forgive him.

BSM’s annual community book read usually coincides with Catholic School’s Week, but the odd timing of this year’s changed that. “Catholic School’s Week was right after winter break this year, so we thought there would be too much going on,” theology teacher Mr. Michael Becker said.

The book pairs well with the Lenten Season’s theme of reconciliation and forgiveness, and the book emphasizes the necessity of forgiveness in daily life, a theme students discussed at great length in the offered discussions. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to reflect on the importance of forgiveness in their own lives. Not everyone is going to need to forgive something as big as murder, but everyone can benefit from forgiving smaller things in daily life,” Becker said.

The Community Book read presents the unique opportunity for students and faculty to band together and partake in fruitful discussion, with the ultimate goal of everyone seeing other people’s perspectives and taking away valuable lessons.

Theology classes also offered extra credit to reward students who took the time to read and prepare to discuss at the book club meeting. With the success of this year’s inaugural Lenten book read, everyone is already looking forward to next year. “I really enjoyed the diverse conversation and different perspectives everyone brought to the discussion; I’d definitely do something like this again,” senior Jamie Dritz said.