Saint George, A Worthy Namesake for a School
A dragon, green as poison, took up residence in the lake of the nearby kingdom. The dragon promised not to destroy the city if the people would feed him their sheep. Not knowing what else to do, the king agreed.
Summer changed to autumn. When the kingdom ran out of sheep, the dragon offered to stay his claw from the city if only they would feed him their children. Feeling helpless, the king conceded.
The city drew lots, and it fell to the daughter of the king to be the first sacrifice to save the city.
Her father could do nothing to save her, so after shedding bitter tears for her life, the noble heart within her gave her the courage to walk outside of the city gates to sacrifice herself to the dragon.
Before arriving at the lake, she encountered a knight in armor bearing a shield painted with a red cross.
“Leave this place, good knight. A dragon torments us!” she spoke with a trembling voice.
“For this reason I have come, to help those in need.”
The princess lead him to the lake that boiled with the flame of the dragon.
The knight made the sign of the cross before his attack. First he tried his spear but to no avail; the angry dragon raised its claws and advanced on the knight. The knight drew his sword then thrust the blade under the wing of the monster. With a final cry, the dragon fell dead.
The princess lead the knight back to the city with rejoicing.
The people cheered and the king asked the knight his name.
“They call me George.”
“What reward does Sir George require?”
“I require no reward. It is God who gives me victory.”
“Then Saint George, what is to prevent us all from being baptized this very day?”
And so it was that the entire kingdom repented and was baptized.
. . .
Saint George saved a city from destroying itself. His love, courage, and faith became the living Gospel that each person in that city needed to see so that they might all become transformed.
The dragons of our city are all about us, roaming the streets seeking whom they may devour, and our children are the most vulnerable. There are more kinds of dragons than I wish to enumerate here. Among them is the dragon of secularism and materialism. However, I have no doubt that you have already drawn up in your mind examples of the dragons that concern you. Our city has been besieged; the dragons are pounding at the gate.
We have an opportunity. We can build in Denton, Texas a community that, like Saint George, vanquishes dragons. A school in Denton with a truly Christian philosophy of education; one that values tradition, beauty, and joy; that creates an atmosphere that elevates a child; that presents a curriculum of living ideas; and that nurtures liberating habits--this kind of school can indeed help us achieve the happy end we all want for our children.
Saint George School is the name of this place we are envisioning. www.saintgeorgedenton.com
