The Griffin
The mascot of St. John Paul II Academy is the Griffin, an ancient symbol of Christ and a mythological creature that is half-lion, half eagle.
King of Land
The Lion is the “king of the beasts”, stout of heart, and has his feet planted firmly on the ground. His domain is the earth and his duties include stewardship of the land and of his own earthly life, which God has entrusted to him. The Lion calls us to give generously of ourselves with courage and fortitude, and to master our own desires, directing them towards the heights of the true, good, and beautiful.
Echoing Pope Benedict XVI, the Griffin thus reminds us that “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness!”
King of the Sky
The Eagle is the “king of the skies,” soaring to the heavens with grace and a lightness of spirit. The Eagle reminds us of Christ’s divinity and our immortal, spiritual souls that were made to soar up to the heights - Verso L’Alto! - to a profound communion with God our Father. We are not confined to this earth, but are called higher.
While the Lion challenges us to serve and love God and neighbor in this world, the Eagle reminds us that this world is also not our final home, that as God’s pilgrim people we are made for more. We are made for eternity. We are made for heaven.
The Call to be Dangerously Good
The Lion also makes reference to the beloved image of Aslan, the Christ-figure in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. When the children visiting Narnia first hear of Aslan, they ask with trembling – “Is he quite safe?” Mr. Beaver replies, “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you.” JPII students are called to follow in Aslan’s footsteps, to be dangerously good, to be saints, fully alive, who will bring that goodness right into the heart of the world, to transform and sanctify it from within.
God’s goodness is wild and unpredictable. And so those who follow His Will with utter trust have a certain wildness and unpredictability in their very goodness, befitting those who follow the Griffin. No two saints are the same.
The Call to Evangelize
For many centuries, the Griffin has been depicted in religious art as an symbol or image of Jesus Christ. To be a Griffin at St. John Paul II Academy means to put on Christ, as St. Paul exhorts, to bear His image to a world desperately in need of his love and hope.
The Griffin in Art and Literature
St. Isidore connects the Griffin to Christ, noting the Griffin’s dual natures of eagle & lion and Christ’s dual natures as fully divine and fully human. He explains, “Christ is Lion because He reigns and has strength; Eagle, because after the Resurrection He rises into Heaven.”
In Dante’s Purgatorio, moreover, the Griffin clearly represents a sinless Christ, pulling the chariot of the Church from earthly paradise into the heavens of Paradiso. We, as griffins and images of Christ, are similarly called to carry the saving message of the Church to those in most need of Christ’s love and mercy.
