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Dear Parents,
I apologize for the multiple emails, the wrong Grandparents' Day invite was placed in the the Scribe.
Please see the correct invitation in the email's Forms & Flyers.
Thank you for your understanding.
God bless,
Michelle Huval
Dear Parents,
Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints! After Holy Mass this morning, many of our 2nd Grade parents enjoyed a lovely presentation by their children who, arrayed in their saints' costumes, shared some beautiful and fun facts about the Saints.
Many of us are well aware of the universal call to holiness: every one of us is called to become a saint. Yet, to be perfectly honest, I must confess that a part of me wonders: "Really? It's too hard to become a saint. There is so much to do already. I don't think I have time to take on one more major project!"
This attitude is, of course, a trap. Holiness is not an extra-credit project for gifted students; rather, it is the foundation of the curriculum within God's school of life. Holiness is not one project among the many tasks on our things-to-do list, and it is not achieved by doing extra "holy things". Holiness grows and blossoms through every thought, every decision, every action of ours which is done out of love for God and neighbor.
Pope Francis tells us:
"The Saints are not supermen, nor were they born perfect. They are like us, like each one of us. They are people who, before reaching the glory of heaven, lived normal lives with joys and sorrows, struggles and hopes. What changed their lives? When they recognized God's love, they followed it with all their heart without reserve or hypocrisy."
The Pope goes on to remind us that, in addition to those canonized saints whose lives of heroic virtues seem to be beyond our reach, there are
"the saints 'next door', so to speak, those who, by the grace of God, strive to practice the Gospel in their everyday lives. Among these saints we also find ourselves; perhaps someone in our family or among friends and acquaintances." These ordinary saints achieve holiness by doing the simple and mundane things of life out of love and to the best of their abilities:
"an act of tenderness, generous aid, time spent listening, a visit, a kind word, a smile.... In our eyes these gestures might seem insignificant, but in the eyes of God they are eternal, because love and compassion are stronger than death."
Imagine: if each and every single one of us were to strive to be the "saint next door", then all of us would literally be surrounded by saints...or at least saints-in-the-making. This is not an impossible goal. After all, daily, I see numerous examples of acts of holiness - often small and hidden, but nonetheless genuine acts of holiness because they are done with love: a student reaching out to include a peer at recess; a teacher taking time to help a struggling student after school; parents making tremendous sacrifices to give the gift of a Catholic education to their children...
Our children are always watching us: they want to learn from us the ultimate goal and meaning of life. Let us show our young people that, with God's help, holiness is within our reach; let us show them that holiness is the surest and only way to true happiness.
Gratefully in Christ,
Sister Mary Jacinta, O.P.
Principal
P.S. Thank you for your presence at our Parent-Teacher conferences. Thank you for partnering with our teachers so that, together, we can support your children by helping them to do and be their best!
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