Fall Play -- Our Place

The St. Francis DeSales drama department will be presenting their production of Our Place this Saturday and Sunday! This show is a collection of 5 short stories all taking place on the same unassuming dock, all converging to tell a greater story about what Our Place means to different people.

Due to a limited amount of space in the theater to accommodate social distancing, we will be live streaming the shows this year! Tickets will be $5, and will be sold online through booktix.com. Donations are also always appreciated! Performances are on Saturday, October 31st at 7pm and Sunday, November 1st at 3pm.

Our Canned Food Drive kicked off last Thursday and Friday! We will be donating all items to St. Stephen's Community House and St. James the Less Food Pantry. To learn more, please view this video from our friends at St. Stephen's Community House that explains what exactly will be done with the portion of our donations going to them. All donations can be turned in when arriving to school in the Little Theater.

Good luck to our volleyball team tonight at home in the District semifinal vs. Pickerington North starting at 6:00pm.

Good luck to our boys soccer team tonight at home in the District semifinal vs. Jonathan Alder starting at 7:00pm.

With wins this week, Volleyball, girls soccer and boys soccer will compete in the District final on Saturday. For all updates and the links to access live streaming of these games, please visit https://www.stallionpride.com/announcements/2020-fall-postseason. There is no general admission for any of the above listed OHSAA tournament games.

Members of the SFD Autism Club volunteered at the Autism Society's Trick or Trunk event held last Sunday at Embassy Suites in Dublin. At this annual event, club members collect and distribute candy to kids with autism who need a sensory free environment to enjoy Halloween. Thank you to the following Stallions for participating: Audrey Callahan, Lauren Keating, Lara Worth, Adison Czerniak, Kate Acklin, Akeyla Stewart, Carly Fuchs, and Mercedes Bassitt.

Congratulations to these students in the Purple group who had our favorite Halloween costumes today: Jalen Carpenter as Steve Urkel, Joshua Martin-Hayden as Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z, and Adam Feltz as Willy Wonka; best group went to the freshmen Beanie Babies: Lily Hartman, Isabella Carfagna, Isabella Barry, Grace Dziatkowicz, Kate Acklin, Isabella Felter, Andrea Barrera, Anna Ballard, and Lorelei Barker. The winner of the Pumpkin carving/decorating contest was Kirsten Kelley! Check out tomorrow's winners on our social media pages @SFDStallions!

If your student has a doctor's appointment during a remote learning day, parents still need to call the school to report their absence from class. Please contact Chris Woods at 614-267-7808 ext. 411 to make sure your student is excused.

The DeSales Business Club is hosting its very own “Shark Tank” competition this year! This competition is for students who:

The business can be a product, service, app, or sellable concept. Students will then attend a series of four virtual workshops with business experts throughout the winter to help prepare for the final shark tank pitch.

If the panel of judges deem the idea the winner, the team will be awarded a very handsome cash prize (with the top teams winning a sum of $1000!) as well as the chance for you to talk with real product developers about turning the idea into reality!

If interested, contact Business Club advisor Mr. Montenaro at montenaro@desales.co.

If you still want a ticket for the 2020 St. Francis DeSales Athletic Association $10,000 raffle, please ask an athlete to sell you one or email Pat Murphy at patmurphy@desales.co for a ticket. The drawing will be on Friday, October 30 at halftime of the football Regional semifinal game vs. Jonathan Alder.

1st Prize: $10,000

2nd Prize: $1,000

3rd Prize: $500

We have collected $29,500 in ticket sales so far. Please turn in all sold tickets and money to the main office or to Pat Murphy by 3:00 pm on Friday, October 30.

Please keep your child home if they present with any of the above symptoms and contact the School Nurse, Kelli Fitzpatrick at (614) 267-7808 ext. 435 or email fitzpatrick@desales.co.

If a household member is being tested for COVID-19, students and siblings must stay home until results are received.

Keep your child at home until the following criteria are met:

For all of our Ohio State fans planning to watch the OSU vs. Rutgers game next Saturday night, we have changed the start time of our live-stream event to 5:30pm. A link to the live event will be sent to all those who purchase a package. Check out all the options by following the link below. We have packages for you to join up to 10 of your closest family and friends for a socially distant event, or if you prefer a smaller-sized party of 1 or 2, we have packages for that as well!

Does your place of work participate in a United Way Campaign each year? Yes!!! Did you know all or a portion of your generous donation can be directed to Saint Francis DeSales High School?? It can!! You are able to customize your donation to causes you are passionate about and, if DeSales is one of them, we can help you direct your contribution. Email Phil Kraker (kraker@desales.co) in our advancement office for help. As we enter the 60th Anniversary of Saint Francis DeSales, the Faith, Family and Tradition of our school is stronger than ever and we need it to continue to flourish for the next 60 years and beyond. You can also designate what your United Way gift supports within the school if you so chose.

Friends,

As Catholics, we take very seriously the right and responsibility we have to take part in the political process, certainly by voting, but also by engaging civic and party leaders in the development of public policy. The Church does not engage in partisan politics, but individual Catholics play an important role in both major political parties as in the various smaller parties and political groups. That is a good thing. We need Catholic voices in the dialogues “scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.” (Second Vatican Council Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World #4). For most of us, the opportunity to exercise this responsibility is by voting with a well-formed conscience and an understanding of the important issues before us.

While the church does not engage in partisan politics, it does witness to the truth of the dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God from conception until natural death and at every moment in between. This truth is the foundation of all principles in our political engagement, from the rejection of abortion, euthanasia and racism, breaking the cycle of poverty, care for the environment, the sanctity of marriage and the family, religious liberty, efforts to end the use of the death penalty, genuine comprehensive immigration reform and respect for every person. Among the matrix of human rights that flow from our God-given dignity, the right to life itself is foundational, as in the cases of abortion and euthanasia, because without it all other rights collapse.

Application of this understanding requires the making of a prudential judgment based upon a conscience formed in the truth of the Gospel. Please take the time to review the USCCB document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and especially the Introductory Letter. You will have already seen the document the bishops of Ohio issued earlier this year and included in parish bulletins (Reflections on Choosing Political Candidates).

Finally, please join me in praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our discernment that we as a nation, state and particular communities might choose leaders and representatives who hear God’s word, live His love and keep in the ways of His truth. We pray for fair, honest and safe elections and that all people of good will come together in unity behind those elected to build the common good.

Bishop of Columbus

Bearing in mind our nation’s challenges and the need for wise, moral, civic leadership, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is offering an electronic Election Novena to help Catholics form their consciences as they prepare for the upcoming election.

For nine consecutive days, Monday, October 26 through Tuesday, November 3, participants will be encouraged to pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the day’s intention. A closing prayer for elected leaders will be offered on day 10, Wednesday, November 4.

St. Francis DeSales was nominated as one of the 2020 Best Private Schools in Columbus as a part of the Dispatch Cbus Top Picks program! You can vote once every day starting today through October 31st. Vote here (under Kids and Education).