"In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God." (LK 23:46)
Message from the Principal
Dear Parents, 

There is no better way to end Holy Week than with the moving Way of the Cross production put on by our students. We thank Mrs. Jackson for preparing the students for the presentation, the students for doing a phenomenal job, and all of our technology staff for helping to not only make it such a moving event for our students and guests, but also stream the production for all to witness. 

Nearing the end of April, we are on the home stretch of the school year. Next month is full of athletic events, important testing (AP, ILEARN, final exams), and exciting activities and occasions for the students. We look forward to our annual Awards Banquet in which we get to celebrate the awesome achievements of so many of our students, as well as our 8th grade and senior graduation ceremonies. We are also excited for our Annual Runathon event which takes place on May 3. 

Thank you all for your continued support of Cardinal Ritter High School and the opportunity to work with your children. 

God Bless,
Steven Pelych
Lenten Reflections
Tips for a prayerful Triduum from the Chaplain  

Required Good Friday Fast
The holiness of these days impacts everything in our lives, especially the way we eat.  Good Friday is an obligatory day of abstinence from meat for those above age 14 and fasting for all from 18-59. "When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal"  (no snacks!) (cf. USSCB norms on fasting and abstinence). This is mandatory, but what is more important is that we allow the (relatively minuscule) suffering of fasting connect us to the suffering of Christ on the Cross. Fasting will make more sense if we couple it with prayer, so that in our hunger we can draw near to the Crucified One who loves us.  While not required, it seems fitting to forgo luxuries such as eating out, alcohol and desserts  while we remember the day our Lord died for us on the Cross.

Pray for Catechumens and Candidates, especially Mrs. Tetrick and her family who are coming into the church!

Go to church on Holy Thursday, Good Friday,  and  for the Easter Vigil!
The liturgy of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil is actually one extended celebration which unfolds over three days. Yes, they are each longer than your typical Sunday Mass, but they are filled with rich Scripture and symbols that remind us of all that God has done for us. On Holy Thursday we are reminded that every Mass makes the Last Supper present and that Christ came to serve and calls us to do the same. On Good Friday we have an opportunity to venerate the saving Cross of Christ. At the Easter Vigil we hear the story of our salvation and welcome the newest members of Christ's Church! If you have never attended these liturgies, you are missing out! Check your parish's website for times, as they vary (also look for Tenebrae services and living Stations of the Cross in the Indianapolis area).

Keep the Paschal fast!
"If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection."  This fast would simply extend the fasting rules from Good Friday until Holy Saturday night. A great way to prepare for attending the Easter Vigil and celebrating the Resurrection!

Read the Passion Narrative(s)!
A great way to keep these days holy is to exchange the regular entertainment or leisure in our routines for holy reading or prayer. Perhaps instead of Netflix or a movie you could take time to read one of the Passion accounts from the Gospels (Matt 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; John 18-19). Perhaps you could even read it with friends or family and share what parts of the Passion stood out to each of you. Who do you relate to in the story? In what ways do Christ's words challenge you? Imagine yourself beside Christ at the Last Supper, in the Garden, as He struggles to carry His Cross. What do you feel? Think? Desire? In each of these moments He was thinking of you with Love. What does that mean for you?

The Passion of the Christ would certainly be an appropriate film for these days if you desire some holy screen time!

Enjoy some Rest and Silence!
We all live lives inundated by noise and distractions. Give yourself permission to take a much-needed break from them during these days! Put off unnecessary chores or shopping until after Easter. Take a nap (Jesus spent a whole three days in the tomb...sleep can be holy!). Your Twitter feed will still be there on Sunday. If you log off Facebook for three days, you won't miss as much as you think. Shut down the screens, let the text messages pile up! Instead, spend some extra time with the Lord at church or in prayer or recognizing His presence in those you meet every day. There isn't much we look at or read on our phones/tablets that will necessarily change our lives for the better, but looking at the face of Christ (in prayer, at Mass, in others) certainly will.

Finally  (If you've stuck with me this long, it's about to pay off)  don't forget to FEAST!* Starting with Easter we celebrate the Resurrection for 50 days.  Fasting only makes sense if we also celebrate by feasting! Without the Resurrection, there would be no reason for hope...our faith would be empty if the tomb wasn't! Express your joy at the Resurrection by enjoying the rich and delightful gifts of food and drink our Creator has given us (in reasonable amounts, of course!). Feast also on the good company of your friends and family, as the Apostles feasted on Christ's company before His Ascension. Also, feast on prayer to give thanks for the hope of Eternal life we have received!

You are all in my prayers. May you have a Blessed Triduum and Happy Easter!

-Fr. Dufresne
Announcements
Next Week's Schedule at a Glance

  • No School; Easter Monday: April 22
  • All-School Liturgy: Tuesday, April 23
  • Senior Parent Meeting (Cafeteria; 6:00 PM): Thursday, April 25
  • 2:00 PM Dismissal (Prom): Friday, April 26
Stations of the Cross

Thank you Mrs. Jackson, the senior class, and our entire technology staff for the countless hours that went into performing the greatest love story ever told. We pray that everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
View more photos from the Stations of the Cross here .
Mrs Sperry’s Ecology class visited the Waste Water Treatment plant on April 17. They learned about the process used to collect, treat, and distribute water for the City of Indianapolis.
Cardinal Ritter students pose with the bowls they sculpted and painted for the Simple Soup and Bread Luncheon to benefit the Crisis Office of Catholic Charities.
Cardinal Ritter Raiders competed in the Indiana Academic Superbowl on Wednesday night. Raiders placed 2nd in English, Math, Science, and Fine Arts with a major comeback in the second half. Congratulations and thank you to all students who participated!
Thank you Patrick Verhiley from the  Marian University Missionary Disciple program for speaking to CRHS students about Faith Formation and the opportunity to become a Missionary Disciple!
Congratulations to Elizabeth Limp and Hope Swintz for competing and placing in the Indiana Catholic Schools Championship at Marian University against Catholic schools from all over the state.
Dr. David Basile of IUPUI talked to our Scientific Research students about his career path and work in Kidney Disease. He also took us through ImageJ data analysis of vessel density - thank you!
Senior Yearbook Ads

Parents, now is your opportunity to purchase an advertisement in the 2018-19 Cardinal Ritter Yearbook. Purchase an eighth of a page for $30, a quarter of a page for $40, half page for $50, and a full page for $70. Click here for more information. Please reach out to Emily Fox with any questions.
Runathon 2019

Runathon is just two weeks away! Students who turn in their Runathon packet by Thursday, April 25th will receive an out of uniform day on  Friday, April 26th .  Help us reach our goal of 100% participation! Packets can be turned in Tuesday and Thursday mornings before school in the lobby, or anytime to the main office. Click  here  to donate online. Please contact  Katie Waggoner  if you have any questions.  
Runathon Volunteer Opportunity

Want to earn service hours? Please join us on Friday, May 3 for Runathon. We look forward to a fun and dynamic event and the opportunity to serve students. Sign up to volunteer here . Please contact Kim Diaz with any questions.
Flower Sale Volunteer Opportunity

Cardinal Ritter flower sale pick-up will take place on Friday, May 3. We need plenty of volunteers to help with this fundraiser. If you are able, please select a volunteer position and time that works best for you here . If you have questions, please contact Christy McDaniel .
Flower Sale Pick-Up 

Thanks to all who ordered flowers. Items will be available for pick up on Friday, May 3rd from noon - 5 p.m. We will have additional flats, hanging baskets and planters available for purchase. Please contact Marie Schelonka  with any questions.
Class of 2020 Hepatitis A & Meningitis Immunization Requirements

Attention Class of 2020! The state of Indiana has additional 12th grade immunization requirements that states all students in 12th grade MUST have a booster Meningococcal vaccination (MCV4, Menactra, or Menveo) after age 16 & a 2 dose series of Hepatitis A immunizations (doses must be at least 6 months apart). These vaccines  are required for high school entry . If you had your first shot of MCV4 at age 16 or older, the booster shot is not required. Please note there is also a 2 dose series of Meningoccal B strain which is NOT required but is recommended to be done. The Cardinal Ritter clinic needs you to get this  done before next August OR provide documentation as having already completed this requirement.   Nurse Feltz will be contacting families by email and letters to let you know what documentation the clinic is missing for your student, or you may look in the immunization section of family link. Thanks for your cooperation and please let Nurse Feltz know if you have any questions ( pfeltz@cardinalritter.org ).
More details here: English | Spanish
Driver's Ed

Mr. Jeff VanMeter is bringing a Driver's Education course to Cardinal Ritter High School this summer.

Click here for more information.
Use the promotion code WELCOME to receive 20% off any online spirit wear order over $80 through August 10, 2019.

Shop here .
Our Little Ways of Prayer

Our Campus Ministry team wants to pray for you! If you or someone you know is in need of prayers, submit a prayer request and every other week the Campus Ministry team will be praying for the needs of our community. Click here to submit a prayer request.
Amazon Smile

Don't forget to select Cardinal Ritter High School as your charity of choice at smile.amazon.com  and a portion of your sale will be donated to CRHS!
Earn rewards for CRHS every time you shop at Kroger!  
NEW NUMBER: LL023

Support CRHS every time you shop at Kroger! Log in to your Kroger account and click " My  Account" at the top of the homepage to get to your Account Summary page. Click the "Add  Card " button under " Plus Card  and Alt ID(s)." Type your 12- or 13-digit  Kroger card  number into the " Plus Card -or-Alt ID Number" field. This number is at the back of your  Kroger Plus card . Then you can click on community rewards on the side bar and type Cardinal Ritter High School into the search space. CRHS will earn money every time you swipe your Kroger Card.
College Counseling Corner
Check out the different programs offered by the Center for Leadership Development (CLD). If your student participates in many of these programs, they can be eligible to earn college scholarships!
Junior high students can participate too!
https://cldinc.org/
IUPUI Summer Workshops: IU School of Infomatics and Computing

June 17-21; June 24-28
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Students entering grades 9-12 may attend.
The cost is $229 for each one week workshop.

To register, go to go.iupui.edu/soic-camp
Coast to Coast College Tour
Tuesday, May 21st at 7 p.m.
University High School of Indiana
2825 West 116th St.
Carmel, IN 46032

An evening information program with admission representatives from Dartmouth, Northwestern, Princeton, University of California, Berkeley, and Vanderbilt.

Register at www. coasttocoasttour.org .
University of Dayton Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Camps!

Leadership 101: June 23-29 go.udayton/leadership 101
Entrepreneurship: June 23-29 go.udayton/entrepreneurship101
Engineering: Minority Engineering and Technology Enrichment Camp for Young Men: June 16-22 go.udayton.edu/metec
Summer Honors Engineering Camp: June 23-28 go.udayton.edu/shec
Women in Engineering Summer Camp: July 7-12 go.udayton.edu/wie
Saint Francis University STEM Summer Academies
$425 fee includes material and room and board
Earn 2 college credits

Online Registration open: www.francis.edu/STEM
At  Duke Summer Session , we are determined to transform you into one who envisions, shapes, and delivers the incredible possibilities of tomorrow. Learn more here .
Schola High School Summer Program at Belmont Abbey - July 2019

Schola offers a unique opportunity to rising high school sophomores, juniors,and seniors to spend an elevating and revitalizing week engaged in a rich schedule of academic, cultural, and recreational activities centered on lively seminars discussing several of the great books of the Western world. Click here for more information.
Notre Dame Pre-College

Through our summer scholars  program, students may choose from 22 courses in a variety of fields, perfect for sophomores and juniors who want to explore their passions and interests while earning college credit. 
SCRIP Information
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONLINE ORDERING

1. Go to  shopwithscrip.com  and create an account. Our organization code is FE97AB26258L.
2. Once your account is created, click on "Shop" and browse the hundreds of products available
3. After your order is complete, choose your payment method - either check or PrestoPay. You DO NOT have to use PrestoPay to order online. If you choose check, just send your payment in with your student on Monday morning. 
4. Look for your order to come home on Wednesday or Thursday-unless you ordered ScripNow (e-certificates) or Reloads. Those will be available as soon as the order is processed on Monday if you pay by check, or almost immediately if you pay with PrestoPay. 
5. Click here for more detailed instructions.
Cardinal Ritter Mission Statement
Cardinal Ritter is a Catholic high school entrusted by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the parishes of the West Deanery to provide, within a college preparatory curriculum, the highest standards of academic excellence to students of diverse socioeconomic, racial, and religious backgrounds. Cardinal Ritter challenges its students to grow spiritually, intellectually, athletically, and artistically. The Cardinal Ritter community values and fosters the unique intellectual, cultural, social, and physical gifts of each student. As followers of Christ, we encourage our students to share their gifts and talents in service to others.
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