“I've always loved the first day of school better than the last. Firsts are best because they are beginnings.”
— Jenny Han (author)
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
— Dr. Seuss
Whole New World
Students nationwide are heading back to school — or some version thereof — under extraordinary circumstances this fall. Administrators, teachers and support staff have been planning and working throughout the summer to enact safety measures and prepare for new educational models.

Among them are our own Sisters Carol Ann Papp and Maria Derecola, both returning to classrooms in the coming days during a precarious time for Catholic schools crippled by the pandemic.
Sister Carol Ann Papp tries out a face shield she will pair with a mask while teaching her art students.
Exploring the Power of Prayer
Join Sister Marguerite Stewart on Tuesday, September 1, for a special online session of St. Francis Center for Renewal's popular Simply Prayer series. Prayer is about love, our love relationship with God. But it is also about change. Every encounter with God provides the opportunity for us to grow spiritually. Through prayer we become more loving, compassionate and justice-oriented human beings, and the world we touch is changed for the better. This program will explore ways we can renew our love and appreciation for the gift of prayer.

10 a.m. Tuesday, September 1
Registration Fee: Freewill Offering

Click the button below to register. Questions? Call 610-867-8890.
Sisters Amata Shina and Carolyn Mitrichka are among the fresh-faced Mount Assisi Academy students featured in this 1947 yearbook photo.
Back to School Blessings
As children nationwide undertake a whole different kind of school year,
some of our Sisters share their most beloved back-to-school memories.
A Prayer for a New Year
In Houston, an area of the country particularly hard hit by COVID-19, a group called Loving Houston is uniting the community in prayer as the new school year begins. Below is their special prayer for a safe return to school:

Dear God, with a new school year upon us, we pray for our...

Students ... that You would ease their anxiety about going back to school amidst the pandemic. We pray for safety for those returning to in-person classes, and for the needed technology, self-discipline, and adult oversight for those learning online. Would you ensure that every child has enough to eat, a supportive network of friends and family, and perseverance to face every challenge with Your strength?

Parents & Caregivers ... that You would grant them wisdom about which schooling option to choose. We pray for your provision physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially. We pray for a support system that they can turn to when the challenges of life are overwhelming. We pray for churches and believers to surround local families with more prayer and support this year than ever before.

Teachers & School Staff ... that You would grant them supernatural peace and discernment. We pray for wisdom for school district leaders, and for the safety of every staff person on every school campus. May the community rally around our schools to provide the sanitization, supplies and emotional support needed by our teachers and school staff as they educate our children.

Church Volunteers ... that Your faithfulness and goodness would be evident through our actions as we love the students and school staff as You first loved us. Especially amidst this pandemic, grant us opportunities to develop meaningful relationships in safe ways, and may we strive to serve as Jesus did with grace and humility. We pray that students and teachers would see You through us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.