Why is there a Catholic Schools Week? Is it a narcissistic attempt to elicit praise and tout our successes? Is it an effort to elevate Catholic schools to heights above other systems of education? If these are the reasons to advocate a celebration of Catholic Schools Week, I would be the first to advocate not celebrating this special week. Rather, I believe that Catholic Schools Week is a reminder to the Catholic school community to always focus on our mission, a mission expressed very well in the theme for 2009: “Catholic Schools Celebrate Service.” To me, one of the hallmarks of the Catholic school is the creation of a learning environment in which relationships are based on love, mutual respect and Gospel values. In this nurturing environment, faculty and students are propelled into service of those in need. Thus, I think that Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the life and love that we share. Yet, far from turning us to only look at ourselves, it challenges us to always be looking for ways to follow the Way, the Truth and the Life in proclaiming Good News and transforming the world!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Catholic Schools Week
Recent College Acceptances
We are particularly excited about seven of our students who are the first from Saint Martin to be accepted to Marquette University, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio State University, Otterbein College, St. Louis University, Spelman College, and Spring Hill College.
- Una Ilisinovic is accepted to Marquette
- Mariah Watts is accepted to Ohio Dominican
- Renee Makupson is our first student accepted to Ohio State
- Kylie Kelly is accepted to Otterbein College
- JJ Simms is our first student accepted to St. Louis University
- Sunni Wenson is our first acceptance to Spelman
- Abby Mrozek is accepted to Spring Hill
Overall, 67 pecent of our seniors have been accepted to at least one college or university as of 2:00 p.m. Thursday, January 22. Congratulations, members of the Class of 2009!!!
More great news to come...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Heartfelt Thanks
Ms. Vogel,
For ten days in December I was a patient at the Miami Veterans Hospital. I cannot tell you how pleased and happy I was when two days before Christmas, someone walked into my room and gave me a card sent by The Student Advisory Board of your school.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Luke 1:46-55 Advent Devotional
Week 4: PEACE
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Luke 1:46-55
Mary’s Magnificat says so much. I’d like to ask you to read it again (and maybe even three times): certainly one reading is insufficient. Even after half a dozen readings, I find it difficult to move past the wondrous opening line: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” What more do we need, especially at this hopeful time, than to allow our souls to do that for which they were made?
Mary’s prayer reminds me of the great (and difficult) Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, “As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame.” Hopkins was a 19th-century English Jesuit and is a favorite poet of mine. In this sonnet Hopkins develops a theme similar to that of Mary’s prayer. Here it is:
AS kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.
I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is—
ChrÃst—for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.
My prayer today is that we can hear and follow Mary’s magnificent lead. Let our souls proclaim God’s greatness in everything that we do today. And let us, as Hopkins suggests, see Christ in “ten thousand places.”
By Adam Musser, Theology Teacher/Campus Ministry
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Scholastic Art Awards - Congratulations Shantasia Creer
Congratulations to Saint Martin sophomore Shantasia Creer for winning a Silver Key Award in the regional Scholastic Art Awards! She and other regional high school artists will be honored at an awards ceremony Jan.18. The Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition is open January 18 –February 1 at the Cleveland Institute of Art (Reinberger Galleries). Gallery Hours are 10am-6pm Tues.-Sat., and 12pm-6pm Sundays, Closed Mondays.
Philippians 4:4-7 Advent Devotional
Advent Devotional for Thursday, December 18, 2008
Week 3: JOY
One of the etymological roots of the word “rejoice” is “rejoir” meaning “to welcome.” The first line in this passage of Paul’s message to the Philippians can, therefore, be read as a reminder to welcome the Lord always.
What do we do when we prepare to welcome a friend into our home? We might need to vacuum or do some mopping. More than likely, we’ll need to make a trip to the store to pick up our guests’ favorite food or drink. Then, we might prepare a meal or some snacks to share with our guest.
It can be a lot of work to welcome a guest, but that work is richly rewarded when we relive shared memories, listen to good music, and enjoy some good food. This time spent with a dear friend is not about accomplishing anything other than just being together, but it is time very well spent because we are given the great gift of peace through these visits. We are comforted because we are with someone whose company we enjoy and who loves and appreciates us.
This calls to mind Antoine de Saint-Exupery who reminded us in The Little Prince that the time we “waste” for our friends is what makes them so important. Other things may seem more important or may be the source of greater stress, but we must make time with friends a priority. We must be intentional about making time for our friends.
Our friends have also made time for us and have provided us with a sense of peace. It is important, then, that we also express our gratitude to them. (Thank you for sharing this time with me. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for who you are.)
This “thanksgiving” is important for a friend to hear, but it may be even more important as an act of humility on our part. Our expression of gratitude allows us to admit that we need others. This acknowledgement might also serve as a helpful reminder to make time for our friend again soon.
***
We do not need to get out the vacuum or the mop in order to welcome the Lord, so in some respects welcoming Christ should be easier than welcoming a guest to our home. But how often are we guilty of not devoting time to spend with Jesus? We simply have too much to do to “waste” time; we have important work to do! Are we really too busy for 20-30 minutes a day?
Think of how rewarding it could be to spend time daily with our dear friend and Lord. This time could be used to celebrate our many blessings - our friends and family, a great meal, or a warm smile. This time could also be used to ask for assistance as we try to grow to become a better friend, husband, wife, son, daughter, neighbor, or co-worker. Time spent with our friend, Christ Jesus, would also make us more mindful of His presence as we celebrate life’s blessings and endure its struggles, as we fall short and as we succeed.
We must simply slow down a little bit - step away from the computer, turn off the TV, take off the headphones, and take a break from texting. We must make an intentional effort to welcome Christ and be glad in His presence. It is through this welcoming, Paul reminds us, that our hearts and minds become “guarded” from the unhelpful anxieties that so often trouble us. Paul’s simple formula is this: Humbly welcome the Lord and set your heart and mind at peace.
Rejoice and be glad! Welcome the Lord always!
By Keith Laschinger, Director of Admissions
Zechariah 9:9-12 Advent Devotional
Advent Devotional for Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Week 3: JOY
Zechariah 9:9-12
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.”
The month of October was always a tough one for me in college. Midterms were hitting, I hadn’t been home since I left for school the last week of August and my birthday was approaching. I would have down days when I felt like I just needed something that was missing from my life.
My friends decided that, for my 22nd birthday, I needed a pet. This was completely their idea—I had no idea that they were even planning to give me a present let alone a pet! On October 27, 1992 they surprised me with a trip to the local park where I met my birthday present.
Kiri (sounds like Keary) was a rescue dog. She had been abused, abandoned and rehabilitated. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to keep her, but later that evening she rested her head on my shoulder and sighed. That was it—I was now her mom.
Kiri taught me more lessons than I can ever list. She relied on me for everything, which is a good lesson for anyone who will ever have children! She taught me responsibility and unconditional love. I learned to prioritize as I had to put her needs above my own. I learned to take a deep breath and exhale right before I went to sleep. I found out that the funny face a dog makes when riding in the backseat of a car can mean that they are about to throw up. Valuable lessons.
Kiri died 6 months after my first child was born. It was 3 years ago but I sometime still cry when I think about her. She really trained me to be a parent by demanding my time, my attention and my love. Sometimes it takes a great, public leader—religious, political or other—to save us. However you must be open to finding your own salvation in the quieter and smaller places. I found mine in a park on a sunny October afternoon in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I am eternally grateful that I did.
By Susan Hren, College Counselor
