From the Principal’s Desk
HOLY HAPPENINGS AT HOLY REDEEMER SCHOOL
Advent is a beautiful season where we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. In this third week the theme is waiting. Here at Holy Redeemer School as we wait for the coming of Jesus we have several activities that we do to help our students understand this time in our Church year.
During this past week our Holy Families, which are mixed groups of students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, met and decorated gifts to take home. On these gifts, each student committed to four things they will do to serve the people in their family. These service activities will be our gift to Jesus. Also, our students in grades three through eight attended the sacrament of Penance which was our opportunity to confess those times when we did not do our best and commit to doing better.
In the classrooms I visited, I saw a great deal of evidence that the teachers are doing preparation activities with their students. In Preschool they have a bulletin board titled “We shine when we are kind” where the teachers acknowledge all of the kind acts they see happening daily. They are also reading books which discuss the real, true meaning of Christmas. During their religion discussions they focus on what we can do for others instead of focusing on what they want for Christmas. Of course, there are traditional Christmas crafts of Santas, gingerbread men and Christmas trees being made, and they are learning Christmas songs to sing at their upcoming Christmas party. In addition, this month they are celebrating the authors Kimberly and James Dean who have written the Pete, the Cat books.
As I entered the Pre-Kindergarten classroom they were singing Christmas carols and decorating their own Christmas tree. In addition, they are reading The Advent Story, and each day the Special Helper adds another piece to the manager scene so by Christmas the scene will be complete. They also have a Sparkle Box where they place a slip with a child’s name each time they “catch” them being kind. During their learning centers, the students were painting candy canes, building gingerbread houses and working with Mrs. Porterfield.
Next week I will share even more Advent/Christmas practices that I am seeing as I move through the building.
If you would like to learn more about our school or schedule a personal tour, please call the office at 962-8989. We will be hosting an Open House on Sunday, January 26, from 10-1pm. All are welcome.
Read MorePSR News
Holy Redeemer Parish School of Religion (grades 1-8) acts as a support for the students and families of the parish as they live out their Baptismal call and give witness to the Good News in word and deed. It is the desire of the program to incorporate the students and their families into the faith life of the parish community.
PASTOR’S PAGE
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Every year when I was teaching high school, I presented Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech in my all classes. I loved doing it. I almost had the whole thing memorized. I usually concluded this presentation with the U2 song, In the Name of Love, a song about Dr. King. (although the lyrics have a mistake in them, Dr. King was assassinated in the evening, not the morning) I thought it was important for my students to actually hear those stirring words, to grasp them, to mull over them and to celebrate them. And make no doubt about it, his words are incredibly stirring. Some of the speech, to be honest, is a bit dated. No matter what people may think, things have definitely gotten better in our country. For instance, I doubt if an African-American would be denied to stay in a motel or hotel today. That was definitely not the case back in 1963. Nevertheless it would be a big mistake, as the problems of this past couple of years have shown, that everything is fine and dandy. We still have a way to go, a long way to go. We still have our issues. What I liked about Dr. King is that he realized that this is not just a black/white thing. Social justice, racial justice benefits everyone, no matter your racial profile. When one person is denied justice, all of us are less. The second thing I like about Dr. King is his religious background. There are some people who think that religion is a backwards, wrongheaded thing that keeps human society from advancing. As one atheist famously said, Religion ruins everything. But Dr. King was a believer and if you read his speech it is filled with Biblical references and religious depth (as well as referencing Shakespeare). It is because we are people of faith that we seek to create a more perfect union. It is because we have a loving God, we are all brothers and sisters. This year, as we once again celebrate Dr. King, let us remember that all of us benefit from his achievements. And even though I don’t teach theology class anymore, I will still read, out loud, that speech and then rock out, as I always do, to U2.
Quick Inspiration:
“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Father Kevin
HOLY MASS:
Saturday Vigil: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
(September-May)
Weekday: M-F 6:15 & 8:15 a.m.
(June-August)
8:00 a.m.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION:
Saturday: 4:00 to 4:45 p.m.
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