News & Notes: March 30, 2010

March 30, 2010

Dear Parents,

God’s peace!

This week we enter the most solemn of times. We walk with Christ through his passion and resurrection as the Church invites us to share in these moments through our presence at Holy Week services. These services are not mere reminders of Christ’s outpouring of love and forgiveness, but rather opportunities for us to enter into Christ’s own experience.

This past week we were blessed to be invited to become a part of our Middle School’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Perhaps at first consideration this play and Holy Week might seem to be unrelated; however, the play was truly an experience of grace. Each night revealed not only the talent of our young people, the dedication of so many parents and friends of St. Rita School, but most importantly, an incredible story of forgiveness. The story of Joseph anticipates the last few days of Christ’s life: elation, betrayal, forgiveness, joy.

I would like to spend a few moments reflecting on the lessons our children have shared with us through this production. I’d like to particularly focus on one particular performance.

On one particular night this past week… everyone was prepared…energized…and ready to perform. The house lights dimmed…the singing began… all was well. As myriad voices filled the room and dancers circled the stage, the piano went dead. Our music director puzzled at the void and those on stage began to look from person to person wondering what to do. Suddenly, after a few moments, the plug to the piano was found to be the source of concern. One of the students saw the problem and quietly returned the plug to its place… and the play continued. For most, this happening went almost unnoticed. For me, however, it was an experience that carried with it a profound life lesson.

When this unexpected experience happened, the first reaction our children had was to simply figure out what needed to be accomplished and to return to the demands of the play. No blame was assigned to anyone… no fingers were pointed…no anger was displayed… the response was simply to find the source of the problem and fix it. I wondered…”Am I like this?” What is my first reaction to things that are a bit askew? Do I work to find solution or do I waste energy in blaming? I would well imagine that if our children chose to blame and spend time figuring out who the culprit was (if any!) that the play’s positive impact would have been lost. Is this not what happens in life?

A similar experience occurred just moments later at intermission. The audience was called in for the second act…and suddenly when the lights were cued…the light board was dark. All the programmed cues had been erased and would have to be entered again. No one flinched…the handwritten prompts were pulled out and were re-entered into the system. Intermission was a bit long that night, but most people were already captivated by the story and its spirit. That was enough to grant those working to make things right the patience and faith to believe all would be up and running again. No blame was assigned; time was not wasted on why…energy was put into making it work…another life lesson.

Each day we are greeted with lessons to be learned as well as challenges to test what we have learned. We are also offered a choice to see and learn, or to ignore the lessons offered and remain in a pool of blame and negativity. The first brings life and the second saps life from us.

As Easter approaches I invite you to attend the liturgies of Holy Week. Each liturgy reveals to us the profound gift of love that has been shared with us through Christ. In Christ’s life, death and resurrection we see our own life-experiences and we draw hope from knowing that in all, Christ is present and enters into our lives with no blame, but with a promise that life to the full is ours.

May each of us be blessed with the grace to see in the moments of our lives, profound lessons which will bring us closer to a life filled with peace, hope and joy.

In the name of all our faculty and staff, may you be blessed with all that is good, true and beautiful this Easter! Be assured that we hold each of you in our prayer.

In prayer,

Sr. Maureen

P.S. By the time you read this newsletter I will be helping to put up the second wall of a 12 x 15 home in Reynosa, Mexico. I will be blessed to be with some 200+ Catholic High School students and parents from the St. Louis, MO area building some 12+ homes for people who live in the greatest of poverty. What we receive from these brothers and sisters, however, is beyond measure. Their deep joy, their willingness to share with us and with each other, their rich spirit of gratitude is overwhelming. Two homes will be built in the name of the families of St. Rita School. Last year’s Lenten project was to provide funds for these homes, and as usual, you and your children responded so generously. I believe that where one of us is… we all are…so I truly build in your name.

This is my fifth trip to Reynosa. I ask for your prayers for the safety and success of this mission. I have witnessed incredible conversions in the hearts of the young people and the adults who have been a part of this experience… it will truly be a Holy Week.

In my absence Sue Villani will be responding to any concerns or requests. I will not have email access and phone contact will be limited… I will be accepting all prayers, however!

News & Notes: March 23, 2010

March 23, 2010

Dear Parents,

God’s peace!

“If you can’t say anything good about anybody, you just come over here and sit right next to me.” a paraphrase from the film, Steel Magnolias. An interesting quote that I believe rings very true for each of us. This past Sunday we read of the story of the woman caught in adultery. A story in which the powerful gift of forgiveness is shared not only with the woman, but with all those gathered to witness Christ’s response (including those of us who have heard this story told time and time again…)

Christ finds himself in a situation where the expectation is that he will respond according to the Mosaic law. That response is clearly expressed through the directive to stone anyone caught in the act of adultery. Jesus, however, chooses to respond to the deeper meaning which is found in what John Shea considers the experience of the in between. Jesus listens to those who accuse the woman of this sinful act. He then stoops down and writes in the sand. Shea sees this simple act as one similar to an experience found in the Old Testament. When Moses heard the revelry surrounding the worship of the golden calf, in utter disappointment he threw down the tablets and they broke into pieces. Before these commandments are restored, an interesting experience is introduced. God asks Moses to tuck himself in the cleft of a rock so that God can pass by. God instructs Moses to look only at the back of God as he passes, for it would be too much to look on the face of God in all its glory. John Shea highlights the importance of what happens in this “passing by” and how it is this in between experience that carries the meaning of God’s forgiving encounter with each one of us. God relates to Moses, “I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you broke.” God did not condemn the people…it was Moses who broke that which signified the covenant and it was the sinful Israelites who engaged in behavior that led to this broken relationship. God wrote the commandments twice…and it was what happened in between the breaking and restoring that was most significant: he showed himself to those who sinned; he did not turn away, he turned towards. He then directed Moses to return to the people to share with them the message that God was with them…even in their sinfulness…especially in their sinfulness.

Jesus stood in the midst of the adulterous woman as well as in the midst of his disciples, the accusing men, and all others who had been drawn to this moment. He stands in our midst as well. All of us are sinners… each of us are in need of hearing the words of forgiveness…of experiencing the mercy of God. If this is true…then why do we respond to others so often as the character in Steel Magnolias? Why do we find fault before we find ourselves in those with whom we find fault?

Perhaps we need to sit and ponder the overwhelming reality that we are forgiven, and each day we are given another chance to be better people, even as God knows we will fail in our attempts. Why, then, do I fail to offer this same experience to others?

I remember teaching a young boy some years ago. He was a challenge. He seemed to have an answer for every question posed, but the answers strayed far from the true intent of any question. He often became impatient with sitting longer than 10 mins and he rarely did homework. One day as I was walking around the classroom checking homework assignments, I stopped at his desk. His desk had nothing on it. When I asked where his homework was, he responded that he didn’t do it. After explaining to him all the reasons why homework needed to be completed and why this was necessary to his academic growth, and expounding on the studies that had shown a correlation between completing homework and lifelong success, he patiently waited for me to finish my rambling, looked up at me and said simply, “What do you expect?” I was engulfed in frustration. I walked to my desk, gave an assignment for the class to work on, and tried to recollect myself. I found myself mumbling… “What do you expect?” “WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?” After a time, I arrived at an answer to his question… What I expected was that he wouldn’t do his homework! Suddenly I realized that my expectation had been communicated to him and he was simply responding to my expectation. Had I encouraged him? Listened to him? Tried to find the source of his frustration? Apparently all I did was to tag him as a student who would do little… I expected no change…and in that way… he didn’t disappoint me.

I am grateful that Christ does not have these same expectations of me, for he forgives me my transgressions today, and the power of that mercy breathes new possibilities into my tomorrows.

Let us pray in gratitude for the undeserved grace of forgiveness that is ours. In turn, let us pray to offer this same forgiveness and mercy to all those we encounter. Let us speak good when we hear negativity… let us replace gossip with the hope that the other is more than my words have made him to be…let us expect the best from ourselves and others, and when we fall short…let us return to our loving God for another dose of forgiveness.

In prayer,

Sr. Maureen

We find ourselves in the midst of registration and have been blessed to welcome new families to our St. Rita School family. It is our hope, however, that all of our current families will return to us next year. If you find that financial challenges may keep you from registering, please apply for financial aid (applications will be available April 5, 2010) and please feel free to contact me to discuss what may keep you from registering. Good things continue to happen here at St. Rita School, and we want each of you to continue to be a part of our St. Rita School family.

News and Notes: March 16, 2010

No School, Friday, March 26, 2010—Faculty Day of Prayer

Don’t forget to order your tickets for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

Lunch Menus are going home today. They are due on Friday, March 19th, 2010 (Any late submission will result in a $10.00 late fee).

Please make sure they are sent in on time… thank you!

A Blessed St. Patrick’s Day!!!

March 16, 2010

Dear Parents,

God’s peace!

As the season of Lent continues, and as we draw nearer to the greatest feast of our church year, Easter, I find myself reflecting on the reality of “surrender.” So often we view this word as a negative. We connect it to our experience of losing…of giving up…of being unable to master something. During these days of Lent I have found myself recognizing the action of surrender as a comfort as well as a challenge.

Time seems to have sped up a bit for me since entering the second half of life. I recognize all too often that many dreams that I had will go unrealized. Perhaps that’s true of all of us (at least for those of us who have reached mid-life)! Some of these dreams or ambitions are limited by physical capabilities (or lack of!) I won’t be trying out for the summer Olympics…I won’t be in a marathon (or even a 5K)…and the thought of rehabbing a home (I am an HGTV fan) will not be in my future.

Some dreams or ambitions may be connected to less strenuous activity, but never-the-less the possibility of them happening is most likely nil: my dream of driving from coast to coast by car (or even taking a train), learning to play the piano, getting a degree in social work… the list could go on and on! All of these hopes, dreams and aspirations can cause me to grow angry and rail against God and myself for “the lack of,” or I can choose to live in the reality of today by surrendering to what life is…and live that reality to the fullest.

If I were to look at what is gained in this surrendering…of this letting go… I find that as I crossed from youth to mid-life… less truly rattles me. (Please note this statement is not an absolute!) Although I am not always content with how things work out I realize that there are so many variables that are not within my control… so I pray for wisdom and guidance and do the best with what I have here and now.

This is not a stance that renders me impotent or nonchalant in my living of life, but rather it helps me to put into perspective what change is possible and what is beyond my control. The Serenity Prayer says this so well… “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Let me share an experience I had as a principal in California. The week before school began I was preparing for a faculty meeting. I wanted to make sure everything was “perfect.” I cleaned the meeting room from top to bottom, set up tables, arranged for some great food to be served, had folders stuffed with just the right information run off on paper in just the right colors…the agenda was set… the room ready… the meeting started… All moved along and when the meeting was over everyone left…and as they left, they left me with the task of cleaning up… I was furious! I had worked so hard to get ready for the meeting… to guide the meeting…and now I had to clean up! As I was bemoaning (and loudly) this reality, I was asked a very important question by one brave soul who had the courage to be with me in this more than frustrating moment… the question was a simple one… “Who were you doing all of this for?” I wish I could say I stopped…pondered the question…philosophically expounded on new and powerful insights…and thanked the one who led me to this light. I didn’t. I grew angry… finished cleaning up… and went home. That evening, however, I remember returning to her question when I was in a different space. It suddenly became clear to me that I was doing everything for no one other than myself. My focus was on me and how successful I would look. If my focus was on the others, then I would have prepared (and perhaps even as much as I did) but the results would have been very different. If the meeting went this way…or that way… it would not have made a difference, for the focus would have been determined by the needs of our faculty…not my needs.

What must I accept in life? What realities must I surrender to because I cannot change them? What aspects of life can I change if I but have the courage? What wisdom is needed to know the difference?

Surrendering might be likened to driving with cruise control… I initially set the pace…I continue to guide the car…but I can relax a bit now and then when the road is not too filled with traffic… (I would also venture to say that the ride becomes much more enjoyable when God is sitting next to me giving me direction).

As the week continues on… let us let go of all that is no longer possible… even as we welcome new realities that present themselves because I now have more room in my life for new experiences…or because I can see things more clearly now than I could before…

May every grace be ours as we surrender what was for what is!

In prayer,

Sr. Maureen

St. Rita St. Patrick’s Day Family Affair

Scenes from the St. Rita Church Saint Patrick’s Day Family Affair, sponsored by the St. Rita Knights of Columbus.

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal

The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal supports many important ministries and programs. Your gifts are allocated towards religious education programs, youth ministries, local charities, the education of our seminarians, our retired clergy, and all of the services provided by the Archdiocese. Even this list does not touch upon all the elements of the Appeal. If you have not yet made your gift or pledge, please pray about your decision and consider making a pledge or one-time gift. Join us, your Catholic community, as we share our blessings as we join in Returning the Lords’ Goodness.