Thanks to the following families who helped this past week
The Aaker and Martin families for hosting students in their home over the week end.
Updates
Monday, Sept. 7th is a non-school day. Students report to school by 7:00 p.m. Monday
Volunteer Opportunities
· Join in the efforts for a successful Vantage Point Gala
· Help before-during-after an athletic event
· Host weekenders
· Sponsoring a Parent Lunch or Event Reception
· Take photographs
· Be a judge for Speech and Debate
Academics
Universities which accepted St. Michael’s graduates, 2009
Arizona State University
Benedictine College
California Baptist
CSU Fullerton
CSU Long Beach
Concordia University
University of Dallas
Franciscan University
Gonzaga University
Iberoamericana (Mexico City)
St. John’s University
Thomas Aquinas College
UC Davis
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
Washington University
Whittier College
College decisions summary (2006-2009)—4 years
[total students: 48]
Catholic 20 42%
UC 7 15%
CSU 6 12%
private/other 8 16%
Community College 7 15%
Athletics
Football will participate in the season’s first scrimmage against Hope Center on Friday, Sept. 4th at 3:00 p.m. at St. Michael’s
Admissions
Open House Dates: Sunday, October 18, 2009 and Saturday, November 14, 2009
Open House Times: 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Interesting read: Why is educating boys so hellishly hard?
http://www.speroforum.com/a/19913/Why-is-educating-boys-so-hellishly-hard
Student Birthdays
9/02 John Michael Mikolaycik
9/03 Christopher Nguyen
Homily of the Week
by Abbot Eugene Hayes, O.Praem. preached on the solemnity of St. Augustine
I am always struck by the prayer which we use at the hours of the divine office for this solemnity of our holy Father, St. Augustine and which we have prayed as the opening prayer a few moments ago. For us in the sanctuary we can say that if there had been no St. Augustine we and this sanctuary would not be here. Members of our Order obviously honor St. Norbert as our founder. However, we honor both St. Norbert and St. Augustine as our holy fathers. This is represented visually by the three big stained glass windows in the back of this church. We have at the center, the Virgin Mary, under whose patronage this Church is dedicated (as Our Lady of the Assumption) and our entire canonry exists. Then alongside of her, there are represented our holy fathers, Augustine who lived in the 4th and into the 5th century and Norbert who was born toward the end of the 11th century and died in the 12th in 1134 AD. St. Augustine holds in his hand a heart – his heart and the hearts of all those who can say with him “our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” That famous and so wise sentiment, really a compendium of the experience and belief of Augustine and all who strive to follow the Lord, is to be found in the first book, in the very first chapter of his Confessions. The representation of a heart, immediately evoking and representing love, is also significant because it calls to mind the reason we, the men in white in the sanctuary, are here. “Before all else, brothers, let God be loved then neighbor, for these are the chief commandments given to us.” These words we learn soon after our arrival in this place (I want everyone to notice the five new postulants who have arrived in this place just last evening.) Here not even a day and already they have heard the words to which we, some of whom have been here a number of years, try to return and consider frequently, even daily. They are taken from the prologue of the Rule of St. Augustine which we follow.
Why this rule? St. Norbert, our founder, knew that rule and felt that the rule of this 4th century- 5th man of the Church, doctor, theologian, bishop, was of great, even essential value. The Norbertines of St. Michael’s Abbey here, now almost 900 years after St. Norbert time, still value not only that rule but also the multi-faceted person of Augustine who would understand and, in fact, knows so well what we are trying to do here day in and day out. He wanted priests to live together, after the example of the apostles and the Christians of the apostolic church, holding all things in common, with no one calling anything his own, having one mind and one heart on the way to God.
We strive to love God first and foremost by our presence in this Church again together, 7 times each day, praising God, giving God his due, honoring him with a reverence and a care that all of us see day in and day out this place, especially during the solemn celebration of the Holy Eucharist. We also strive to love God in our neighbor, first and foremost each other who are vowed to this church in this place. When those days come, occasionally, when we question (and erroneously so) whether there is anything in a particular brother that I can love, I can at least love him by loving in him the God within, the God joined to him each day in Holy Communion, the God dwelling in his soul because of baptism and confirmation, the God who created and sustains him just like he sustains me. Then, we strive to love God in the neighbors around us daily who are not wearing white habits, first and foremost you the high school students who share not just the same piece of property but also what is the center and heart of life on the hilltop. Then we love the neighbor in Costa Mesa and San Pedro and Wilmington and Ojai and Rome and Virginia where confreres of our community minister each day in education, parish work, chaplaincies, spiritual direction, in whatever the time and place demand so that Jesus may be present to his people.
So, with all this as background I get back to the opening prayer of today’s Mass and that prayer which will be prayed three more times today: Renew in your Church, O Lord, we pray, the spirit with which you filled the holy bishop Augustine so that we, filled with that same spirit we may thirst for you alone the font of true wisdom and that we might seek you the author of heavenly love.” And the readings we have heard this morning speak of the elements in that prayer, about love of God and God’s love of us, of his caring protection as we seek to do his will and make him known, of his loving presence made real on this altar each day, of so many gifts spiritual and material given to us in the sanctuary by him, through invisible intercessors heavenly and benefactors visibly and passionately supportive of all we do here in this place.
At the office of readings this morning we heard a selection of St. Augustine’s famous and significant sermon 355 in which he says to his listeners simply: “See how we live” That life he lived attracted many to join him in his holy undertaking and that form of life adopted by St. Norbert and his followers continues to do so today. We have, as I mentioned, welcomed five new postulants; we had, last evening, two of our seminarians renew their profession of vows; we have now two of our novices who will make their first profession of vows, frater Vianney and frater Joachim. As they do this, this morning, let’s all listen to the rite carefully and pray that what they seek today may be given them in abundance. And for them, and the rest of us, may all of us be renewed in the spirit of St. Augustine as we thirst for God alone, our true wisdom, and source and font of all heavenly love.
In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.
Prayer Requests:
· Mrs. Anna Guerra, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery.
· Mrs. Jodi Meschuk for a healthy pregnancy.
· St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
· Those who suffer the effects of the current economic crisis.
· Those who are in the armed forces.
School events are regularly updated. Please check the school calendar. StMichaelsPrep.org/calendar
Contact the school office for more information: PamChristian@StMichaelsPrep.org (949) 858-0222 ext 237
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