For the week of May 2, 2010

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week:
For hosting students over the weekend: Mrs. Ann Hipolito, Mr. and Mrs. Tjoan-Houw Lim
For participating in the May 1st Open House and Entrance Test: Mrs. Cathy Porretta.

Announcements
• This week’s photo gallery includes: photos from Living History and from landscape renewal.
• Congratulations to Nick Hanson who earned a Merit Award for his score on the 2010 National Greek Examination!
• Edward Lim on completing his eagle project. Trabuco Canyon News will carry a descriptive article of Edward’s efforts in its June edition. Look below for a preview of that article.
• There are no classes Monday, May 10th in honor of Mother’s Day. Students report to school Monday evening by 7:30 p.m.

Baseball This Week
Tuesday, May 4th: STM vs. Saddleback Valley Christian @ STM; 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 6th: STM vs. Saddleback Valley Christian @ San Juan Sports Park; 3:30 p.m.

Birthdays This Week
May 3 Anton Gerami, Nicholas Hanson
May 8 Vincent Lu

Homily of the Week by Fr. Vincent Gilmore, O.Praem.,
Fr. Vincent, among other things, is the rector at JSerra School.

Yesterday, Fr. Prior shared with us about St. Catherine of Siena’s contribution in keeping the Church on the right path. It seems the Church is always threatened, like all human institutions, by competition, moral decay, and pride. If the Church were merely a human institution, then you would think 2000 years of corruption and human pride would surely have gotten the upper hand and the Church would end up on the trash heap of human institutions and ideology gone bad.

Why is the Church still around when it seems everybody hates and attacks it? So many people are enemies of the Church without and within. Throughout history and today it has been and is a target for destruction. Why does the Church still exist? It exists because the Church is more than a human institution. The Church exists and will exist to the end of time because God wants it to exist.

The church exists because its founder is Jesus Christ and He made a promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Church exists because its founder, as indicated in the Gospel today, is “the way, the truth, and the life.” The Church exists because God keeps raising up saints like Catherine of Siena. The saint we celebrate today in Pius V, who keeps the Church on the right path and who has more love for Jesus and the truth than humans respect.

The Church exists because it needs to exist as a function of God’s love and mercy to save a fallen and corrupt mankind. The Church is there to bring to salvation those who want to be saved and lead to eternal life.

We heard yesterday how St. Catherine of Siena did her part to keep the Church on the right path. We also heard that her efforts were not completely successful. It is not her success that matters, it was her love and fidelity to Jesus that matters. She did her part. She became a light. She remained faithful. She is one of the reasons the Church still exists today.

Some 200 years after St. Catherine of Siena, God raised up another saint to keep the Church on the right path. Another Dominican, Pius V becomes pope. His predecessors are not stellar and elements of worldliness, corruption, and laxity have crept into the Church.

Pius V was a personally holy man, of prayerful, kind, and charitable disposition. Upon election as Pope, he set out to purge the curia of corruption, and implement the reforms of the Council of Truth and to tighten the loose morals in Rome. Pius V brought universal reform and continuity to the liturgy, required that bishops actually live in their diocese and that priests live in their parish. He brought into reality the Catholic mandates by Trinity and did much to reform the clergy.

If internal reform and affairs of the Church were not enough, he was also preoccupied with menacing shadows of the spread of Protestantism and the inroads of the Turks. When the Turks threaten to invade Europe, Pius V rallied Europe and helped send a large force to defeat the invading Turks. In one of the greatest maritime battles the Turks were completely defeated. From the moment the expedition started, the Pope prayed unceasingly and asked everybody to fast and pray the Rosary. On October 7, 1571 the day and hour of the victory of the Battle of Lepanto, the pope was conversing with some cardinals on business matters when suddenly he turned from them, opened a window, looked up into the sky for awhile, and closing the window said, “This is not the moment to talk business. Let us give thanks to God for the victory He has granted to the arms of the Christians.” To commemorate this victory he instilled the Feast of the Holy Rosary on October 7th.

Did Pius V solve all the problems and corruptions of the Church and the world during his time? No, but like Catherine of Siena, he did do his part to keep the Church on the right path and to be a light in his time. In our own day, the Church continues to suffer attack and corruption. The enemies of the Church abound. There will always be those who want to silence and destroy the Church. The Church will never be destroyed because God will continue to raise up saints in the line of Catherine of Siena and Pius V to keep her faithful and true. Will we be one of them?

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.

Eagle Scout Project Transforms Local Landscape on Earth Day

St. Michael’s Preparatory School and Abbey grounds were recently transformed on Earth Day. Edward Lim, St. Michael’s honor student, first presented his ideas to headmaster Father Gabriel Stack, as his Boy Scout Eagle Service Project.

What started out as a modest project for some “trouble spots” on the abbey grounds developed into a total landscape renovation for more than 22,000 square feet. Established in the early 60’s with a major planting of Ponderosa Pine, long since the victim of pine beetle, it was time for a major re-do. Fr. Gregory Dick, with the help of heavy equipment and volunteers handled removal of all remnants of past plantings.

Next was time for a plan of action. Landscape designer and long time friend of St. Michael’s, Theresa Mullins, was recruited. A palette of California natives, noted for drought tolerance, low maintenance and attracting wildlife were selected. Village Nursery owners, Jim and Nancy Baldwin, graciously donated needed plant material along with the horticulture expertise of John Barrett.

A dry stream bed echoing the lines of the Santa Ana Hills was first established using native boulders and stones. Next the team of BSA Troop 145, St. Michael’s students and volunteers joined together in installing hardy trees, shrubs and groundcovers. The end result is a seamless transition from the Saddleback foothills to the abbey grounds. Each reflecting the serenity of abbey life in harmony with nature, Earth Day is once again observed.

Prayer Requests
• Aid to the Church in Need, an international charity of the Catholic Church, which is seeking God’s blessings upon their work and their national directors during the month of May.
• Ms. Kelly Choi who is experiencing problems in her vertebrae following an auto accident.
• Mr. Mark McCormick, who was injured during baseball practice
• Mrs. Harriet Nordeck, one time teacher at St. Michael’s, who is close to death
• Mr. Bill Ortega, who has a pulmonary blood clot
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis
• Those who are in the armed forces.

For the repose of the soul of Mrs. Ermelinda Carino
For the repose of the soul of Dr. Joseph Gloudeman, father of Fr. Francis Gloudeman