Thanks to those parents and friends who helped make the week a success
● All fourteen of the NHS-eligible students have graciously volunteered to provide tutoring.
● For hosting students, Mrs. Kelly Choi and Mr. and Mrs. Dale Rincon
General announcements to Parents
● First Quarter report cards will be sent home electronically this week.
College representatives visiting this week:
Monday: University of Dallas
Tuesday: St. Mary’s
Wednesday: Hillsdale College
Admission Matters
● St. Michael’s participates in the following High School Information Opportunities:
10/18 St. Mark’s Lutheran, Hacienda Heights
10/18 St. Cecilia, Tustin
10/19 Our Lady of the Assumption, Claremont
10/19 St. Pius X School, Santa Fe Springs
10/21 Our lady of Perpetual Help, Downey
● St. Michael’s next Open House is Sunday, October 17, at 3:30 p.m. If you know any families who would enjoy finding out more information about St. Michael’s, please let them know about these events.
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)–Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA)
The accreditation process of WASC-WCEA offers St. Michael’s an opportunity for self-reflection and evaluation with regards to all of the school’s aspects: faith, academics and character (also known as the school’s ESLRs—Expected Schoolwide Learning Results). One of the many things we can be grateful for is the school’s commitment to preparing young men for college.
Despite the different levels of academic skills among St. Michael’s students, by graduation day all are sufficiently prepared academically to face the challenges of university life. For the past three years (2008-2011), our students have scored above the national average on the following standardized tests: Sophomore PSAT, Junior PSAT, SAT and ACT.
● All fourteen of the NHS-eligible students have graciously volunteered to provide tutoring.
● For hosting students, Mrs. Kelly Choi and Mr. and Mrs. Dale Rincon
General announcements to Parents
● First Quarter report cards will be sent home electronically this week.
College representatives visiting this week:
Monday: University of Dallas
Tuesday: St. Mary’s
Wednesday: Hillsdale College
Admission Matters
● St. Michael’s participates in the following High School Information Opportunities:
10/18 St. Mark’s Lutheran, Hacienda Heights
10/18 St. Cecilia, Tustin
10/19 Our Lady of the Assumption, Claremont
10/19 St. Pius X School, Santa Fe Springs
10/21 Our lady of Perpetual Help, Downey
● St. Michael’s next Open House is Sunday, October 17, at 3:30 p.m. If you know any families who would enjoy finding out more information about St. Michael’s, please let them know about these events.
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)–Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA)
The accreditation process of WASC-WCEA offers St. Michael’s an opportunity for self-reflection and evaluation with regards to all of the school’s aspects: faith, academics and character (also known as the school’s ESLRs—Expected Schoolwide Learning Results). One of the many things we can be grateful for is the school’s commitment to preparing young men for college.
Despite the different levels of academic skills among St. Michael’s students, by graduation day all are sufficiently prepared academically to face the challenges of university life. For the past three years (2008-2011), our students have scored above the national average on the following standardized tests: Sophomore PSAT, Junior PSAT, SAT and ACT.
This week’s photos: Cross Country Home Meet 
Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 4, Sections 12 and 13
Section 12: SUSPENSION
The headmaster and/or his delegate has the authority to suspend a student for misbehavior and/or disregard for school regulations. Suspension for misconduct applies to behavior in the classroom, on the world wide web, in or about the school buildings and student residence, on the school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, as well as traveling to and from school. The headmaster and/or his delegate will decide on an individual basis whether a suspended student stays at school while being restricted when not in class or if the suspended student is sent home for a specified length of time. Students suspended from class and/or school do not receive credit on any work due during the time of suspension. Suspension is not a required step for student dismissal.
Section 13: WITHDRAWAL
Advice to withdraw comes when all the typical resources that the school uses to support a student have been pursued but there is little evidence of satisfactory progress. This could be represented academically by a consistent neglect of work and behaviorally by an on-going disregard for the well-being of the school community.
It is school policy that students who withdraws must not return to St. Michael’s for one year without the prior written approval of the headmaster.
After this time of separation is completed, the young man may return to school grounds but is limited to his participation as other St. Michael’s visitors. i.e. watch a sporting event, participate in Mass or other special religious or civic ceremonies.
Etiquette Point of the Week
A gentleman does not say “yeah” or “uh huh” when speaking to adults or others in authority. A gentleman says “yes” or even better, “yes sir” or “yes ma’am”. Why? Because a gentleman wants to show respect for the person he is speaking to and also knows that it reflects poorly on him to use poor grammar or street slang.
How To Raise A Gentleman, Kay West; Brooks Brothers Press
Student Birthdays
10/18 John Hebert
Athletics
Tuesday, 10/19: XC League Invitational @ Laguna Niguel Regional Park
Friday, 10/22: Cross Country Mt. SAC Invitational @ Mt. SAC; 3:20 p.m.Saturday, 10/23: Football vs Southlands Christian @ Southlands; 1:00 p.m.
Homily preached by Fr. Victor Szczurek, O. Praem.
Among other things, Fr. Victor teaches Latin.
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him…
That’s no surprise! Our Lord just gave them the tongue-lashing of their life, even charging them with “the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world.” It’s no wonder they began to attack our Lord; and yet, our Lord did not back down. We don’t hear our Lord saying, “I’m sorry I offended you. I was a bit extreme in my views.” We don’t hear Him turning around and offering a second, compromised version of the truth.
In our present day “compromise” is considered by many as the greatest of virtues. “Don’t be against abortion in all circumstances, just some—compromise. Don’t be against gay marriage and gay civil unions—compromise; it’s enough to protect marriage, anything more than that is a bit too extreme. Don’t accept all that the Church teaches; allow your conscience to be your guide—compromise; that’s a more mature approach.” We’ve heard all this nonsense before; and all this compromise has gotten us nowhere. In fact, it was a compromised truth which got us in the mess were in: If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
Truth is the conformity of our mind with reality. If, instead of saying that a square is a four-sided figure, we compromised a bit and said it is a two-sided figure, that would not be in conformity with reality. A compromised version of the truth is no truth at all; it’s an error.
The saint we honor today, St. Callistus, knew how important it is not to compromise when it comes to the truth. As pope, he was ruthlessly attacked by Tertullian (faithful Christian turned heretic) and Hippolytus (anti-pope later turned martyr and saint)—he was attacked by both for upholding the Church’s teaching on several issues, including papal primacy. To get back at St. Callistus they even made up lies about him, saying that he had once tried to commit suicide, and that he had bribed his way to the Chair of St. Peter. But like our Lord, St. Callistus never backed down, never compromised the truth. He also defended the deposit of the Faith from two heresies: adoptianism, which claims that Jesus is not God and Man, but just man (one compromise); and modalism, another compromise which claims that God does not exist in all Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, but just one at a time. Faith + compromise = heresy.
One of the things our Lord corrected the scribes and Pharisees for in today’s Gospel was taking away the key of knowledge and not allowing others to enter. Faith, St. Gregory reminds us, is that key of knowledge. The scribes and Pharisees substituted true faith with their own version of it, and hence were guilty of keeping others ultimately from Him Who is the Truth Itself. And so it was by that Truth that they were judged, as it will be for all of us.
At the final exam of life there will only be A students and F students: those who accepted the truth in its entirety, and those who preferred compromised version. May St. Callistus intercede for us, that like him, we might never compromise the truth, and so one day behold forever Him Who is Truth, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory. Amen.
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. Betty Evans, who is undergoing radiation for malignant melanoma.
· Sr. Mary Vianney, principal of St. John the Baptist School who is
In our present day “compromise” is considered by many as the greatest of virtues. “Don’t be against abortion in all circumstances, just some—compromise. Don’t be against gay marriage and gay civil unions—compromise; it’s enough to protect marriage, anything more than that is a bit too extreme. Don’t accept all that the Church teaches; allow your conscience to be your guide—compromise; that’s a more mature approach.” We’ve heard all this nonsense before; and all this compromise has gotten us nowhere. In fact, it was a compromised truth which got us in the mess were in: If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
Truth is the conformity of our mind with reality. If, instead of saying that a square is a four-sided figure, we compromised a bit and said it is a two-sided figure, that would not be in conformity with reality. A compromised version of the truth is no truth at all; it’s an error.
The saint we honor today, St. Callistus, knew how important it is not to compromise when it comes to the truth. As pope, he was ruthlessly attacked by Tertullian (faithful Christian turned heretic) and Hippolytus (anti-pope later turned martyr and saint)—he was attacked by both for upholding the Church’s teaching on several issues, including papal primacy. To get back at St. Callistus they even made up lies about him, saying that he had once tried to commit suicide, and that he had bribed his way to the Chair of St. Peter. But like our Lord, St. Callistus never backed down, never compromised the truth. He also defended the deposit of the Faith from two heresies: adoptianism, which claims that Jesus is not God and Man, but just man (one compromise); and modalism, another compromise which claims that God does not exist in all Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, but just one at a time. Faith + compromise = heresy.
One of the things our Lord corrected the scribes and Pharisees for in today’s Gospel was taking away the key of knowledge and not allowing others to enter. Faith, St. Gregory reminds us, is that key of knowledge. The scribes and Pharisees substituted true faith with their own version of it, and hence were guilty of keeping others ultimately from Him Who is the Truth Itself. And so it was by that Truth that they were judged, as it will be for all of us.
At the final exam of life there will only be A students and F students: those who accepted the truth in its entirety, and those who preferred compromised version. May St. Callistus intercede for us, that like him, we might never compromise the truth, and so one day behold forever Him Who is Truth, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory. Amen.
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. Betty Evans, who is undergoing radiation for malignant melanoma.
· Sr. Mary Vianney, principal of St. John the Baptist School who is
recovering from back surgery.
· Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
· Those who are in the armed forces.
· St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
· For the repose of the soul of Mike Hills.
· Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
· Those who are in the armed forces.
· St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
· For the repose of the soul of Mike Hills.
Posts
