For the week of April 25, 2010

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week:
• For sponsoring a school lunch, Mrs. Cathy Porretta and her daughters Maria, Sarah and Theresa, Mrs. Ann Rincon, Mrs. Donna Stropko, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Wheatley.
• For helping Ed Lim work towards his eagle project: Mr. JooBin Lim.
• For hosting students over the weekend: Mr. and Mrs. Manzano, Mr. and Mrs. Porretta, and Mr. and Mrs. Rincon

Announcements
• Radio advertisements about the May 1 entrance test for St. Michael’s Prep are on Immaculate Heart Radio both midmorning and midafternoon in these areas:
KIHP 1310 AM (Phoenix, AZ)
KJPG 1050 AM (Bakersfield, CA)
KIHH 1400 AM (Eureka, CA)
KPJP 89.3 FM (Greenville, CA)
KJOP 1240 AM (Lemoore, CA)
KHOT 1250 AM (Madera, CA)
KSMH 1620 AM (Sacramento, CA)
KSFB 1260 AM (San Francisco, CA)
KWG 1230 AM (Stockton, CA)
KXXQ 100.7 FM (Gallup, NM)
KIHM 920 AM (Reno, NV)
KIHU 1010 AM (Salt Lake City, UT)

Volunteer Opportunities
• Join in sponsoring a Parent Lunch or Event Reception
• Take photos
• Help before-during-after an athletic event
• Host students who live too far away to go home on the weekend

Baseball This Week
Tuesday, April 27tht: STM vs. CVC @ STM; 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 29th: STM vs. CVC @ San Juan Sports Park; 3:15 p.m.
Saturday, May 1st: Double Header @ Avalon; 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.

Birthdays This Week
April 30 Josh Aaker

Homily of the Week by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem.,
Fr. John Henry, among other things, teaches English in the school.

“He who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks.” Since the beginning of this Easter Season, we have been reminded often by St Paul to “Set [our] minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Or, as he says elsewhere: “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Somehow the Lord’s resurrection is supposed to change our mentality.

Many of our thoughts, though not necessarily sinful, might be useless or vain--having nothing to do with Christ. Then we all have our “fixed” ideas--i.e., ideas/impressions that are so strong in us that even when we are presented with the truth, we cannot see clearly enough to change. The Apostles on the morning of the Resurrection were all this way: They heard first-hand accounts that Jesus was risen, but to them it seemed nonsense.

The challenge that we all face is keeping our minds in the truth—and specifically in this truth: That Jesus is risen. That truth, more than any other, has the power to transform and renew our minds, desires, and actions.

But the problem for us is as it was for the Apostles: The resurrection is a fact that goes beyond any experience we have ever had. How can such a thing change us? Pope Benedict says that unlike Christmas, Easter does not correspond with any experience we have ever had. We know all about motherhood, birth, a newborn infant--but being raised from the dead so as to live forever in perfect happiness is something completely new and unfamiliar. We have yet to enter into our own graves, much less rise up out of them.

But in this life, the change that the Lord wants His resurrection to bring about in us is an interior change. To be renewed inwardly by the Resurrection is to know where the victory lies in all of our struggles. Because those who try to imitate and follow Christ, who aim high in the spiritual life, always run the risk of either falling low or feeling low when they fail. And the only truth that will ultimately pull us up again after we have seen our weakness is the truth that Christ is risen from the dead: the tomb was empty, it remains empty, and will be empty forever.

The Lord has purchased for us the hope and the courage to rise up again morally, spiritually, throughout our lives. If we live in hope of our own resurrection, then when we fall down, we don’t stay down. We can’t stay down: Christ is risen! If we live in the present moment, then we live when another resurrection is always possible for us.

Visit the empty tomb again: What you expected to be true because of your human way of thinking, because of fixed ideas, has been changed by the power of God. The empty tomb is not like a Christmas tree, a holiday “prop” to be admired; it is the foundational truth of our Christian lives--our thoughts, desires, actions, and hopes should reflect that. If we have any fixed idea, it should be: The Lord is risen, Alleluia!

We cannot allow ourselves to be mentally trapped by the boundaries and limitations of this world, and so think and act and speak as though there were no hope. Christians can be just as sad, cynical, angry as everyone else. Pope Benedict, in an Easter homily, quotes Epiphanius, a Church Father of the fourth century, who has Christ say: I have not created you to be in prison forever. And the Pope suggests that our prison can be anywhere--and especially, I think, inside of us.

There are experiences that we have had that are very vivid to the imagination--maybe after years of having had the experience. They are “fixed” within us. They can move us heavenward, toward our own resurrection, or pull us back down to earth and the things of the world.

But because we are Christians, our thoughts and desires must be wholly directed toward the gift to be conferred upon us when Jesus Christ appears: resurrection and eternal life. Until that day, we live in blessed expectation--not thinking of Christ’s resurrection and our own as a dream, but as something to prepare for in this life, by getting up when we fall, and never ceasing to give as the reason for our hope: The Lord is risen, Alleluia!

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
• 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.
• Dr. Joseph Gloudeman who struggles with a reoccurrence of cancer.
• Mr. Mark McCormick, who was injured during baseball practice
• Mrs. Harriet Nordeck, one time teacher at St. Michael’s, who is close to death
• 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 week of April 18, 2010

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week: Mrs. Ann Hipolito for hosting a student over the weekend
 
Announcements
• This week’s photo gallery includes: students serving the Blind Kids of Santa Ana Center as well as this week’s Speech and Debate Competition.

• Congratulations to Speech and Debate members

Resolved: Military Conscription is Unjust.
1st. Daniel Murphy-Dimen (Pro)
2nd. Jonathan Bonello (Pro)
3rd. Nicholas Hanson (Con)

Resolved: The Lakers should replace Kobe Bryant with Carmelo Anthony.
1st. David Suh (Pro)
2nd. Conrad Lakomy (Con)
3rd. Jacob Holke (Con)

• There will be a Freshman Parent Sponsored Lunch Thursday, April 22nd

• Radio announcements about the May 1 entrance test for St. Michael’s Prep are on Immaculate Heart Radio both midmorning and midafternoon in these areas:
KIHP 1310 AM (Phoenix, AZ)
KJPG 1050 AM (Bakersfield, CA)
KIHH 1400 AM (Eureka, CA)
KPJP 89.3 FM (Greenville, CA)
KJOP 1240 AM (Lemoore, CA)
KHOT 1250 AM (Madera, CA)
KSMH 1620 AM (Sacramento, CA)
KSFB 1260 AM (San Francisco, CA)
KWG 1230 AM (Stockton, CA)
KXXQ 100.7 FM (Gallup, NM)
KIHM 920 AM (Reno, NV)
KIHU 1010 AM (Salt Lake City, UT)

Volunteer Opportunities
• Join in sponsoring a Parent Lunch or Event Reception
• Take photos
• Help before-during-after an athletic event
• Host weekenders

Athletics This Week
Wednesday, April 21st: STM vs. TVT @ STM; 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 23rd: STM vs. The Rock Academy @ STM; 3:30 p.m.

Birthdays This Week
April 24th Edward Lim, Brian Nguyen, and Joseph Porretta

Homily of the Week by Fr. Victor Szczurek, O.Praem.,
Fr. Victor, among other things, teaches Latin in the school.

God, Who is Wisdom Itself, does nothing haphazardly or without reason; and so it was not on some whim that He willed that the first Christians should live together in community: The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.

If one were to ask the men in blue here what it is that they find most difficult about going to St. Michael's Prep, they would probably say that it is the fact that it is a boarding school. “If only it were a day school, I wouldn’t complain so much,” is a common response one often hears. And yet, year after year, on both the all-school student survey and the senior graduation speeches, most if not all rate dorm life as one of the top things that helped form them during their four years here. And if one were to ask the men in white here what it is they find most difficult about community life, most if not all would probably say “the community.” Yet, we would also all admit that the greatest blessing of our life, after Jesus and Mary, would be our fellow confreres. There are many blessings from living in community. As St. Basil once wrote:


Community life offers more blessings than can be fully and easily enumerated [Long Rule, q. 7]; but most of the blessings can be expressed in the old adage that “there is strength in numbers.” God knows this; that’s why He willed that the first Christians, and many Christians ever since, should live in community.

As so often happens, modern psychology is now discovering what the Catholic Church has always known. A study came out several years ago from a group called The Commission on Children at Risk. A group of 33 children’s doctors, research scientists, and mental health and youth service professionals made the marvelous discovery that human beings are “hardwired to connect.” In other words, all of us are by our very nature social animals, as Aristotle had already
said 2000 years ago; and therefore, we need others for survival. More precisely, the study concludes, children need structured authoritative communities, directed to spiritual ends, in order to be healthy human beings. This is true not only on the natural level, but on the supernatural level as well. And it is true not only about children at risk, but also religious at risk, and lay folk at risk. As it is written in the Book of Proverbs: A brother helped by a brother is like a strong city [18:19]; and again in the Book of Ecclesiastes: Woe to him who is alone, when he falls and has not another to lift him up [4:10].

The value of community life can be illustrated by using the following example taken from football practice (pardon the source). When doing sprints, if one member of the team (the one who is a bit out of shape and overweight)—if he seems not able to keep up with everyone else during the sprints, coaches are known to have the whole team line up side by side, locking arms, placing the poor fellow in the middle of the line. Now when the team does run down the field,
the slow person is forced to keep up, or else he is quite literally dragged along to the finish line. This often takes place with not a little wailing and moaning; but lo and behold, it works. In community life, whether it be a religious community, a school dorm, or a family, we all at times are that chubby little kid who needs to be dragged along by those closest to him, even though it might entail a bit of kicking and screaming on our part. We are dragged to the finish lines by the gifts of others. Again, in the words of St. Basil: In the case of several persons living together, each enjoys his own gift and enhances it by giving others a share, besides reaping benefit from the gifts of others as if they were his own [Long Rule, q. 7].


The devil also knows the great advantages of living in community. That’s why his tactic is always to “divide and conquer.” Consider the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve. The very first step in the devil’s attack was to approach Eve when she was alone. He knew that with Adam around it would have been all the more difficult to get them to sin. So he waits for them to separate for a few minutes, and he conquers Eve alone. Having accomplished that, he then goes after Adam. Divide and conquer. It worked not only for Caesar; it works daily for the devil. Indeed, there are many blessings, both natural and supernatural, that come from living in community.

And so, as we continue in these coming days to follow that first Christian community by means of the liturgical readings, let us thank God for the community in which He has placed us, be it a religious community, a school or a family; and let us pray for the grace to reap the many blessings God wants to bestow on us through our fellow members of the Mystical Body of Christ. To Christ the Head of that Mystical Body be all glory and honor. 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
• 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.
• Dr. Joseph Gloudeman who struggles with a reoccurrence of cancer.
• Mr. Mark McCormick, who was injured during baseball practice
• Mrs. Harriet Nordeck, one time teacher at St. Michael’s, who is close to death
• 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 Bishop Norman McFarland, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Orange.
• For the repose of the soul of Mrs. Wendy Talarico, wife of JSerra President, Frank Talarico.

For the week of April 11, 2010

Volunteer Opportunities
• Join in sponsoring a Parent Lunch or Event Reception
• Take photos
• Help before-during-after an athletic event
• Host weekenders

Photos this week of students sharing in the abbey’s liturgical life are provided by Mr. Rick Belcher.

The “Easter Angelus” Regina Caeli
V. Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
R. For He Whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia.
V. Has risen as He foretold, alleluia.
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord has indeed risen, alleluia.

Let us pray: O God, You gave joy to the whole world through the resurrection of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant, we ask You, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meet the Teachers Sunday, April 18th
a face-to-face between parents, their son, and the teachers.Time: Freshmen 6:30 pm; Sophomores 6:50 pm; Juniors 7:15 pm; Seniors 7:40 pm.
Begin: in the parking lot near the library where Fr. Gabriel will distribute name tags,
Continue: the yellow classroom and the recreation room.
End: Behind the school for a reception.
Note: Three minute timeframe. If parents have more than one student attending, the conference is "private"
and the other son should wait for his turn to lead his presentation about his learning.

The objective is to have your son demonstrate what academic skills he has developed this year. He will
• Tell you the strategies/steps to took to achieve the classroom goals he established last September;
• Tell you what he will be doing in the fourth quarter to finish his year well.

Your role as a parent is to
• Listen to son when he speaks about his accomplishments in each of his classes;
• Briefly confirm (or correct). not more than one or two sentences
• Send a note to your son during the week which encourages him to pray and work hard. Praise. Encourage. Exhort. Love.

We’ll see you on Sunday!


Third Quarter Honor Roll, first draft
First Honors94% and Above
Joshua Aaker
Jonathan Bonello
Matthew Brooks
Adrian Chavez
Peter Goodwin
Anthony Guerra
Nicholas Hanson
Jay Hipolito
Luke Holbach
James Howard
Alan Le
Marc LeMire
Edward Lim
Don Nguyen
Thomas Nguyen
Hieu Pham
Joseph Porretta
Marco Saglietto
Brian Schardt
Scott Schardt
David Suh
Joseph Terlisner
James Tran
John Tran

Second Honors88% - 93%

Brendan Bowe
Jacob Holke
Vincent Lu
Spencer Manson
Brian Nguyen
Michael Porretta
Joseph Rivero
Tuyen Vu

Athletics This Week
Saturday, April 17th: STM baseball vs. Avalon @ STM; 11:30 a.m.


Homily of the Week by fr. Benedict Solomon, O.Praem.
Among other things, fr. Benedict teaches scripture at the Prep School.

“Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in morning, while it was still dark.” Last night we heard the words from Genesis- “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” There was darkness over the whole world- and then God said-“let there be light.”

In the Gospel of St. John we see something similar. “In the beginning- was the Word. He is the true light who gives light to everyone- yet the world did not recognize him. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness has not overcome it.”

In the day man is awake and observes creation, he learns truth. At night, man sleeps and is shut off from the world. In the new creation man is recreated in the image of Jesus Christ. The light is the Divine Word and this light enters man’s mind and heart and moves him to believe.

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, because his mind was darkened and without understanding. In the forming of creation, the Spirit hovered over the waters. In the New Creation the Spirit descends upon the Apostles to teach them all things and enable them to spread the Gospel to the entire World.

St. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. When she saw that Jesus was not there, her mind was also in darkness. She did not remember that Jesus said he was going to rise from the dead. Peter and John went also, and their minds were in darkness, for they did not understand that Jesus was to rise from the Dead.

John saw the shroud, but only when they see the cloth that veiled the face of our Lord, was the veil from their eyes removed. They saw the cloth rolled up separately and they knew that Jesus wasn’t taken away, but He had risen. So they saw and believed.

Even when Christ was there and told them he would rise they did not understand. They did not stay awake and pray at night in the Garden. So they remained in that dark night. Jesus wants to enlighten our minds and move our hearts.

Every Sunday celebrates Easter. Perhaps on Sundays we should, instead of going to the beach, where the sun shines on things it should not, or in front of the TV or computer, where the information clutters rather than enlightens our minds;

Perhaps we should rest in the presence of Christ, whose rays are warmer than the sun, and in front of the word of God- the inexhaustible Divine truth which enlightens our minds.

St. Paul says; “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above...Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We should rest in God then, reflecting on the entire order of creation and salvation history; Or maybe spreading that light, which is Christ, to others. And “When Christ your life appears, then you will appear with him in glory. To Him be all glory and honor and praise forever. 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
• Mr. Mark McCormick who recovers from injuries.
• Bishop Norman McFarland, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Orange, who is hospitalized.
• Mrs. Harriet Nordeck, one time teacher at St. Michael’s, who is close to death.
• 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 week of April 4, 2010

Congratulations to David Suh who entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil! Congratulations to Daniel Murphy-Dimen, his sponsor.

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week
For hosting the baseball team for a home cooked dinner: Mr. and Mrs. Matt Holke

Announcements
St. Michael’s is in the Orange County Register.
Article
Video

Volunteer Opportunities
· Join in sponsoring a Parent Lunch or Event Reception
· Take photos
· Help before-during-after an athletic event
· Host weekenders

Academic Honors
National Latin Award Recipients
Matthew Brooks, Magna cum laude
Adrian Chavez, Cum laude
Jacob Holke, Cum laude
Daniel Lim, Maxima cum laude
Thomas Nguyen, Maxima cum laude
Don Nguyen, Cum laude

Homily of the Week by Abbot Eugene Hayes, O.Praem.,

“Grant O Lord, that from so great a mystery we may draw the fullness of life and love.” The mystery of which the opening prayer speaks, of course, is the mystery of the Blessed Eucharist, the mystery which is in a unique way at the heart of the liturgy and the life of the entire Church this evening, at the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Significantly this evening will see the last celebration of Mass until Saturday night. As if to carry us through those hours and upon entering into those unique days without it, we are to direct heart and mind to what the Lord did on that first Holy Thursday, that is today and what he does and will do from that day until the truly last one, when the created order, the sacraments, even the Eucharist will pass from sight to the even greater reality of God being all in all, as was intended from the beginning.

The fullness of life of which the opening prayer speaks is that life flowing from the sacrifice of the Cross. In considering the texts of the Mass this evening, the prayers and the preface especially, we are instructed and reminded once more about the faith we profess. This perennial sacrifice contains the flesh immolated for us, by which we are nourished and strengthened, and the blood poured out for us, by which we are refreshed and cleansed. The fullness of life, divine life, contained within then is what is made available to us with each commemoration of that perfect sacrifice. And each time it is so commemorated and celebrated our salvation is wrought and continues to be effective. We are continually renewed in it in time, so that we may be satisfied beyond our imagining eternally.

The fullness of love which is ours because of this evening is expressed especially this evening in the washing of the feet, the mandatum, the command found in the last verses of the Gospel which was just proclaimed. “When he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?... If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” “As I have done for you, you should also do.”

Throughout the days of Lent we have been instructed especially in the Office of readings what exactly this means for us: “to do as Christ has done.” In one particular reading, in fact the reading for Ash Wednesday itself from a letter of Pope St. Clement we are exhorted to turn to God’s compassion, “rejecting empty works and quarrelling and jealously which only leads to death… we should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride and foolish anger.” These words take on added urgency and relevance in the context of this evening. For the fullness of love from which we are to be nourished especially this evening rejects all that leads to death, quarrelling and jealousy, arrogance, pride and foolish anger, St. Clement says; to which we might be tempted to say: “But my anger is never foolish.” We do as Christ has done when we deal with each other as he dealt with his apostles that evening. Supremely aware of all they had done in their time with Him and before, all that was in their hearts (for he needed no one to tell him what was in man’s hearts, he knew), in spite of mixed motives, ambition, greed, envy, knowing all that they would fail to do out of fear, cowardice, disloyalty) in spite of it all, he nonetheless foreshadows the humility of the cross in washing their feet, reminding Peter and the rest that it comes not a reward for a job well done but as a necessary lesson to what still remains and will always remain to be done, by Him for us, by us for each other.

Finally it is through the ministry established by Christ Himself, also on this night, that this source of life and love which is the Holy Eucharist is made available to us. So this evening too the Church wishes to celebrate that singular means of divine choice, the mystery so intimately related to the Eucharist, which is the institution of the priesthood, the sacrament of orders. In this year which the Holy Father has designated as that of the priest, this evening’s liturgy takes on particular relevance as we pray for those called in the footsteps of the apostles, bishops and priests today. As Christ did with the apostles, their predecessors, in washing their feet, may He continue to do with them, sustaining them, sustaining us here, in spite of the unworthiness within, which all too frequently is manifest to the detriment of those for whom they are responsible. Through our prayer this evening and throughout the rest of this year of the priest, may priests everywhere allow Christ the Supreme High Priest to attend to them and make their ministry ever more effective in communicating God’s life and God’s 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. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
· Mr. Mark McCormick, who was injured during baseball practice
· Mrs. Harriet Nordeck, one time teacher at St. Michael’s, who is close to death
· 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.