● The DiNapoli family for providing a wonderful lunch in honor of their son Nicholas’ birthday; and Mrs. Elmer and her daughters for providing soccer team gift bags
● Mrs. Regina Lim for making rosaries for us to distribute.
General announcements to Parents
● Student Led Parent/Teacher Meetings, February 27th @ 6:30
● Reminder: The Graduation Fee of $350 for all seniors is due April 1st.
● The California Dept. of Health has issued the following alert to all schools: “All students entering 7th – 12th grades for the 2011-2012 school year will need proof of a Tdap booster shot (Pertussis or Whooping Cough) before starting school. The required 2011 Pertussis Immunization applies to both public and private school children.” Tdap boosters are traditionally administered on or after the 10th birthday. Annual physical forms will be mailed home soon. When scheduling your child’s annual summer physical, please ask your physician to pay special attention to updating your child’s immunizations.● Congratulations to Nicholas Hanson, Jacob Holke, Joseph Terlisner, and James Tran for their success at the World Quest Competition held at the USC, Irvine Campus. Our team came in 4th place.
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)–Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA)
Please note that the Visiting Committee will meet with all the parents of St. Michael’s Prep on Sunday Evening, March 20, at 7:00 PM, in the modular classroom. This meeting will take no more than 1 hour. It is very important that all parents come to the meeting who can. In preparation for this meeting, please read the section of the Parent/Student Handbook listed below (Faith, Academics and Character are what are known as the schools “Expected Schoolwide Learning Results" [ESLRs]. Thank you!
This week’s photos: soccer awards ceremony; students visit UCI Medical; students at Performing Arts Center
Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 2, Section 9
SECTION 9: DROP OFF AND PICK UP OF STUDENTS
Students report to school every Sunday between 7 pm and 7:30 pm. Students arriving late will stay the following Friday afternoon until 4:30 pm. Pick up time is Friday after room inspection which is typically about 12:40 pm. Drop-off and pick-up location is exclusively in front of the school. Students should know before they return to school who will pick them up the following Friday.
Students will not be excused during school hours (from Sunday night to Friday afternoon) for vacation or other non-school functions unless special arrangement is made with the headmaster. Those who do receive this authorization to leave St. Michael’s when school is still in session are required to spend one weekend for each day of “leave.” During that compensatory weekend fees are charged and the student will work for the on-going needs of the school.
Doctor’s appointments should be made only for the afternoon recreation period. The pick up can be no earlier than 2:30 p.m. The student must be back on campus by 8:00 p.m. Students always arrive and depart in their uniform.
Etiquette Point of the Week
A gentleman knows that creating a well-groomed appearance requires daily details which include shaving, hair that is neatly cut and combed, bathing, use of deodorant or antiperspirant, keeping fingernails and toenails trimmed and clean, and proper oral hygiene. How To Raise A Gentleman, Kay West; Brooks Brothers Press
Athletics
Baseball: The Pioneers play their first home game of the year Friday, March 4th against Southlands Christian at 3:00 p.m.
Special Soccer Awards
2nd Team all League: Jake Holke
Honorable Mention: Daniel Murphy-Dimen
MVP: Jake Holke
Most Inspirational: Marco Saglietto
Most Improved: Scott Shardt
Most Goals: 3 way tie - Josh Aaker, Jake Holke, David Suh,
Birthdays This Week:
Feb. 28 Matthew Vu
A gentleman knows that creating a well-groomed appearance requires daily details which include shaving, hair that is neatly cut and combed, bathing, use of deodorant or antiperspirant, keeping fingernails and toenails trimmed and clean, and proper oral hygiene. How To Raise A Gentleman, Kay West; Brooks Brothers Press
Athletics
Baseball: The Pioneers play their first home game of the year Friday, March 4th against Southlands Christian at 3:00 p.m.
Special Soccer Awards
2nd Team all League: Jake Holke
Honorable Mention: Daniel Murphy-Dimen
MVP: Jake Holke
Most Inspirational: Marco Saglietto
Most Improved: Scott Shardt
Most Goals: 3 way tie - Josh Aaker, Jake Holke, David Suh,
Birthdays This Week:
Feb. 28 Matthew Vu
March 2 Johann Schoenfeld
Homily preached by Fr. Victor Szczurek, O. Praem.
Among other things, Fr. Victor is the Assistant Headmaster and teaches Latin
If you were to ask the average person today by whom would they like to be remembered after they die—even if they could choose any person in the world—most would probably say, first, something like their closest family members or friends, and then they would probably proceed to some famous person. “Maybe if the president remembered me, he would name a bridge after me. Or, maybe a Hollywood producer, who would make a movie about my life. Or, a singer who would write a song about me.” Sad to say, very few would pass this little test.
The best person in the world to be remembered by after you die is a Catholic priest. Just as, at the moment of your death the best person to have at your bedside is a priest, so he is the best person to have remember you. You can have an entire army present at your deathbed, or even the holiest person in the world, but none of them can do what a priest can do: absolve you of your sins. And you can have the same remember you after you’re gone, but none of them can do what only a priest can do: offer up for your soul the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which makes expiation for your sins in this life.
We celebrate today a Requiem Mass for the deceased of our canonry, our abbey community—as we do twice a year, every year. Fr. Szanto was the last priest of our community to die. When he died, every priest of our community (a total of 46) offered maybe as many as three Masses for him. That’s a total of around138 Masses just for starters. He also had at least one Gregorian Series of Masses offered for him (that’s another 30); and every day this community Mass is offered for the living and deceased of our community as well as all friends and benefactors. It’s good to be remembered by a Catholic priest after you die.
Our Lord Himself asked to be remembered by His priests after He died. Do this in memory of Me… As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes… As often as the memorial of this Victim is celebrated, the work of our redemption is wrought. The priest remembers the Lord after His death in order to reap the fruits of the Cross; he remembers you in order to apply those fruits.
St. Dismas, the Good Thief, was a wise man. He made sure all his affairs were in order before he died: Remember me, Lord. He asked the Priest to remember him. Today you will be with Me in paradise.
To be a priest in a community of priests is the greatest blessing in the world. And if you cannot be a member of that community, to at least be associated with it in one way or another is also a very great blessing. And so, if you ever wonder whether it was a good idea to have joined this community; or if you wish you were at another high school; or if you are not always happy with every priest you meet, you can console yourself with the thought that, although we might have made your days a bit less comfortable in this life, by remembering you at the altar of God after you die we will help make you a little less uncomfortable in the next.
May the fruits of this Holy Mass be showered down upon the suffering souls. 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
● Giancarlo Medina who is battling cardiac problems
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
Among other things, Fr. Victor is the Assistant Headmaster and teaches Latin
If you were to ask the average person today by whom would they like to be remembered after they die—even if they could choose any person in the world—most would probably say, first, something like their closest family members or friends, and then they would probably proceed to some famous person. “Maybe if the president remembered me, he would name a bridge after me. Or, maybe a Hollywood producer, who would make a movie about my life. Or, a singer who would write a song about me.” Sad to say, very few would pass this little test.
The best person in the world to be remembered by after you die is a Catholic priest. Just as, at the moment of your death the best person to have at your bedside is a priest, so he is the best person to have remember you. You can have an entire army present at your deathbed, or even the holiest person in the world, but none of them can do what a priest can do: absolve you of your sins. And you can have the same remember you after you’re gone, but none of them can do what only a priest can do: offer up for your soul the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which makes expiation for your sins in this life.
We celebrate today a Requiem Mass for the deceased of our canonry, our abbey community—as we do twice a year, every year. Fr. Szanto was the last priest of our community to die. When he died, every priest of our community (a total of 46) offered maybe as many as three Masses for him. That’s a total of around138 Masses just for starters. He also had at least one Gregorian Series of Masses offered for him (that’s another 30); and every day this community Mass is offered for the living and deceased of our community as well as all friends and benefactors. It’s good to be remembered by a Catholic priest after you die.
Our Lord Himself asked to be remembered by His priests after He died. Do this in memory of Me… As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes… As often as the memorial of this Victim is celebrated, the work of our redemption is wrought. The priest remembers the Lord after His death in order to reap the fruits of the Cross; he remembers you in order to apply those fruits.
St. Dismas, the Good Thief, was a wise man. He made sure all his affairs were in order before he died: Remember me, Lord. He asked the Priest to remember him. Today you will be with Me in paradise.
To be a priest in a community of priests is the greatest blessing in the world. And if you cannot be a member of that community, to at least be associated with it in one way or another is also a very great blessing. And so, if you ever wonder whether it was a good idea to have joined this community; or if you wish you were at another high school; or if you are not always happy with every priest you meet, you can console yourself with the thought that, although we might have made your days a bit less comfortable in this life, by remembering you at the altar of God after you die we will help make you a little less uncomfortable in the next.
May the fruits of this Holy Mass be showered down upon the suffering souls. 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
● Giancarlo Medina who is battling cardiac problems
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
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