· For speaking to prospective parents at our Entrance Test on Jan. 28th: Mr. Ralph Martin, Mrs. Cathy Porretta, Mr. Andy Portka
· For hosting students over the weekend: Schardt Family; Porretta Family; Saglietto Family
· For preparing food for the soccer team: Aguilar, Schardt and Esser Families
· The many families who prepared a special parent lunch this past week
School Spirit Day
This Tuesday, instead of attending classes, the students will have a morning of fun spirit-building activities: football game, hiking, or surfing. This will give all—students, administrators and teachers—an opportun
ity to gain that necessary “second wind” as we continue a long third quarter!Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 4, Section 7
SECTION 7: CONDUCT DEMERITS AND DETENTIONS
When a student’s behavior is at odds with the standards established and sustained by the school, the student suffers demerits. Demerits may be given by teachers, administrators, and student leaders. Demerits vary in amounts from 5 to 100 points, with the exact penalty for each offense being determined by the Dean of Students. If a student receives 100 demerit points in a given week, he must serve a weekend detention at the school. During the detention time, students contribute their labor to advance an identified goal of the school. Their work must meet the pre-identified standards of the work supervisor. Detentions must be served within the same quarter relative to the offenses committed. When a detention obligation conflicts with family plans and/or flight arrangements, a student may request a change of date.
This Week’s Photos: Soccer; Entrance Test
Birthdays This Week:
Feb. 6th: Tuyen Vu
Sports This Week:
Parents, game cancellations due to rainy weather will be posted on our school calendar.
Monday: Soccer vs Southlands @ STM; 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday: Soccer vs CVCS @ STM; 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday: Basketball @ Fairmont Prep; 4:30 p.m.
Homily of the Week by Fr. Gabriel Stack, O. Praem.
Among other things Fr. Gabriel is the Headmaster and teaches Latin, English and History. 
As more Americans worship football deities today than any other god, it's appropriate to begin with a little story.
One Saturday afternoon, while the Patriots were working through their season, a football friendly retiree was caught up in the game on a third-down and just a few yards to go. During the commercial break, his wife of 53 years came in and said, “it's time to drive me to church. I need to go to confession." The husband didn't respond. He probably didn't hear, so she said it again this time louder. The wife concluded he was trying to ignore her. She said it again. The Patriots had lost yardage; the disappointed husband looked blankly at his wife and said, “Dear, over the years, I've driven you to confession many times. I can't really say it's done much good.” And he went back to the game. The wife looked at him, put her hands on her hips, and replied, “Just think what I’d be like if you didn’t drive me to confession.” The husband blinked, got up, and turned off the TV. Sometimes the grace which heals us is obvious and sometimes it’s not.
The Evangelist Mark is a taciturn writer. Yet, this morning, he is almost extravagant in the amount of detail he gives us in recounting the cure of St. Peter's mother-in-law. He tells us that as soon as Jesus walked into the house, they immediately told him about her. Mark continues, Jesus took her by the hand and helped her up." Jesus' healing of the mother-in-law is so simple, one almost can't believe that it's enough; but when Jesus does it, it is. A simple gentle gesture: He took her by the hand and helped her up, and she is completely healed.
The holy evangelist, who gives us so much description in the healing of the mother-in-law, leaves unsaid so much of what happens next. After the Sabbath was over, well after sunset, the whole town crowded around the door and spilled down the street and into the darkness of night. It seems strange that people without flashlights, or halogens, or generators of any sort waited until dark to seek out Jesus. Because it was the Sabbath, no one was allowed to work; no one was allowed to carry a burden. What the people brought to Jesus for healing was indeed a burden – wounded hearts and minds, tormented spirits, tortured bodies. St. Mark doesn't give us any of the details. He writes matter-of-factly, Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases. And he drove out many demons. The evangelist Matthew is unequivocal and succinct. He cured them all.
In the darkness, with its tumult – how much could the crowd see? What exactly happened? Was it his word? his touch? the brush of his clothes as he passed? Who was healed? Who else? Whose cure preceded? Followed? Was there really a complete healing after all? It was so
crowded and so dark and so chaotic.Dark chaos. This is same the description of the formless void out of which God drew creation in the beginning. In Genesis, on the first day, God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. Jesus, the Light of the World, brought forth the new creation at Capernaum. Later, when sun was up, and they could look at themselves and their neighbors in the light of that new day, did the people of Capernaum recognize the full extent of what Jesus accomplished. Their response? They went in search of Him.
Here we are – at Sunday morning Mass. The Liturgy describes it as at “the threshold” of the Sacred Mysteries of our redemption. Analogous to the gospel setting, we are in the dark and crowding at the doorway. Today on account of our worship of the One, True, God – in, with, and through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are healed and made part of the new creation. What is our response?
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. Gretchen Augustyn, who suffers from severe back injuries.
● The paternal grandfather of sophomore Andrew Bonello who is hospitalized with a broken hip.
● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league president, who has declining health.
● Mr. Glenn Emanuel, a member of the Norbertine Lay Order, who has a serious heart condition.
● Jodie Meschuk, wife of Coach Aaron Meschuk, who is expecting.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
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