Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s,

I found out this past week that the 14^th niece or nephew is due this coming summer.  I am scheduled to baptize number 13, who is due in mid-March, on Easter Monday.  My family does a betting board for who can guess closest to the right day and gender.  The winner takes away a cool $25 dollars.  Thus far I have struck out every time, but I am hopeful that I can win at least once now that there are two opportunities in 2021!

In preparing for this Lent, I have been asking Jesus what He wants for me, for all of us.  The two words I have been hearing are courage and boldness.

I was especially struck by this in last weekend’s Gospel account of the leper who came to Jesus for healing.  This man grew up in a culture that told him that he needed to separate himself from the community so his disease wouldn’t spread.  He would have been separated from family and from worshiping God in the Temple.  He needed to shout “Unclean, Unclean” when people did come near.

With that being so ingrained in him, it would have taken real boldness, real courage to do what this man did.  Yet that can be the time we experience the greatest freedom, when we can take these bold steps.  It also took real boldness on the part of Jesus to not heal this man from a safe distance but to reach out and touch him, something that would have been hard to do with how disfiguring this disease can be.  There is boldness in both of these roles—the boldness of the one seeking healing was matched by the one doing the healing.

It is hard enough to take a step toward physical healing—how many of us won’t go to the doctor!  I know of plenty of people who only go kicking and screaming.  That is true for me.  How many lepers didn’t go to Jesus for healing but instead just stayed away?  Well, it can be even harder when it comes to our conversions, to taking steps to rectify moral weaknesses and failures.  It can be hard when we are being asked by God to take a more definitive step in following Him. That is why we can stay away from the confessional for years, decades.  That is why wounds can fester in friendships, marriages, and other relationships for years—we can be simply unwilling or too scared to take a bold step in making it right.  That is why someone can be in an addiction for years, because it takes such boldness and courage to start changing it.  Too often, we can end up staying away from the Lord who can heal us.

This Lenten season, may we ask ourselves: what role do boldness and courage play in our spiritual life?  In this Lenten season, may we be unafraid to be Bold.  Remember, God is never outdone in generosity!

God Bless!

The Season of Lent at Sacred Heart School

Lent is a season of simple living. As the entire Church prepares for the great celebration of Christ’s Paschal Mystery in the Easter Triduum, Catholics make special efforts to pray, do penance, and do good works. Every day of the forty-day Lenten season is an opportunity to live simply and prepare for Easter.

Lent is a time of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s Death and Resurrection at Easter. Lasting for forty days – from Ash Wednesday to the evening of Holy Thursday – the season draws us towards the light of Christ.

Lent is a special time at Sacred Heart School. Our goal is to make an impression on our students in a way that their hearts are forever brought closer to Jesus. We pray a special prayer in the morning that reminds us to ask God for strength: to abstain from negativity, and replenish with kindness and understanding. It is in this daily asking that we will have Jesus by our side as we heal from sin and bring ourselves closer to God.

On Fridays, the students walk through the Stations of the Cross. It is a beautiful, interactive script that helps the students to see how each station shows them how to move closer to Christ on the cross. We walk with Him and this prepares us for Easter.

We ask each of the students to talk about the ways they are praying, giving and fasting. Each student is given a “Little Purple Book for Children” to help them walk with God at home.

A couple of reminders about Lent for children:

1. Sundays are Mini-Easters and we can take that day off from whatever it is they we have given up.
2. Lent is traditionally supposed to be forty days long. That is because the Bible says that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, preparing for his death and resurrection.
3. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday in the Catholic Church, it ends at the Ninth Hour of Maundy Thursday (44 days).
4. While it is good practice to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, it is not obligatory for elementary age students.

Please pray for our students as we begin our long Lenten journey. We will be praying for all of you.

Blessings,

Anne Atkin, Principal

Sacred Heart School

Students are balanced: confident of mind, academics and Catholic Faith.

Serving the Community. Teaching our students to live and model the Catholic faith. Reflecting the unconditional love of Jesus.   Remaining structured with the purpose of graduating students who are prepared to persevere.

Saturday, February 20

4:30pm – Max & Etta Brooks by Family

Sunday, February 21

8:00am – Dean Jacobs by Dixie Wright

11:00am – Gloria Bump by Katie Oates

Monday, February 22

8:00am – People of the Parish

Tuesday, February 23

4:45pm – Confession & Adoration

5:45pm – Spencer Grant Cuthbertson by Family

Wednesday, February 24

8:00am – Bill Milligan by Joe & Pam Marry

Thursday, February 25

8:00am – Kathleen McDermott by Larry

Friday, February 26

9:00am – Pat Geeting ~ 30 Day by Charlene LoVette & Melissa Proudfoot

Saturday, February 27

4:30pm – Alvin Timberman ~ 7th Anniversary by Kathy

Sunday, February 28

8:00am – Michael Emrick by Dan & Ann

11:00am – Richard Dunn by Dorothy & Family

HELLO ALL! Hopefully you’ll find this overview of upcoming dates useful! As we enter into the penitential season of Lent we’re blessed to be able to offer the sacrament of Reconciliation for our 3rd-8th graders during class time! (See schedule below for specific grades) Linda Higgins has been kind enough to agree to put on a Lenten program during the Mar. 14th class that will offer each of the grades to reflect on Jesus’ passion! If you have any questions, please contact our Religious Education Coordinator Liz Fergus.

Click on the link to view February Newsletter.  In the Loop Religious Ed Newsletter Feb 21 2021

Small Group Opportunity

Red Sea Rules. Please join me for a journey with the Israelites through the Red Sea. This will be a 5-week book led group, understanding where we are and why we are here. Sometimes we are where God has lead us. Sometimes we are living in the consequences of our actions or the actions of others. This journey helps us understand biblically that God is with us always.

We will meet on Thursdays in Sacred Heart Hall at 6:00pm beginning Thursday, February 25^th until March 25^th.

Please let me know if you would like to join us.

Ron Stacey 517-945-8633