Blueletter: March 5th, 2009
Saint John Joseph of the Cross
Dear Families:
From Pope Benedict XVI: “Last Wednesday, we entered Lent with fasting and the Rite of Ashes. But what does “entering Lent” mean? It means we enter a season of special commitment in the spiritual battle to oppose the evil present in the world, in each one of us and around us. It means looking evil in the face and being ready to fight its effects and especially its causes, even its primary cause which is Satan. It means not off-loading the problem of evil on to others, on to society or on to God but rather recognizing one’s own responsibility and assuming it with awareness. In this regard Jesus’ invitation to each one of us Christians to take up our “cross” and follow him with humility and trust (cf. Mt 16: 24) is particularly pressing. Although the “cross” may be heavy it is not synonymous with misfortune, with disgrace, to be avoided on all accounts; rather it is an opportunity to follow Jesus and thereby to acquire strength in the fight against sin and evil. Thus, entering Lent means renewing the personal and community decision to face evil together with Christ. The way of the Cross is in fact the only way that leads to the victory of love over hatred, of sharing over selfishness, of peace over violence. Seen in this light, Lent is truly an opportunity for a strong ascetic and spiritual commitment based on Christ’s grace.
GOLF-A-THON
We kicked off the Golf-a-thon last Thursday night with a fun evening. Congratulations to Stephanie Sandoval and Mike Collins, winners of the putting competition. Enclosed in today’s envelope is Golf-a-thon information. This is our number one or number two fundraiser of the year, depending on the auction. We would like to make this our number one event this year by hitting the goal that our co-chairs, P and T, set for this event – $60,000. We have a few volunteers to head up the weekly calling to answer questions and get “pledge reports.” Please read the enclosed information. I will give further explanation next week as well. In the first week, we are over $30 per hole – or $3,000.
Institute for Excellence in Writing presents an event with Andrew Pudewa on Saturday, March 21, 2009
Location: Village Bible Church, 12671 Buaro St., Garden Grove, CA 92840 To register for this event, go to: http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/events or call (800) 856-5815
High School Essay Intensive - A One-Day Seminar for High School age students and teachers
Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:30 – 3:30 pm Cost: $50.00/participant (parents $25 if attending with student)
The High School Essay Prep class is an excellent way to get immediate experience and inside tips on how to do your best on the timed, 25 minute response to a prompt required on the new SAT test. Participants will actually write two full essays, carefully study and then apply the College Board evaluation criteria to sample essays, while receiving a detailed booklet of resources and lesson plans for continued practice. Additionally, students will learn special structure and style tools for use in composing the college application “personal essay”–an entirely different type of writing task. The complete process will be presented: choosing the question, creating the outline, and polishing a final version. Participants will leave with a clear concept of the task, their own outline for an actual personal essay, and several new tricks and techniques to add to their repertoire. Although this seminar is specifically designed for those who will be taking the SAT or submitting college applications within the next 1-2 years (and especially those teaching such students), it is also useful for general writing practice, tools and tips. It is open to all students, regardless of their experience with IEW courses or materials. A lot of actual writing is done during this six-hour class.
CONGRATULATIONS:
AO, LO, AS and TS qualified for the Regional Championships for the Basketball Skills Competition which was held in January. Good luck this Sunday.
BASKETBALL – COACH’s CORNER: PLAYOFF TIME!!!
Middle School Boys and Girls - Thanks for the great season! Your spirit was indomitable!
High School - Congratulations Saints on your victory in the first round of the playoffs! Congratulations to the Crusaders for your victory in the second round of the playoffs – against the Saints. It was a delight to see the boys all play hard and have a good time with each other, despite the hard-fought competition.
“The Saints scored an impressive victory in the first round of the playoffs, edging out Leo’s Team (Santa Paula) 44-38. The Saints fell into an early hole, 9-2, but climbed back out to end the first half ahead, 15 – 14. They pulled out to a 13 point lead in the fourth, then weathered a fierce comeback attempt to gain the victory. Watch this impressive victory yourself… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2TSyE7DBnE (Or, on youTube, type in “Saints vs Santa Paula P1″ and proceed to watch all 5 periods.)
On Tuesday, in the Semi-finals, the Crusaders rocketed to a 21-point first quarter lead, then cruised to a 63-45 victory over Rob’s Team in the VYBA Super League Semifinals Tuesday night.
The amazing first period is up on YouTube; search: Crusaders vs Robs Team.
Come out and support your team – wear blue!
Championship Game!!!
Saturday, March 7, 5:15 PM v. NADS (location TBA)
LENTEN CHARITY DRIVE – Keep filling your Charity Envelopes or jars! “Extend mercy toward others, so that there can be no one in need whom you might meet without helping.” St. Vincent de Paul
LOCAL EVENTS -
Catholics @ Work is pleased to invite you to Mass, breakfast, and the following presentation by one of SAA’s OWN!!!
SAA PARENT, LANNETTE TURICCHI presents: “Poland And The Papacy.” A 20-year veteran in the entertainment industry, Lannette Turicchi has a feature length documentary film in production on how the events in Poland shaped the future Pontificate of John Paul II. Told through interviews of those close to JPII, the film also recounts the last days of the Holy Father’s life and his rich legacy. She has already completed a short film titled, “Following the Footsteps of John Paul II,” which plays daily at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington DC. Lannette will share clips of the film and talk about its potential impact. Thursday, March 12, 2009, Marie Callendar’s – 1295 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura – (805) 644-0147 Mass: 7:00 a.m. Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Presentation: 7:45-8:30 a.m. Cost: $15 members; $20 guests
RSVP: Tuesday, March 10, to Rick Rollino at RRollino@starkart.net or MVanHecke@juno.com
Catholic Charities’ St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and Dance, Saturday, March 14th.
St. Sebastian’s annual St. Joseph’s Feast Day Italian Dinner and raffle (including $1000 Grand Prize and a 200+ pound pig and butchering services!) Sunday, March 15th at St. Sebastian School Hall.
Ora Pro Nobis: For AR, friend of the L family who is battling a life-threatening bacterial infection. He is forty and has two young boys. For KL’s grandmother, AA, who is dying. For CL. For RT and JM. For an end to abortion and FOCA. For the continued grace of generous benefactors. We also commend Miss B’s sister to our prayers. We pray for all those who serve our country to protect our freedom. We also thank God for all priests and religious. We pray for one another.