All Saints and Catholic Education

I am sorry to say that I did not receive a contract for next year so that the things that I was hoping to have on the calendar for next year will have to proceed without me. I have been so truly blessed by my time here at All Saints and hope that you will keep me in prayers.

It looks like we will move to Texas and try my hand at Public Schools there. The pay is much better and actually will afford my wife the respite of not having to make the kinds of sacrifices which we have been forced to with Catholic Education. I believe in Catholic Education with all my heart and can only hope that God will provide a way for me to return at some point in my life. It is with great sadness that I will not be returning.

We have another week of teaching, today is Fun Day. I hate that I will be leaving these kids and that I will no longer be contributing to their education and Faith. As I proceed, I put myself in God's Hands.

Salute to Catholic Schools Scheduled Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 2007

Theme is "Catholic Schools: the Good News in Education"

Washington, D.C. -- The nation’s nearly 8,000 Catholic schools will celebrate Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 28 through Feb. 3. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: the Good News in Education.”

The theme was chosen because of its appeal to Catholic schools and for the strong message it sends to parents and supporters.

Catholic Schools Week is an activity of the National Marketing Campaign For Catholic Schools, a joint project of NCEA and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Dr. Karen M. Ristau, president of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), said, “Catholic Schools do good work all year around. But on this week we want to focus everyone’s attention on the fact that Catholics schools are good news. In addition to learning reading, writing and arithmetic, students also learn responsibility—and how to become persons of character and integrity.”

Father William Davis, a priest of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and interim secretary for education at the USCCB, said “High achievement rates, high retention rates, high moral values and high student and parent satisfaction are the distinctive marks of a Catholic school. That’s the good news and we want to share it.”

National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools will be observed Wednesday, Jan. 31. National Appreciation Day was established to encourage supporters nationwide to showcase the great accomplishments and contributions of Catholic schools to our country. In Washington, a delegation of more than 150 Catholic school students, teachers and parents will visit Capitol Hill to meet with congressional leaders to promote Catholic schools. They will hand-deliver letters from chief administrators of Catholic education to their representatives and provide a background package on Catholic schools to every congressional office.

Schools in other parts of the country are encouraged to carry their message of good news to local and state officials.

All Saints Guadalupe Pilgrimage

Our Lady of Guadalupe

All Saints 7th and 8th Grade's participated in a pilgrimage to St. Thomas More Catholic Church and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Tulsa on December 12th. This was my first ambitious field trip and over 50 people participated. Eight wonderful parents and two teachers helped make this pilgrimage a resounding success. Special thanks to Deacon Jose' Perez and Father Carl K from St. Thomas More for the celebration of the Eucharist and presentation about St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Knights of Columbus continue campaign to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas'

New Haven, Dec. 08, 2006 (CNA) - The Knights of Columbus have continued with their North American media campaign to “Keep Christ in Christmas”.

Public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish will air on television and radio, encouraging people to remember the real religious significance of the Christmas season and to celebrate it in various meaningful ways, including by helping the less fortunate.

"In the midst of an increasingly materialistic and secular society, it is all too easy to lose sight of what Christmas really means. We give gifts to each other because it is the day on which we celebrate the ultimate gift: the Christ child, the savior of mankind," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "Even those who do not share the Christian faith can and do appreciate the message of peace and hope that this Christian holiday – holy day – brings to the world."

The Knights have been producing the PSAs since the 1980s. The radio and TV spots can be accessed at www.kofc.org

Last year, the PSAs reached more than 43 million television viewers and 37 million radio listeners. Hundreds of billboards with the same message were also posted around the country.

This month the Knights kicked off the Christmas season with the "Light up for Christ" program. Councils were encouraged to hold a Christmas tree or Nativity scene lighting ceremony on the first Tuesday of December to commemorate Christ's birth.

Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception is a Catholic dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception. Specifically, the dogma says she was not afflicted by the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts humankind, but was instead filled with grace by God, and furthermore lived a life completely free from sin. It is commonly confused with the doctrine of the incarnation and virgin birth, though the two deal with separate subjects. According to the dogma, Mary was conceived by normal biological means, but her soul was acted upon by God (kept "immaculate") at the time of her conception.

The Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX in his constitution Ineffabilis Deus, published December 8, 1854 (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception), and consecrated by Pope Pius XII in 1942.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary had been established in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV who stopped short of defining the doctrine as a dogma of the Catholic Faith, thus giving Catholics freedom to believe in this or not; this freedom had been reiterated by the Council of Trent. The existence of the feast was a strong indication of the Church´s belief in the Immaculate Conception, even before its 19th century definition as a dogma.

The Catholic Church believes the dogma is supported by scripture (e.g. her being greeted by Angel Gabriel as "full of Grace"), as well as either directly or indirectly by the writings of many of the Church Fathers, and often calls Mary the Blessed Virgin ( Luke 1:48). Catholic theology maintains that since Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, she needed to be completely free of sin to bear the Son of God, and that Mary is "redeemed 'by the grace of Christ' but in a more perfect manner than other human beings" (Ott, Fund., Bk 3, Pt. 3, Ch. 2, §3.1.e).

In the Catholic Church, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December is generally a Holy Day of Obligation, and a public holiday in countries where Catholicism is predominant. Prior to the spread of this doctrine, December 8 was celebrated as the Conception of Mary, since September 8 is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.

Click here for more on the Immaculate Conception...

Volleyball Awards

Volleyball Awards

The Volleyball Awards were last night and the pictures are available through the link above. I was priviledged to be the coach for the 6th and 7th grade boys and look forward to next season!

JOB PERFORMANCE FOR JESUS

In the work-world, it is customary to conduct evaluations of personnel and projects. The following ten-point checklist will help you evaluate your work for Jesus at your place of employment.

1. Do I consider my job performance for Jesus a high priority?
   Most people work forty-plus hours a week. If we're not serving Him on the job, we're not living the Christian life. Even those who are not employed in a salaried position must work full-time for the Lord (2 Th 3:10).
2. What am I working for?
   We should be working to permeate, social, political, and economic realities with the Gospel of Jesus (Catechism, 898). We are working for the Holy Spirit Who will help us discover and invent the ways of permeating our culture with the Gospel.
   If we're working for perishable food, we're in slavery (Jn 6:27). Even though we may receive salaries and benefits, we should work in thanksgiving, love and obedience to the Lord. If you inherited a million dollars today, would you go to work anyway? The answer should be "yes." We shouldn't work for the money but for the Master.
3. Do I have a prayer list of co-workers that I intercede for daily?
   Little good happens in this world except by prayer. The Lord has assigned us certain people to lift up in prayer (see Jn 17:9). Are you doing your assignment? Do you have a prayer-partner at work? Do you remember to pray for workers in the Third and Fourth Worlds and in Communist countries?
4. Have I led a co-worker to Jesus in the last month? Have I even tried?
   We are Jesus' witnesses (Acts 1:8) and should not be ashamed of the gospel (Rm 1:16). Each person must make his or her own decision for Christ, but we must give them the invitation. The Holy Spirit will empower us to witness for Jesus.
5. Do I take advantage of opportunities to minister to co-workers?
   We must use our spiritual gifts to serve, heal, teach, encourage, and counsel co-workers on and off the job. "Make the most of the present opportunity" (Eph 5:16).
6. Am I willing to suffer on the job?
   We should expect to be persecuted (2 Tm 3:12) and to take up the daily cross of self-sacrifice (Lk 9:23). This is redemptive suffering, which will have a powerful effect in changing the lives of co-workers.
7. Is my work of the highest quality?
   Since we work for the Lord, we work harder and have the highest possible standards (Col 3:23). Because our work is a sacrifice to the Lord (Heb 13:16), it must be unblemished (see Lv 1:3).
8. Are my relationships with co-workers and especially with my boss characterized by Christian love? (1 Cor 13:1-3)
   They'll know we are Christians by our love (Jn 13:35). Especially our relationships with our bosses (even unreasonable ones) are to give glory to God (1 Pt 2:18-19; Eph 6:5; Ti 2:9-10).
9. Would I quit my job if God told me to do so? Would I stay on the job against my will in obedience to God's will?
   Sometimes, like Peter, we are called to "leave our nets" (Mt 4:20). At other times, we must stick it out. The main objective is to do God's will. The use of our spiritual gifts will move us in or out of a job. We should act in faith. Does it take deeper faith to leave or to stay on your job?
10. Do I keep holy the Lord's Day? (see Ex 20:8)
    The Lord's Day is made for our benefit (Mk 2:27). Sunday is our day of rest and resurrection. It will make the difference between our work becoming the slavery of sin or the creativity of paradise (Gn 2:2-3). It is our "declaration of independence."

Nihil obstat: Rev. Ralph J. Lawrence, May 2, 2002Imprimatur: † Most Rev. Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, on May 6, 2002.
The Nihil obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
The cost of this publication is a donation. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit what amount He would have you contribute.
Copyright © 2006 Presentation Ministries3230 McHenry Cincinnati, Ohio 45211 Phone: (513) 662-5378 www.presentationministries.com

All Saints Mass

The eighth grade led the Mass for All Saints Day with our celbrant, His Excellency, Bishop Edward, Msgr. Gaalaas, Fr. Dodd, and Fr. Valentine. It was a wonderful event, with all the kids celebrating with the Knights of Columbus providing a Color Guard for the first time.

I was honored to be a part of the Honor Guard and can't say that I have been more proud to be a Catholic man, a Knight of Columbus, or a teacher.

Knights of Columbus

Volleyball Game

My sincere apologies, I had the game at 8 pm last night on the calendar page. I will double check the listings for next month and make sure I have them correct. Sorry Gage, I know that you missed the game because of my error.

We did not win the match last night against Holland Hall 8th Grade Boys. Hey! 8th Grade boys! It was an awesome match and our 6th and 7th grade boys team gave NOTHING away free! They made the Holland Hall team work for their win! The last game was a nail biter!

J

All Saints vs. Monte Casino

Here are the scores from last night's (Sept 25th) games:

Game 1:
All Saints: 25
Monte Casino: 15

Game 2:
All Saints: 25
Monte Casino: 14

Game 3:
All Saints: 9
Monte Casino: 15

Match:
All Saints 2 games to 1

St. Joseph vs. All Saints (6th & 7th Boys)

Saturday, Sept 23rd, 2006 Match between All Saints and St. Joseph (Muskogee) 6th and 7th Grade Boys:

All Saints vs. St. Joseph's results were as follows:

Game 1:

All Saints 21

St. Joe: 25

Game 2:

All Saints 25

St. Joe: 11

Game 3:

All Saints 28

St. Joe: 26

Match to All Saints 6th and 7th Grade Boys.

What can I say but WOW! This was a definite on the edge of your seat match with all players from both teams giving it all! This was not a match that was given to us by any means, it was hard fought and hard earned. The last game, the All Saints Cougars came from behind (at 24-11) to tie, then pass, then a give and take until we won 28-26!

What is Museum Day?

What is Museum Day?

On September 30, 2006, for one day only, museums across the country will join the Smithsonian Institution in its long-standing tradition of offering free admission to visitors.

The following museums are participating in Oklahoma:

Gilcrease Museum
Tulsa

Oklahoma History Center
Oklahoma City

Omniplex Science Museum
Oklahoma City

Philbrook Museum of Art
Tulsa

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Norman

Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum
Sand Springs

Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium
Tulsa

Coach and players after first game

Coach and players after first game
Originally uploaded by Arroyo Family.

Here are the All Saints 6th and 7th Grade Boys Volleyball Team. Click on the picture and you will go into the Flickr site with more pictures of the volleyball game. Also, on the calendar link, you will be directed to the latest practice and game schedule for this month.

Thanks for coming and supporting our games.

Coach A

VolleyBall Game last night

Sorry I do not have the pictures uploaded yet, I will get them up tonight or tomorrow.

Last night was our first game and the boys were AWESOME! We won the first game against Holland Hall but lost the next two games. The 6th and 7th grade boys team did a great job playing together as a TEAM and are really beginning to come together on the court. We saw some areas that they need to work on, which we definitely will be working on in practice. This was a great learning experience, for me as a coach and for the boys as a team.

Great job boys! I'll have the pictures up soon! By the way, you can add comments to these posts as well as on the posts with the pictures as we get them!

On this web site, there is a link to the Calendar. I will be putting up the practice schedule on the calendar as well as the game schedule. That way we will have it online for anyone that may not have a hard copy.

God Bless and Thanks for a great game!