August Cathedral Kids Messages

August 30, 2007

Dear Parents,

I apologize for two mailings in one week.  We're starting to develop a problem with visibility from cars that line up along Main Street to drop off or pick up students.  In theory, there are some spots along this strip (which extends from one entrance to the other from the school parking lot) that do not impede our line of sight.  However, we are finding it difficult to establish a clear designation of those areas, and by allowing one or two cars to park there, rather than to make use of the pick-up system, other vehicles often follow that lead, taking the spaces that we need to keep clear to monitor the well-being of your children and to allow vehicles to exit safely.  Please help us in this matter by avoiding this strip of West Main during those times when children are being dropped off or released from school.

In Christ,

Spencer Allen
Principal - St. Joseph Cathedral

August 28, 2007

Contents:

  • Welcome

  • Cathedral Parents

  • Stewardship Challenge

  • Adult Faith Study (Empowering the Parents)

  • In the Classroom

  • Upcoming Events




Welcome

Dear Parents and Parishioners,

We had a great first week of school.  The students seem so excited to be back.  I spent a great deal of time visiting classrooms, recess, and lunch, as well as trying to great each child on her birthday.  From getting corrected by kindergarteners for drawing a square instead of a circle to learning more about Church history in 8th grade religion, I’ve had a great time getting to know your sons and daughters.  They’re really neat kids.  I know you feel blessed to have them in your lives.

The custodial crew wanted me to pass on a thank you to those of you who were involved in the 8th grade breakfast last Sunday.  You did a wonderful job cleaning up.  I’ll have to say that these were the biggest pancakes I’ve ever eaten.  There must have been some sort of contest going on with the guys in the kitchen.  Next year we’ll see how they do with Mickey-Mouse shapes.

Today is the first day that Fr. Shetler is in the school all day.  The kids are really excited to see him drop by in the classrooms and on the playground.  Lastly, in another section in this newsletter I write about the stewardship challenge.  I encourage all parish families to join in this effort, for which I will accept silly challenges each time we meet a monthly stewardship goal.

Lastly, we may need a substitute to work in the cafeteria Thursday morning through lunch as one of our staff might be called for jury duty.  Please respond if you can help.




Cathedral Parents

Last week I wrote about how we must always consider the foundation of our faith if we are to take it seriously.  No matter how beautiful the theology, if it is built upon a foundation of sand, there is no sense in adhering to it.  I ended by suggesting that “Bible-alone” Christianity is indeed built on a faulty foundation.  Understand, here, that I would never suggest we have anything less than great respect for our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, but intellectual and spiritual integrity demands that we “test all things and hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thes. 5:21)

Many have bought into the myth that a truly Christian church must be based on the Bible, and the Bible alone.  A friend of mine, a preacher in a non-Catholic church, likes to claim, “We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent.”  Many have erroneously left the Catholic Church because they wanted a “Bible-based” church.

When we, as Catholics, are challenged from a Bible-alone perspective, the question we must ask is this:  “Where does the Bible tell us to go by the Bible alone?”

The answer:  nowhere.

None of the inspired authors of the Bible ever tell us to go by the Bible alone.  Jesus does not.  Nor do the apostles.  Nor does Paul.  In fact, we are aware of nothing that Christ ever wrote down, aside from a few enigmatic scribbles in the sand.  He never commands his apostles to commit all his teachings to Scripture.  In fact, both in his gospel and in his epistle, the apostle John indicates that much of what Jesus did and taught was not contained in writing.

There’s some irony that those who claim to speak only where the Bible speaks are making a claim upon which the Bible is silent.

There are many additional problems with a Bible alone approach.  For one, the New Testament as we know it was not both written and completely compiled until a few centuries after Christ.  What did people go by during this time?  On top of that, the printing press didn’t come about until the fifteen-hundreds, which meant that nobody but the rich and powerful could own a personal copy of Scripture.  Did Jesus Christ establish a religion exclusively for the elite?

The idea of going by the Bible alone is, itself, a man-made tradition, which didn’t come about until the reformation, one-and-a-half thousand years after Jesus lived on earth.

So what is the alternative?  What other source of divine revelation is available to Christians today?  That will be the subject of a future Cathedral Parents.  Until then, you can read about one of the most serious problems with going by Scripture alone (click here), a problem that exposes the truly fragile foundation upon which this type of Christianity is built.





Stewardship Challenge – September

Wow, I may be in trouble.  At Welcome Back Sunday, I made a challenge to the parish to increase our financial support of the school.  I mentioned that the school families have already done a great job in leading this effort as their contributions are over two-percent higher than this time last year. 

It seems that the parish has already met this challenge.  Collections for August not only met our projections for that month, but exceeded them.  This means I get to do a challenge for the Kindergarteners.  For the month of September, the 1st graders have decided that if the parish exceeds the goal of $163,016.00 (as published in the bulliten), each grade gets to throw a whipped-cream pie at me.

So … keep up the good work.  Let’s shoot for exceeding our goal once again.





Adult Faith Study (Empowering the Parents)

I strongly believe, and have said this time and again, that the most important force in your child’s Catholic education is … you!  For this reason, Fr. Shetler, Denise Barnes, and I have been working on an adult faith study to empower the adults in the parish to be the first heralds of Christ for these children.  The first of these studies will be on September 30th, at 6:30 in the Undercroft.  I promise this is something you will want to attend.  Fr. Shetler’s role in this series will be to explain the beautiful theological foundation for what we believe as Catholic Christians, while I will give the hands-on instruction for explaining these teachings to others, including your kids.

Our first talk will set the tone for the entire series, and while each talk stands independently of the others, I strongly encourage you to make it a family event to attend this series.  We’ll attempt to hit every topic, especially those that, as Catholics, we are challenged on most often, such as Purgatory, confession, annulments, and the Pope, to name a few.





In the Classroom

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m trying to visit each of the classrooms frequently during the week, sometimes for long stays, and sometimes just to pop in for a couple minutes.  It’s amazing how quickly the teachers have gotten the students into a routine.  By the way they are working, one would assume that school had been going for a month now.  I created this section to give you snapshots of what I see as I drop into the classes:

  • In eighth grade math, the students are working out addition and subtraction of decimals, and “phoning a friend” when they get stuck.

  • In kindergarten, the students are learning that everything has a place with a matching activity (later this morning I’ll be reading to them one of my favorite books, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

  • In physical education, the kids are working on soccer skills; Coach Windisch does a good job of making sure that students are always active and almost never sitting out to watch.

  • In junior high English, Ms. Stokes has the students learning about precise language through a structured game of Password; the kids are having fun and learning how important having just the right word really is.

  • In religion class, Ms. Minor is explaining how the Christian Church is built on a foundation of Scripture AND oral Traditions - a great tie into what I've been writing in Cathedral Parents.

  • Lots more great activities and lessons are happening all through the school, and you should be proud of how hard your sons and daughters are working so far.




Upcoming Events

  • 8/28 (6:00-8:00) Craft Night Capital Mall Food Court.  100 points will go toward the “My School’s Cool” reward program for each student who attends.

  • 9/4 Last day for receiving a dress-down pass for turning in Smart contributions.

  • 9/7 7th and 8th grade dance from 7-10 in the Undercroft (sponsored by Home and School).

August 21, 2007

Contents:

  • Welcome

  • Cathedral Parents

  • Technology Committee (volunteers needed) 

  • Stewardship

  • Electronics Policy

  • Upcoming Events




Welcome

Dear Parents and Parishioners,

I want to begin by welcoming many of you to the e-newsletter.  While we don't have every school family on the subscriber list, a great majority of you have signed up.  Please take an opportunity to forward this newsletter to anyone who has an interest in your child's education (e.g. grandparents), as well as anyone in your address book who is a member of St. Joseph Cathedral Parish, as I want the entire Cathedral community to be in touch with the school.

Part of the way this e-newsletter helps with communication is that, not only do you receive input from me, but by clicking "reply to sender", your thoughts will come directly to my e-mail (e-mail, as opposed to phone contact, is always the most efficient way of getting in touch with me). In addition, I will frequently make use of a polling feature to get a snap-shot understanding of where many of you are on some issue that the school, along with the advisory board, is considering.  You can participate in our last poll by visiting the school website (click here).

I regret missing an opportunity on Sunday, when introducing Home and School, to mention some of the great work these parents do for our school.  Already this year they have replaced my ailing computer, decorated our lobby (which many of you noticed), purchased new ancient world maps for social studies, leveled readers for the primary grades, and a new convection oven, and provided voice mail (which will be set up very soon).  Also, Home and School, along with representatives from the athletic committee have worked hard to get our gymnasium sound system back in shape for the new school year.  On this subject, I also want to call attention to the 10 Commandments monument that the Knights of Columbus donated, which was installed in front of the school/parish office this summer. Already, in the short time I've been here, I've seen such awesome examples of generosity.

Tomorrow is our first day of school, and we are so excited.  The school feels full of anticipation, and I know we are going to have a great year.  Thank you for entrusting your sons and daughters to this great staff, which exists to serve you in bringing your children into discipleship with Christ.





Cathedral Parents

For those of you who are new, this section exists to provide basic catechesis on the Catholic faith.  Oftentimes it will contain a short paragraph or two explaining, in common-sense terms, a teaching of Christ and His Church that your children are learning in class.  Sometimes I will point you out to additional resources if you desire to read something deeper than what I have provided.  To complement this feature, Fr. Shetler, Denise Barnes, and I are putting together a series of talks for adults, to be offered every-other Sunday, starting in late September.  This will be a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of your faith and to support your child in his education.

Often as Catholics, we are challenged on many of our teachings.  Why do you pray to Mary?  Why do you confess to a priest?  Why do you have a pope?  Through this e-newsletter, I will help you to give common-sense answers to these and many other questions.  However, when we enter into such discussions, the most important thing to do is to step back and establish foundation.  Those of you who have been involved in the construction of a house or building know how important a foundation is.  No matter how beautiful the furniture and no matter how expensive the materials, if the foundation is weak, the house begins to weaken in integrity.

The same thing happens with faith.  How do we know that the Catholic Church holds the fullness of the truth, as opposed to the theologies of other faiths?  The answer is that we must look at the foundation and see if this church has been built on rock-solid ground.

So, when Catholics are challenged on teachings of their faith, the very first thing we should do is say, "Hey, I'm willing to answer all these questions, but the first thing we have to decide is what is going to be our source of truth?"  For most Christians, the answer will be "Scripture, of course!  What else does a Christian need to know the truth?"  As Catholics, however, we would disagree.  Christ never intended for Christians to go by the Bible alone.  In fact, by going only by the Bible (often called sola-Scriptura), we will most certainly fall into error in our understanding of God's plan.  Next week I will explain the foundation that Christ intended for his church.  In the meantime, if you would like to read more in preparation, you will find a wonderful article in the Catholic Answers library (click here).





Technology Committee

We are seeking volunteers to serve on a technology committee to help us develop long-term goals.  This is tremendously important as we decide how to most responsibly and effectively spend our technology money.  In addition, this committee will help generate funds for carrying out this plan.  If you have expertise in the area of technology and would be willing to assist with this committee, please respond to this e-mail to let me know.





Stewardship

As you heard me offer at Welcome Back Sunday, I am making a Stewardship challenge to the school familes, as well as the greater parish community.  We need to raise our contributions by nearly 5% in order to keep up with increasing expenses.  As I mentioned, the school families have already done an awesome job in this by raising contributions around 2.25 percent over last year.  Very soon, I will articulate a concrete goal and have homeroom teachers brainstorm with the kids for "challenges" that I have to fulfill should we meet this goal each month.





Electronics Policy

As an amendment to our student handbook, families need to be aware of a newly formulated policy regarding electronics.  There are a number of reasons that this policy is necessary (and already exists at most schools), including student safety, moral safeguards, discipline, and protection of student property.  Please talk with your children about this policy, which goes into effect Monday 8/27/07.  The policy reads, "With the exception of approved calculators, students are not to bring electronic games or instruments (e.g. video games or audio devices) onto school premises.  In addition, if a student possesses a cellular phone for emergency use, the phone may not be turned on or used.  The school office has a phone available for emergencies on campus."





Upcoming Events

8/24 All-school Mass (please join us in this first celebration of the Holy Eucharist) 8:00

August 7, 2007

Please note that I now have an official school address, which is spencer.allen@cathedralschooljc.com.  Please use this e-mail for all school-related communications.  Many of you have previously contacted me through my "apologeticsfromscratch" or "embarq" e-mails.  However, as of next week, I will check these on a very infrequent basis.

Spencer Allen
Principal
St. Joseph Cathedral School

August 7, 2007

  • Welcome

  • Cathedral Poll

  • Cathedral Parents

  • Upcoming

Welcome

There are many new subscribers to this list, so many of you are still passing the e-mail around.  Thank you.  As I've mentioned before, this newsletter is intended to be a means of communication, not just with our Cathedral parents, but with the larger St. Joseph community.  We already have over 100 members on the list!  If someone has forwarded this to you, you may sign up using the link at the bottom of the newsletter.  You may also reach me directly by replying to this newsletter.

The first day of school is closer than we think.  Hopefully, some of you are squeezing in last minute vacations.  Meanwhile, we are attending to the finishing touches of our preparation for your sons and daughters.  As I type, two of our eighth graders are touching up the paint in the lobby and a parish volunteer is assembling the cabinets she donated in the parish office.

If we haven't had a chance to meet in person, please introduce yourself at Welcome Back Sunday.  I can't promise I'll remember all these names, but that is definitely a skill I've been forced to develop over the last month.

Cathedral Poll

As I've introduced in an earlier e-newsletter, I've added a new polling feature to this newsletter and our school site.  This allows me to receive, at a glimpse, a good overview of your opinions and suggestions regarding the direction in which we head as a school.  This week's poll asks about your use of e-mail and Internet.  As you know, electronic communication is a big part of how I operate, and I would like to get a sense of how "plugged-in" many of you are.  Of course this vote isn't perfect as people who don't check their e-mail won't know about the poll, but I'll leave it up for a few days hoping most of you get a chance to input (vote here).

 

Cathedral Parents

As I've mentioned before, once most of the parents have signed up for this newsletter, the "Cathedral Parents" section will be an opportunity for some light catechesis to help equip you to be the "first heralds of Christ", as you have been commissioned by God.  This week I thought I'd share a story about what happened to us this weekend.  As we backed out of the driveway, I noticed a sheet of paper tapped to our mailbox and pulled over so my wife could see what it was.  It turned out the paper was an advertisement for a lemonade stand in our neighborhood, but Christy (my wife) never made it that far because one of the diamond earrings I had bought her for an anniversary dropped out and disappeared somewhere on the street.

We look for several minutes with the help of our neighbor and didn't turn up the earring.  Though we both offered a prayer to St. Anthony, we realized that there might be something of a test at work here.  Perhaps God wanted to see if, as Mass was about to start, we would chose the diamond earring or the Eucharist.  Finally, we hopped in the truck and headed to the Cathedral.  When we returned, we searched again and found the earring almost immediately.  I am convinced, though, that if we had pushed off going to Mass for this earthly treasure, the piece of jewerly might never have been found.

In the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom teaches Huckleberry Finn about prayer, telling him that God will give him whatever he asks for.  Huck is disenchanted after praying for fishing hooks and line and not receiving them.  The lesson, both in the what my wife and I experienced, as well as Huck, is that prayers of petition (those prayers where we ask God for something) are most properly offered when we have matured enough as Christians to have aligned our will with that of God.  Rather than asking for fishing hooks, for instance, as Huck matured in the Christian faith he might have asked, instead, for the strength to perservere through those rough times when he had no fish, and compassion for the less fortunate for when he had plenty.

Our prayer to find the earring was nothing more than a more expensive version of Huck's desire for fishing gear, and while God did answer our prayer, he did so by helping us to regain perspective that a greater treasure would have been lost had we continued searching for this little rock to the expense of participating in the Heavenly worship of the Mass. 

Incidentally, I used this story to preface a talk on the intercession of the saints (such as Christy's prayer to St. Anthony) that I gave to a women's group at Immaculate Conception church last night.  If you would like to read more about why we, as Catholics, pray to saints, you can find a great article at Catholic Answers (click here).

 


Upcoming

  • August 13th - Preschool Orientation

  • August 15th - School and Parish Offices closed for the Feast of the Assumption

  • August 15th - Holy Day of Obligation (and my birthday!)

  • August 16th - Kindergaren Orientation