OLPH Catholic School
Pre-K through 8th Grade
A letter from Fr Mike:
January 2010
Dear OLPH School Community,
The New Year is upon us as well as a New Semester! It has been such a wonderful school year as we have witnessed first hand what it is to live as One Spirit. As we kick off with a fresh start on January 4, 2010 let us remember what it is that we are dedicated to, and that is the total formation of our children spiritually and academically. Please be reminded that we will continue to verify the accuracies of those receiving the in parish rate for tuition. This process will be completed in the month of January. We at OLPH created the special in parish rate to award those families who truly call OLPH home by active and participating membership as a family at our parish and school. By now, the grace period has expired, and everyone who receives the in parish rate for tuition should be registered and participating members of OLPH Parish. This means for OLPH Parish families the weekly envelopes should be used, your child is faced with certain academic accountability with Mass Attendance established as part of their religion grade, and registered families must participate in ministries of the parish or school, outside of Fall Festival.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School has witnessed some major positive changes over the passed few months. Our new leadership is refreshing, as well as the overall sense of community that has taken over our campus. I am also relieved as a priest, knowing that I may trust in the confidence and competence of our new administrative team that includes our PPrincipal Mary Pat Waldman, Administrative Liaison/Counselor Leslie Barasha, Office Administration Susan Chavarria and Patty Ramirez. They have done a great job working together, maintaining the spirit of hospitality, Catholic identity, and academic excellence. We have seen a well developed music enrichment program, monthly First Friday Adoration and Benediction for our school children, Developed and expanded Altar Servers Program, continued promotion of the fine arts in drama under the direction of Bridget Chavez. The lunch program is also very popular as our very own and cherished "lunch lady", Virginia Chavez plans each meal with love. We are looking forward to our Spring Play dealing with the historical implications of the slave trade in America. I am also grateful for the work of our Parish Council, Finance Council, School Advisory Board, and Home and School Association. It is amazing to see the work these groups have done, and their connectivity. Our school advisory board president is Patrick Contrades. He brings so much professionalism to our board and for that I am most grateful.
The unity of our Parish, School, and Capilla was most evident in the month of December as we joined in celebrating all of the festivities surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe and Christmas. We had nearly 3000 people attend our Mass in the Grass for Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was also most evident in October when we pulled off a successful Fall Festival of Unity, the performance of the Drama Vianney by Leonardo DeFellipes was also a hallmark moment for the parish this Fall, as so many have had a renewed appreciation for our priests in this Year of the Priest. I personally want to thank everyone for their warm thoughts and prayers for Fr. Oscar and myself. It is so important that we at a Catholic School foster the respect and love our our priests and religious. This is an important part of a positive exchange between our school children and our priests and religious. Many religious vocations may be born out of such positive connection. This is why we should always take care in speaking about our parish and school leaders with high regard especially around our children.
I will be planning another event recognizing all of our key volunteers at a special Volunteer Appreciation Dinner soon to be announced. So many positive things have been born in our school community this year and will only continue to manifest with your help and support. I am quite proud of the new direction of our school, which can be experienced through the intentional promotion of our Roman Catholic identity. We not only have heightened awareness of what it means to live the sacramental life, but we have worked to better instruct our teachers and families of the Church's vision with regard to her Catholic Schools. Our parish school is a direct outreach of OLPH Parish, and continues to be dedicated to the fostering of the faith in the lives of the families for which we minister. This is why we have promoted the attendance of Sunday Mass as not merely an option, but as a way of life. There is a very serious problem within the Catholic School community of our Nation, in that Sunday Mass attendance is very poor among Catholic School families. As a priest, I am sad by this statistic, but feel evermore dedicated to teaching the foundations of the faith so that our formation at OLPH is genuinely Catholic everytime and all the time. If you are a family that falls into this category of failing to attend mass on Sunday, it is for the sake of your redemption and salvation that we strive to convince you to permit the very education you have given to for your children to also lead you. The Church at large gravely fails the faithful for which she ministers to within her schools, if the foundations and basic precepts of the Catholic Faith are not adequately preserved. I am always committed to this most basic endeavor of the Church, and especially of a parish that maintains a Catholic school...See you around campus!!
May His Angels Guard You Always,
Fr. Michael
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