Four County
OUR YOUTH Sacred Heart School, Groton
Mr. Lawrence Fitzgerald, Principal 50 Sacred Heart Drive, Groton, CT 860-445-0611 www.sacredheartgroton.org/school
CATHOLIC Sacred Heart School, Taftville
Mother Christina Van Beck, SCMC, Principal 15 Hunters Ave, Taftville, CT
Phone: 860-887-1757 www.sacredhearttaftville.org
St. Edward School, Stafford Springs Mrs. MaryAnne Pelletier, Principal 25 Church St, Stafford Springs, CT Phone: 860-684-2600 www.stedward-stafford.org
St. James School, Danielson Linda Marie Joya, Principal 120 Water St, Danielson, CT Phone: 860-774-3281 www.stjamesdanielson.org
Four County
Our YOUTH St. John School, Old Saybrook
CATHOLIC
Mother Elaine Moorcroft, SCMC, Principal 42 Maynard Road, Old Saybrook, CT Phone: 860-388-0849 www.saintjohnschoolos.com
St. Joseph School, Baltic
St. John Paul II School, Middletown Dr. Darryl Bullock, Principal 87 South Main St, Middletown, CT Phone: 860-347-2978 www.jpii.org
Academic Excellence. Character. Self-Confidence.
Sr. Mary Patrick Mulready, SCMC, Principal
10 School Hill Road, Baltic, CT Phone: 860-822-6141 www.stjosephbaltic.org
St. Joseph School, New London
Ms. Marianne Cote, Principal 25 Squire St, New London, CT Phone: 860-442-1720 www.sjsnl.com
From the Superintendent’s Office…..
My Dear Friends,
Second Annual March for Mercy Brings Teens Together
April 2017
S
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Photos by L. Norton
ome of the 40 teens who attended the second annual March for Mercy weren’t sure what to expect when they walked in the doors of St. Joseph’s in Norwich on March 25th. Sure, a few teens came because they attended last year’s program and wanted to come again, but most were new and a little hesitant. To kick things off, Liza Roach, St. Joseph School, North Grosvenordale
Ms. Sharon Briere, Principal 26 Main St., N. Grosvenordale, CT Phone: 860-923-2090 www.schoolofstjoseph.org
Diocesan Youth Minister, warmly welcomed everyone to the event. She introduced Cooper Ray, a Catholic missionary and evangelist from Dallas TX. He began with guitar and song, leading a musical warm up activity called “Finish the Catholic Hymn”. Once everyone had their voices warmed up, the final hymn became the day’s opening prayer. Cooper gave an overview of the day and explained St. Mary-St. Joseph School, Willimantic
Ms. Abby Demars, Principal 35 Valley St, Willimantic, CT Phone: 860-423-8479 www.smsjschool.org
the reason for the main event – the “March for Mercy”, which would start there at St. Joseph’s and finish at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, about a mile away. Quoting St. Francis, Cooper told the teens that we are called to “preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words”. He explained that the March would give teens the opportunity to live that out. In preparation for the message the teens would be giving the community via the March, they listened to two speakers. The speakers’ focus was the timely message about the dangers of opioids and gateway drugs. Lisa Johnson from the organization “Community Speaks Out” spoke about being aware of addictions and shared how her son lost his life to drugs. The teens listened intently to St. Michael School, Pawcatuck
Mrs. Doris Messina, Principal
63 Liberty St, Pawcatuck, CT Phone: 860-599-1084 www.stmichaelschoolct.com
her talk. Bill Gilbert, the Director of Operations for Catholic Charities, spoke about the dangers of marijuana and alcohol. He stated that people may think they are benign drugs without much of an impact, but explained their danger and exhorted “Don’t go down that path. The best way to avoid rehab is never to pick up a drug.” Tapping into our faith, Bill urged the teens not to hate anyone who uses drugs and emphasized that while we must hate the sin; we must love the sinner, and reach out in mercy to help them. After instructions from Liza, the teens set about making posters which would carry the message of the March. One poster read “Choose God, not Drugs”, and another, “Get Help not High”. Once ready, the March began, led by teens taking St. Patrick School, Norwich
Mrs. Catherine Reed, Principal 211 Broadway, Norwich, CT Phone: 860-889-4174 www.st-patrickschoolnorwich.org
turns carrying a 5’ wooden cross. The half hour march culminated in a group photo on the Cathedral steps and then everyone went inside for a pizza lunch and the afternoon program. Cooper shared more fun and wisdom with everyone. He reminded the teens that God has created them for greatness and encouraged them not to settle for comfort in what our culture offers, but to strive to their full potential. He reminded them that they are temples of the Holy Spirit. He asked: “What if we treated people like the tabernacles they are?” (A good question for all of us to
St. Bernard School, Uncasville
Mr. Donald Macrino, Headmaster 1593 Norwich-New London Tpke, Uncasville, CT Phone: 860-848-1271 www.saint-bernard.com
ponder….) After a break, Cooper led some high energy games and tied in the games to the messages of the day. The next thing everyone knew, this “anything but boring” day was over and everyone left with smiles! Special thanks to Bishop Cote, Monsignor Rosaforte, and Father Washabaugh for the use of St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s for this event. Also on hand to help throughout the day were Andrea Hoisl, Diocesan Director of Faith Events and Diocesan Youth Council members.
May the Joy of the Risen Christ be with your families always,
Henry Fiore, Jr. Superintendent of Schools
Academy of the Holy Family, Baltic
Mother Mary David, SCMC, Principal 54 West Main St, Baltic, CT Phone: 860-822-9272 www.ahfbaltic.org
Marianapolis Preparatory School, Thompson
Mr. Joseph Hanrahan, Headmaster 26 Chase Road, Thompson, CT Phone: 860-923-9565 www.marinapolis.org
Mercy High School, Middletown
Mary McCarthy, RSM, President 1740 Randolph Road, Middletown, CT Phone: 860-346-6659 www.mercyhigh.com
Xavier High School, Middletown
Brother Brian Davis, C.F.X, Headmaster Mr. Brendan Donohue, Principal 181 Randolph Road, Middletown, CT Phone: 860-346-7735 www.xavierhighschool.org
April 2017
By Linda Norton
We continue our Lenten journey this month followed by the Triduum. The Triduum marks the end of the Lenten Season, and leads us to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, and the Mass of the Resurrection on Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. We encourage you to bring your children to church to experience the Triduum first hand. Father Francis X. Weiser, in The Year of the Lord in the Christian Home states, “This atmosphere of penitential devotion and quiet during the three great days of Holy Week is an experience that deeply affects the children and helps them more than any words could do towards an understanding of how important Christ's passion is for each one of us. It also induces them to meditate, mourn and pray with all sincerity. Thus, the grace of God is poured into their hearts, and great supernatural blessings are given them in these days.” This is what we teach and expose our children and young adults to in our Catholic schools. We also teach them that Easter is so important to the Catholic faith that it is not contained in just one day, but fifty days during the Easter Season. It is truly a season of joy. The Scriptures indicate that Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22), a trademark of the true Christian. Jesus said, “People will know that you are my disciples by your love” (Jn 13:35). God wants us to be joyful and loving people. Life is too short to be miserable, and we, as adults, need to express our joy and model it for our children. There is so much turmoil and negativity blasted instantly in our modern electronic world that joy is hardly mentioned or displayed. Jesus rose from the dead to give us life everlasting. All we have to do is believe. Our entire community of schools in the Diocese of Norwich not only believes, but is exposed to and follows the Gospel of Jesus daily. Now that is something to be joyful about. As a faith-based community, let us all strive to show our children what rejoicing is all about.
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