2023
It's almost that time!
Help me to extend a warm St. Therese welcome to Father Gabriele White
We are excited to welcome Father Gabriele. Please see the following introduction from Father Gabriele himself, borrowed from the parish website.
"I am very excited about being appointed pastor at St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face! Some of you might have already met me during my brief tenure this summer at St. Joseph the Worker parish.
My name is Fr. Gabriele M. White. I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado with my three brothers, the oldest of whom you will probably meet in the future because he is also a priest. We are members of an international missionary community called Work of Jesus the High Priest – Family of Mary. After having several missionary experiences in Russia with this community in the 90s, I joined in 1995 following my high school graduation. I spent three years in the idyllic Abruzzo region followed by five years of philosophical and theological studies at the Jesuit’s Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. My first four years as a priest were spent as the formator of our new vocations.
In 2007, I was made rector of our seminary where I remained until my transfer to the Archdiocese of Portland this past July. So, although I have been a priest for 20 years, this will be my first real exposure to parish life… and I can’t wait!
That’s a little bit about me. For those who have not been over to St. Joseph the Worker or St. Henry’s and have not gotten to know our missionary community, here is a little bit about us: The Work of Jesus the High Priest is a clerical association that grew out of and is still completely united to the association of the faithful Family of Mary, whose initial approval was granted by the Vatican in 1995. As priests, brothers, and apostolic sisters, we share a common spirituality, shaped by love of Mary, a Eucharistic-priestly spirit and fidelity to the Holy Father. We have a missionary orientation and strive for true ecumenism so that Jesus’ promise of one flock under one shepherd (Jn. 10:16) might be realized. The community’s particular charism is praying and offering our lives to God in a special way for the sanctification of priests and priestly formation. Depending on the need of the mission, the exterior form of our apostolate varies greatly, ranging from parish work; teaching in schools; pastoral care of children, teenagers, families and elderly, as well as other charitable efforts, especially in the missionary territories. The community is currently working around the world in Italy, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, in the Slovak and Czech Republics, as well as in Uruguay, Kazakhstan, Russia and South Korea."
Advent: A Time of Reflection and Anticipation
St. Therese Families & Friends,
It is hard to believe that we are in the final month of 2023, with only two more days until we enter into the liturgical season of Advent. If you take a step into the school however, you can't help but realize that Advent is upon us. There is a large Advent wreath in the main hallway which we will use next week as Father Gabriele leads students in prayer during the first lighting ceremony. From elementary to middle school, students are making their Advent paper chains, calendars, and personal wreaths. Other groups are working on daily Advent reflections, exploring what it means to anticipate the celebration of Christ's birth, and to reflect on our own lives. One of my personal favorite reminders of the season is hearing each class practice their Christmas carols in preparation for the student Christmas concert. There are so many special reminders that are planned for the busy next 2 weeks, including a toy drive to benefit Doernbecher's Children's Hospital next week. Morning prayers will be centered around reflections and themes of the season, like hope, warmth, spiritual mindfulness, and patience.
As we have all been penciling in the many, many events for the next 14 days, it's amazing what is packed into that time. I encourage you to take a moment or two to review the fine print.
As Advent begins on Sunday, I wish all of our students and families the time and opportunities for stillness, quiet, prayer and rest.
With gratitude,
Principal Schoning
Basketball Registration Closes Sunday--Register NOW!!
You can find the direct links to register below. Please let family and friends who are interested in playing know that they can play here! Let's have a great season!
Hot Shots (Grades 1-2): https://cyocamphoward.org/content/18532/st-basketball-hot-shots
Basketball (Grades 3-8): https://cyocamphoward.org/content/16527/st-basketball
Scholarships: https://cyocamphoward.org/Layouts/minimalist/Content.aspx?d=RehqjLdx3v1v43hsy7lfk%2bs3Y0h1XDUbu%2bATIRBbxt8%3d
There are scholarships available from CYO. The money is already allocated and set aside. Take advantage!!
If you have any questions contact the Athletics Program at: athletics@stthereseschool.org
Applications for Financial Aid Now Open - Apply Early!
FACTS financial aid applications were open effective November 1st. There are various sources of grants and other funding from the Archdiocese. They have advised us to get our applications in as early as possible, in hopes of securing more assistance for our community. Sooner the better! At the very least, you get it finished and it's one less thing to worry about!
Counselor's Corner With Mr. Sonny
“Why do I care?” -Anonymous Student
Many of us, if not all of us, understand that there is value in caring. Caring about each other, caring about our personal well-being, caring about a just society…the list goes on of places in which caring is important, and can easily contribute to a better life. But, some of our students are asking the above question, and I think it is a very important one. Finding the answer to it may leave us realizing that there are more places in our lives that we are inadvertently practicing what I call, “overcare” than we would like. These are all the little instances that we apply a large amount of mental space, behavioral reactions, and/or worry/anxiety over things that we either can not change, don’t pertain to us/not our business, or won’t influence our personal lives in a manner that warrants the extra stress that it brings in (over)caring about. Applying the label to and analyzing the worth of these instances are personal processes and can only be handled on an individual level. We are all different and we all have different needs. I am happy to see students beginning to challenge “overcare” in their lives and hope that this practice will serve them throughout the entirety of it.
Upcoming Dates and Events
This is a very, very busy next 2 weeks. Fasten your seatbelts.
- December 4th - December 6th - Toy Drive for Doernbecher Children's Hospital
- December 8th - 12p.m. noon dismissal for students.
- December 8th - School mass at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, rather than Wednesday as usual.
- December 11th - 15th - Spirit Week- stay tuned for each day's theme from Student Council
- December 12th - School mass @ 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, rather than Wednesday as usual.
- December 14th - Christmas Concert @ 5:30 p.m. in St. Therese Church, followed by a reception in the Parish Social Center
- December 15th - 12p.m. noon dismissal for students.
- December 16th - January 2nd -Christmas Break, no school.
- December 4th - December 15th - STAR testing window.
- December 19th - Parish Reconciliation Service @ 6 p.m. in St. Therese Church
- January 3rd - School resumes for students.
Hundreds of Small Gestures, Many Times Over
St. Therese students think of others first, not just once a year before Christmas but throughout the year in numerous small, but not insignificant ways. Free dress is a fun treat, and the food that was brought in this morning could change the holidays by filling the bellies of many families. Thank you for supporting these requests at home. Please know that we understand that finances can become tight, especially around the holidays. If you can't swing the donation, no explanation needed.
Tech Party!
From Ms. Silva, our kindergarten teacher: "Shoutout to Mr. Rymer, who is also a Kindergarten parent, for planning a pizza party with our Tech class buddies today! They had a blast :)"
Middle school buddies paired up with their kinder pals, to work together on coding and design in Mr. Rymer's class. They worked so hard, and so well together that Mr. R. treated them to a pizza & movie party this week.
"5th Grade donating some art time to help Mr Rymer paint the background for the 8th grade world map." -Mrs. Radford
If you have not seen the world map created by Mr. Radford and the middle school students, do come check it out soon. It's amazing!
Get in touch with us.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Mrs. Barnett, our registrar and office manager knows all! Call, email, or drop by and just say hello.