Principal Weekly Update
February 8, 2021
Dear Families,
The LORD is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made.”
(Psalm 145.9)
God our hope, we praise you for your loving kindness. Uphold us when we are about to give up, show us your light when all around seems dark. Transform our lives that we may bring hope to others. Help us to live united in our diversity as a witness to your communion,, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
The month of January has been a great opportunity at school for sustained, uninterrupted learning, giving teachers and students the time for truly engaging teaching and learning experiences. February, though a short month, holds many activities and learning experiences for our students.
We prepare for the beginning of Lent next week, a special and prayerful time in our liturgical calendar. During Lent our students will spend more time in prayer and reflection. We will talk about small sacrifices we can make and services we can offer as we explore ways to become closer to Jesus.
We wish to thank everyone who has made the start of the New Year a great success. We are looking forward to the many things that the months ahead hold for us. John Paul I staff looks forward to working with each student and parent to emphasize their personal ownership of their learning and behaviour. If you know of something happening at JPI that excites your child, please give that staff member a sunshine call.
Happy St. Valentine’s Day and Happy Family Day to all our students and their families
Celebrating Diversity
Shrove Tuesday - February 16th, 2021
Mrs. Peterson’s Banana Pancakes
1 cup of flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas mashed
Step 1
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.
Step 2
Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, batter will be slightly lumpy
Step 3
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop batter using approximately 1/4 cup of batter. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides.
Senora Antipan's Crepe Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 (or 1.5) cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. butter
Optional toppings: maple syrup, fresh fruit, Nutella, powdered sugar, coconut
DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, sugar and salt until combined. Then create a well with flour and add the eggs and vanilla. Gradually pour in milk, whisking to combine after each addition. Start by adding the one whole cup of milk…if you like a thinner consistency, add the remaining milk.
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. About 1/4 cup at a time, drop batter evenly onto pan, swirling it to evenly coat.
Cook 2 minutes, then flip and cook 1 minute more. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve crêpes warm with toppings or without
Ash Wednesday Celebration - February 17th, 2021
School closed on these dates
Please make note of these dates in February when the school will be closed.
February 15 – Family Day
February 25-26 – Teachers’ Convention
Register Early!
Registration for Kindergarten and new students has begun. You must register online using the following link!
Chief Superintendent's February Message
February 2021
“Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves… What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it out, without a moment’s hesitation.”
- Servant of God Catherine Doherty
This month marks the beginning of Lent in the Catholic liturgical calendar. It is a journey where we prepare our hearts and our minds to receive the great gift of God’s mercy and love that is found in the death and resurrection of Christ. As the quotation above points out to us, it is a time for us to truly discern those parts of our lives that cut us off from the vital relationships with God and each other. In today’s world where we are necessarily placed at a physical distance from others, removing spiritual, social, and emotional barriers takes a position of even greater importance in our lives.
February is always an incredibly busy month for schools. Our high schools will experience quarter change on February 1. Our Grade 8 students will be engaged in a morning of social justice learning on February 11 as they participate in our annual Father Michael ‘Catfish’ Mireau Youth Faith Day as a virtual event. The theme for the day, Serve Like A Superhero, reminds them that they can make a difference in the world. Random Acts of Kindness Week will see our students and staff reaching out to others in small ways to brighten their day. Our schools will be participating in Ash Wednesday according to the guidelines set forth by the Archdiocese. Ashes will be sprinkled ensuring that they are distributed without contact. Our Division Chaplains, Father Glenn McDonald and Father Julian Bilyj, will offer a recorded celebration so that our remote learners can also participate in this important day. As always, Teachers’ Convention will take place on the last Thursday and Friday of February. Our teachers will engage in valuable professional learning in a virtual environment.
Our virtual mental health evening for parents and guardians in January was a great success. We had over 500 participants on the day of the event, and the recording is available for you on our website. Click here to view this very valuable 45-minute video.
Our online registration is now open, and if you are looking at registering with Edmonton Catholic Schools, you can find all of the virtual Open House listings by exploring www.ecsd.net or by clicking here. Share the good news about us in your community!
Pope Francis published an encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, last fall. This month, our Religious Education Services (RES) Elementary Consultant writes about chapter 3, Envisaging and Engendering an Open World, and chapter 4, A Heart Open to the Whole World. The article is included as an accompaniment to this newsletter.
In this month in which we are focused on relationship, kindness, and serving others, I will leave you with a final word from our Holy Father: “The design that God has for each one of us is always a design of love. And the greatest joy for every believer is to respond to that call, offering one’s entire being to the service of God and the brothers and sisters.” (Twitter, 01-17-21)
Have a grace filled month!
Sincerely,
Robert Martin
Chief Superintendent
Father Glenn McDonald, CSB
A Different Kind of Lent This Year By Fr. Glenn McDonald, CSB
Wednesday, February 17th is Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten season. When Lent rolls around, we are invited to ask ourselves, “Ok, what can I give up this year, so that I can create room for God in my life?” However, after being in a pandemic for about a year and with a few months still to go, my first response is, “Lord, I have no more things to give up!”
The Lent of 2021 will not be about giving up things, because we have already been doing so for almost a year now. Perhaps this Lenten season we are invited to ponder what we have received? Allow me give you an example.
A family that I am quite close to shared with me how the pandemic had impacted them: Wednesday night soccer has been cancelled, vacation plans were moved to the backyard, and visits to grandma became Facetime calls. In other words, their regular routine was derailed and they were understandably sad about it.
Then came a statement that I did not expect. “Once the pandemic began, we started to get to know the other families in the neighborhood.” At first I thought I had misheard the conversation — we were standing six feet apart with masks on. “Yes, Father. We have gotten to know our neighbors and made friends in the neighbourhood after having lived here several years. It has been a great blessing.” I must confess: I was surprised to learn this. How could anyone feel blessed during a pandemic?
During my drive home, I pondered what my friends had shared with me, and wondered: what have I received?
So far, I have been extremely fortunate. The pandemic has been only an inconvenience for me. In contrast, others have had a very difficult time and suffered greatly: jobs have been lost, relationships have suffered, and family members have died and gone to Heaven.
For many, there will be no thanksgiving that flows from the pandemic. Their loss has far outweighed any gain. I am somewhat embarrassed to think of how fortunate I have been relative to the sufferings of others.
And yet, when I ponder the last twelve months, the most meaningful moments I have experienced have been listening to others share about their losses.
There is a special and holy connection that is formed when others share their pain with us. Despite the tremendous poverty they feel, they give us a priceless gift of sharing their deepest feelings and memories — a fragile intimacy that can be treasured long after the pandemic has ended.
The Lent of 2021 will be unique — focused more on sharing than giving up. If you are like me, and have only been inconvenienced this past year, let us give thanks to God for that. For those of you who have suffered a painful loss, I encourage you to share your experience with others. Being vulnerable is rarely easy, but your loss is something you can bless others with. I know that I have been blessed by what others have shared with me.Kathleen Nguyen - January 14, 2021
Fratelli Tutti: Review of Chapters 3 & 4
As we move into chapter three, Envisaging and Engendering an Open World, Pope Francis reminds us that as human beings, we are made to be in relationship with others. “Life exists where there is bonding, communion, fraternity; and life is stronger than death when it is built on true relationships and bonds of fidelity.” [Fratelli Tutti, 87]
Nurturing healthy relationships involves opening-up and moving outside oneself to connect with others. Infused with charity that God bestows upon us, love expands and enriches us as we give ourselves for the sake of the other. If we practice loving in such a way, eventually we can relate to all in this manner and “make possible a social friendship that excludes no one and a fraternity that is open to all” [Fratelli Tutti, 94]. The Pontiff continues by explaining that social friendship is “a love capable of transcending borders” thus making an open world. This fraternity is for all because our inherent dignity was given to us all freely by God, our Creator.
Everyone is valuable. The right to live with dignity cannot be denied to anyone. By these ways, we can envisage and engender an open world.
Chapter four, A Heart Open to the Whole World, continues the exploration of fraternity through a global lens. Acknowledging the need for all countries to have the proper conditions for its’ people to live with dignity and have opportunities for integral development, the Pontiff paints a picture of those who are forced to migrate. Pope Francis encourages us to respond to migrating persons who have arrived in our country in four ways: welcome, protect, promote, and integrate. We are all in this together and we must have fundamental human rights for all.
Solidarity is the way forward which can be found through global juridical, political, and economic order.
Pope Francis calls us to have an open heart so that we can recognize the gift of the other, elevate what unites us, and live with a spirit of fraternal gratuitousness. The Pontiff explains the factor of gratuitousness as “the ability to do some things simply because they are good in themselves, without concern for personal gain or recompense.” [Fratelli Tutti, 139]. God gives freely and we must do the same.
There is a need to balance localization and globalization through universal fraternity and social friendship as detailed in the previous chapter. When a local community has a healthy sense of self, is firmly rooted in its culture, cares for and cultivates it, that local can move forward to learn and grow from the differences in others. This is a healthy living culture that nourishes itself on the balance between the “love of one’s native land and a sound sense of belonging to our larger human family” [Fratelli Tutti, 149]. It is the communion of the two we need to cultivate and to achieve this we must have an open heart.