The Defender
May 5, 2023
Important Upcoming Dates
- May 6, 2023 Parish May Crowning following 8:15 Mass
- May 10, 2023 All School Mass 8:15 AM
- May 11, 2023 3:00 PM Dismissal due to Graduation
- May 11, 2023 8th Grade Graduation 4:15 PM
- May 12, 2023 All School Mass 8:15 AM
- May 12, 2023 Kindergarten Mother's Day Tea
- May 15, 2023 Sizing Night at Dennis Uniform 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- May 16, 2023 Field Day K-5
- May 17, 2023 Last Day of School Dismissal at 10:00 AM
A Message from Mrs. Tate
Dear St. Michael the Archangel families,
What a wonderful week at St. Michael the Archangel! Thank you to our 7th graders for leading a beautiful rosary on Thursday to honor the month of our Blessed Mother. Our 3rd graders did a fantastic job at their concerts on Thursday. They had those recorders rocking! Thank you to Ms. Walling and our 7th and 8th grade band students for performing for our school and parents on Thursday, as well. We were so impressed by the musicality and precision of their songs. Great job!
Thank you for the love on Wednesday, Principals’ Day! Our students and staff showered us with heartfelt cards and posters, and it made our day! Mr. Huber and I are so appreciative of the love and compassion!
We have some BIG events coming up this week! Check the newsletter below for details.
- Don’t miss the first-class relics of Blessed Carlos Acutis on Sunday! Our kids learned about Blessed Carlos during Catholic Schools Week, and they love him! Please plan to attend Mass or veneration. See Sister’s letter below for details.
- Please note that we will dismiss early - at 3:00 - on May 11 to prepare for our 4:15 Graduation Mass for our 8th graders.
- Dennis Uniform is hosting an SMA fitting night on Monday, May 15 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. We will strictly enforce knee-length skirts and shifts for all girls next year. Please get your orders now to be in compliance on the first day of school in August.
- 6th and 7th grade students will participate in an all day Middle School Retreat on Tuesday, May 16. A separate email will come to parents of 6th/7th graders this weekend with details.
- Please consider signing up to volunteer for our parent organization, VSL, Volunteer Service League. We need and welcome your participation.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Diana Tate, Principal
First Class Relics
Dear SMA Families,
Blessed month of our Blessed Mother!
May She guard every one of you under Her maternal gaze and mantle!
This Sunday, May 7th we have the great gift and blessing of hosting the first-class relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia. These two Saints are the official patrons of the National Eucharistic Revival (“a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.”)
What is a relic?
Relics are a concrete sign of the presence of the Saints in our midst. They are not “magical,” but definitely many graces are obtained through the powerful intercession of the saint whom we venerate. The relics recall the heroic virtues of the Saints, their teachings, and who they were. Whatever object is touched to a relic - holy cards, rosaries, etc. - becomes a relic itself.
The Catholic tradition of venerating relics of the Saints is found in the time of the Apostles and is first described in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 19: “So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them” (v. 11-12).
Who is Blessed Carlo Acutis?
Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991. He was a teenager of our time. He went to school and enjoyed time with friends. He was an expert in computers, film editing, and web design. He received his first communion at age seven and attended daily mass since. Carlo said that our compass must always be the Word of God. But to reach such a lofty goal very special measures are necessary: the Sacraments and prayer. In particular, Carlo placed the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the center of his life and he called it “my highway to Heaven”. At the age of 15, Carlo died of leukemia saying, “I’m happy to die because I've lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn't have pleased God”.
Who is St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia:
The great sorrow of his heart was the sad situation of the Eucharistic Lord in many Tabernacles. He, who has always prayed for poor children and the abandoned poor, one day - March 4, 1910 - spoke to a group of women from the parish in favor of the most abandoned of all the poor: the Blessed Sacrament. Abandoned and poor due to the treatment and oblivion with which we men neglect him. There are towns, and do not think that there among the savages, there are towns in Spain where weeks, months go by without the Tabernacle being opened; and others in which no one receives Communion, and no one visits the Blessed Sacrament; and in many, if it is opened, it is for some old lady from ancient times to receive communion. What greater abandonment than to be alone from morning to night and from night to morning? (...) I do not ask you now for money for poor children, nor help for the sick, nor work for the unemployed, nor comfort for the afflicted; I ask you for a handout of affection for Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament; a bit of love for those Tabernacles so abandoned; I ask you for the love of Immaculate Mary, Mother of that Son so despised, and for the love of that Heart so unrequited, that you become the Mary’s of the abandoned Tabernacles.
The relics will be at St. Michael the Archangel Church from 7:00 am – 4:45 pm. What a beautiful gift to be able to come to Holy Mass as a family and then have the grace-filled opportunity to venerate these two wonderful Saints. May Bl. Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia help us to re-enkindle in our hearts the love and devotion to our Eucharistic Lord!
*To learn more about the lives of these two great saints please see the slides attached!
Thank you.
All for the Heart of Jesus, through the Heart of Mary!
Sr. Lucia Maria Sol, SCTJM
Campus Minister
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School
"Love and Responsibility can never be separated, for Love is enfleshed in the responsible choices of the human heart."
-Mother Adela Galindo, SCTJM Foundress
May 11th Early Dismissal
Uniform Closet
As we are in the last quarter of the school year, we are looking to restock the uniform closet. We are needing smaller Kindergarten size uniforms ASAP. We will be having a uniform "Swap and Shop" this summer, dates and times to be announced.
Dennis Uniform Sizing Night
2023-2024 Tentative Calendar
VSL
Thank You for Submissions!
A huge thank you to all the families who submitted video nominations for this year's Teacher Christ Light Award. We had 29 submissions and over 15 minutes of total video! The winners will be announced at the final all school Mass. In honor of Teacher Appreciation week, here is a video highlighting a few of the submissions!
2023-2024 Sign Up Link
LIBRARY
Library Book Returns
Please send in all your children’s library books the next couple weeks. Most classes will stop checking books out this week and we’ll be in “return” collection mode.
Thank you for your support of the library this year- it’s been fun!
Teacher Appreciation Week
School Supplies for the 2023-2024 School Year!
I am happy to announce we have paired with School Specialty for the upcoming year. Would you rather spend a summer day driving from store to store to purchase school supplies or get everything you need in one easy box? Great news! We are offering a pre-packaged school supply program this year. Supply orders include the exact colors, quantities, and brands your teachers have approved for class. Get your back-to-school shopping out of the way early and enjoy a summer day!
Simply place your order by MAY 26TH, 2023.
Order online at www.shopttkits.com.
Enter our school’s account number 88588.
Questions? Contact MOLLY COLE at MBAUER36@GMAIL.COM
CYO Summer and Fall Registrations
Summer and Fall registration is now open
Tennis (June 6-8) - Cross Country (Fall) - Flag Football (Fall) - Tackle Football (Fall) - Volleyball (Fall)
You can register at https://cyojwa.org/current-programs
If you have any questions, please reference our website https://cyojwa.org/home or contact your parish DSM (Director of Sports Ministry) at https://cyojwa.org/content/20986/ADDSM-Parish-contact.
Parish News
May Crowning
May Crowning, May 6, following 8:15 a.m. Mass, Church
Join us to honor the Queen of Heaven. Includes Mass with crowning and procession.
Archdiocese Take Back Family Time Challenge
Join the challenge! Take Back Family Time is about spending meaningful, intentional time with your family. Each month families are encouraged to make time to complete the monthly activity. See the attached image for more information. #TakeBackFamilyTime #TakeBackSunday #archkckcs #archkck
St. Thomas Aquinas Summer Camps
During May, June and July, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School offers a variety of sports camps for students entering grades K-8 to explore. Our sports camps include Baseball, Basketball, Cheer, Cross Country, Dance, Football, Soccer, Softball, Strength, Speed & Agility, Swimming, Track & Field (Jumps) and Volleyball.
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School also offers several activity camps. These include Art, Baking, Break Out Boxes (intriguing puzzles similar to an Escape Room), Chess, Crafting, History & Film, Show Choir and a STEM camp!
Registration is available online through our website: www.stasaints.net/summercamps. Or if you prefer, you can download and complete the attached camp registration form and mail it to:
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Summer Camps
11411 Pflumm Rd
Overland Park, KS 66215
We look forward to providing a positive camp experience not only for your son or daughter but for their friends too! Please feel free to pass this information on to friends, neighbors and relatives too!