MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
177th EDITION: January 8, 2021
From the Desk of Rev. Jared Twenty
“Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”
– Philippians 2:5-8
This is one of my favorite passages, from one of my favorite books of the Bible, written by one of my favorite saints (St. Paul the Apostle). I have been reflecting on it a bit recently. We all know how divided our current public discourse has become. I recognize that in the midst of this, I can often be puffed up with hubris and pride, thinking I have all the answers. The above quote reminds me that if the Son of God exhibited the utmost humility, certainly I – weak and sinful as I am – must grow in that same humility.
In light of this, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite prayers. It was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val in the beginning of the 20th century. Cardinal del Val had been the Secretary of State at the Vatican, and most thought he was first in line to be the next pope after the passing of Pope Leo XIII. Surprisingly, he was not chosen, but instead remained in his position as a kind of “number two” to the next pope, St. Pius X. Rather than complaining or becoming bitter, he wrote this beautiful prayer, called the Litany of Humility:
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it. Amen.
May Mary, Our Lady of Humility, intercede for all of us, that we may imitate Christ, meek and humble of heart, and so share in His peace, “which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) – peace in our nation, in our beloved school, in our families, and in our hearts.
God bless,
Fr. Twenty
Report Cards
EMPOWER ILLINOIS Reservation Night 2021
The State of Illinois has created a new way to fund scholarships for children who choose to attend Catholic schools through the “Invest in Kids Act.” Scholarships offered through this program have the potential to cover up to 100 percent of tuition and eligible charges for next school year at Marian Central Catholic High School.
The Empower Illinois Scholarship Granting Organization website (www.empowerillinois.org) will be accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year beginning Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Empower Illinois scholarship is first come first served, based off the time in which you submit reservation. Your timestamp matters and may impact your chances of receiving a scholarship.
Theatre Club
Students - Interested in something new? Interested in art, writing, acting, filming, editing, or other areas of film production? If you are, then join the theatre club 2020-2021 google classroom for more information (code rbfyokl). Please complete the interest form no later than January 22 at 2:40 p.m.
Key Club Project
Testing Day - January 26th
PSAT/NMSQT and PREACT STANDARDIZED TESTING DAY - TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE DAY FOR ALL FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, & JUNIORS
Senior Students will not have school on January 26th to allow for college visits.
Freshmen and Sophomores will be taking the PreACT test, and Juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT in-person at Marian Central (start time 8:00 a.m.) on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. This will be a shortened school day and all buses will run according to the shortened schedule. Social Distancing guidelines will be maintained in hallways and testing rooms and all students will be required to wear masks while testing. All safety and cleaning protocols will be observed.
Remote students are strongly encouraged to test and will be assigned to remote-only student testing rooms. Those remote students planning to attend and test should contact the Guidance Director, Mrs. Hilton, via email (khilton@marian.com) no later than Friday, January 15, 2021 to register for testing.
We encourage our students to take these tests seriously as the results provide valuable information to be used to prepare for future ACT and SAT tests and resources to aid in the career/college planning process. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Hilton, Guidance Director, at 815-338-4220, ext. 121 or khilton@marian.com.
To familiarize yourself with the tests and the benefits for your students, please click on the following links:
PSAT: https://parents.collegeboard.org/college-board-programs/psat-nmsqt
PreACT: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/pdfs/PreACT-Toolkit-WhyTake.pdf
Senior Exam Exemptions
Virtual College Visits
All juniors and seniors may attend these virtual visits. Students must receive permission from their teachers to attend each visit and must sign up for all visits in SCOIR. Students learning remotely on the day(s) of any visits will be sent links to access the presentations through their Marian Central email accounts.
1/14: Grand Canyon University, 9th period
Yearbook Photos/Retakes
RETAKES
Students who have not yet been photographed this year or who desire a retake will be photographed on Thursday, February 4th or Friday, February 5th.Remote student photographs will be taken after school hours on Thursday, February 4th. A specific schedule will be shared at a later date.
Seniors who have not yet been photographed or require retakes will be photographed after school hours on Thursday, February 4th. A specific schedule and additional details will be shared at a later date.
TO VIEW AND PURCHASE PHOTOS
1. Go to www.vickylongphotography.com/marian, scroll down to the gallery area of the page.
2. Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors should go to the School Pictures area and then click Enter Gallery. Seniors should go to the Class of 2021 Senior Portraits and click Enter Gallery.
3. Type your email address to enter the gallery.
4. Read the instructions that display after you've entered the gallery. (Please scroll to read all of the instructions!) This will include information you'll need to access your student's private album, order digital files and/or professional prints, add White Glove Touch-Up services, and use your Pre-Pay Credit!
If you have any questions about the photos or the ordering process, please contact Vicky at vlbrphotography@gmail.com or 815.307.0974
College Information Night - Virtual
WHEN: Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 from 6:30-9:00 PM (Program begins at 6:30 PM)
WHERE: This year’s program will be virtual, with links being sent to participating families no later than Friday, February 5th, 2021
WHAT: An opportunity to learn about starting a college search, how colleges review Marian transcripts, test optional admission policies, and to attend a mock college application review. Students and families will also have the ability to ask the college admission officers who will be presenting on these topics questions.
Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors and their parents/guardians are invited to attend this program. We strongly encourage juniors and their parents/guardians to attend College Information Night. We’ve put together a comprehensive program that’ll be slightly different than last year’s program. We’re confident students and their families will leave with insight into some of the most complicated and confusing parts of the college search.
We ask that those planning to attend this program please register online at:
https://forms.gle/4Pf4b6S5vj94fAaq8
Please direct any questions about College Information Night to Mr. Stamatakos (jstamatakos@marian.com) or Mrs. Diamond (guidance@marian.com). We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, February 9th!
Class of 2021 - Baby Pictures Needed
It’s that time of the year! BABY PICTURE TIME!
1. Bring in an actual photo (size 8x10): please have your FULL NAME and your English teacher’s name marked on back. (Use masking tape to write on if you don’t want to write on the actual photo back!) GIVE TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER! He/She will have a folder to collect photos, and we will return the photo through your English class once we have it scanned and saved.
2. Email a .jpg formatted directly to mcpublications@gmail.com In the title of the email, please include your full name. Make sure you notify your English teacher, and we will verify with him or her that the image was downloaded successfully.
3. Send in a .jpg copy on a recordable cd. Give to your English teacher, and we will return the disc promptly.
What type of photo works best? The BEST type of baby photo is when you were 6 months – 3 yrs. PLEASE do NOT send in newborn photos (taken in the hospital.) All newborns look the same – and have that same scrunchy-faced angry look. At about 6 months, however, we can see hints of your unique personality! Don’t be left out! We are striving to have 100% of our senior class represented!
ALL PHOTOS ARE DUE TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER NO LATER THAN February 1st!