St. Mary's Catholic School
Weekly Snapshot Newsletter - January 7th - 11th
We pray a blessed Ukrainian Christmas to all!
The Epiphany of the Lord Sunday, January 6, 2019
The Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity
On entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11
It is still the season of Christmas (yes, even for Roman Catholics)! This Sunday we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord and continue the celebration of the liturgical season of Christmas up until NEXT Sunday when we end the celebration of the Christmas season with the feast of "The Baptism of the Lord"!
Of course, Ukrainian Catholics get this already as Christmas Day is observed on January 7th!
So, if you haven't put away those Christmas decorations yet, don't worry about it - It is still Christmas!
So, what is Epiphany?
“Epiphany” means manifestation. And the “Epiphany of the Lord” is Jesus’ manifestation not only to these three Magi from the East, but it’s also a symbolic but real manifestation of the Christ to the whole world. These Magi, traveling from a foreign and non-Jewish nation, reveal that Jesus came for all people and all are called to adore Him.
These Magi were “wise men” who studied the stars and were aware of the Jewish belief that a Messiah was coming. They would have been versed in much of the wisdom of the day and would have been intrigued by the Jewish belief in the Messiah.
God used what they were familiar with to call them to adore the Christ. He used a star. They understood the stars and when they saw this new and unique star over Bethlehem they realized that something special was happening. So the first lesson we take from this for our own lives is that God will use what is familiar to us to call us to Himself. Look for the “star” that God is using to call you. It’s closer than you may think.
A second thing to note is that the Magi fell prostrate before the Christ Child. They laid their lives down before Him in complete surrender and adoration. They set a perfect example for us. If these astrologers from a foreign land could come and adore Christ in such a profound way, we must do the same. Perhaps you could try to spend time adoring Jesus in your heart through prayer. Adore Him with a complete surrender of your life. As Catholics, we are blessed to also be able to physically adore Jesus through Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Lastly, the Magi bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These three gifts, presented to our Lord, show that they acknowledged this Child as the Divine King who would die to save us from sin. Gold is for a King, frankincense is a burnt offering to God, and myrrh is used for one who would die. Thus, their adoration is grounded in the truths of who this Child is. If we are to adore Christ properly, we must also honor Him in this threefold way.
Reflect upon these Magi and see them as a symbol of what we are called to do. We are called from the foreign place of this world to seek out the Messiah. What is God using to call you to Himself? As we draw near to the end of the Christmas season, it is important to ask, "have I used this season to draw nearer to the God who loves me?"
Lord, I love You and adore You. I lay my life before You and surrender all. You are my Divine King and Savior. My life is Yours. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen
Our Outdoor Nativity scene has gotten even more beautiful, now it has an amazing wooden painted Mary and Joseph! Thanks again to our Shop and Art Classes!
We had a lovely end to the Advent season at St. Mary's with our Advent Mass at St. Martin's. What a great opportunity to prepare our hearts for the Christmas Season!
A Pancake Breakfast, Reindeer Games, Pajama Day, Cookie Decorating, Games, and Water Pong were great ways to celebrate and send our students off into the Christmas Break!
Serving up Pancakes!
These boys enjoyed a few :)
Student Council had a great little photo booth for Christmas Pics!
Cookie decorating is serious business!
More cookie decorating!
One of the many Pajama Water pong zones!
JANUARY EXAM SCHEDULE for Grades 10 - 12
Parents! Check out this amazing opportunity! Highly Recommended!
Mental Health Capacity Building Newsletter
Yearbooks are in and available for Purchase!
Volunteer opportunity for students!
Important Notice for Parents and Guardians - Safe Arrival / School Messenger
Time to update PowerSchool info - Yearly Consents and Demographic Info
Important dates / Looking ahead:
January 9th - Early Dismissal / Staff Meeting
January 14th - English 30 Part A Diploma Exam
January 15th - Parent Council Meeting - 6 PM @ St. Mary's Library - all parents welcome!
January 21st - Last day of regular semester 1 classes for grades 11 - 12
January 23rd - Last day of regular semester 1 classes for grade 10
January 23rd - January 30th - Senior High (grades 10 - 12) Exam Schedule in Effect - regular classes continue for grades 7 - 9
January 31st - Semester Break
February 1st - start of semester 2 for senior high and start of Quarter 3 options for junior high.
Community Events
St. Martin of Tours weekly bulletin - please click the link below to access
Contact
Website: https://stmy.eics.ab.ca/
Location: St Mary's Catholic School, Vegreville, AB, Canada
Phone: (780)632-3934
Twitter: @stmarys_veg