This week we had the opportunity to say a living rosary as a school community. Mr. Baldwin spoke to the student body about the importance of saying the rosary. He told them about the Desert Fathers, who were early Christians and Monks, and how they used knotted ropes to count the prayer. In traveling, they prayed 50 Hail Mary's. The council of Ephesus approved Marian devotions in 415. Soon the Desert Hermits began to knot a rope with 150 knots. St. Bernard of Cluny saw the 150 Hail Mary's as a way for traveling Monks to keep their minds on God rather than the world they walked through. Mary herself, handed St. Dominic the Rosary and taught him to pray it. The devotion flew in the face of heresy that St. Dominic was battling. The Dominicans wore a Rosary on their side instead of a sword. They respected human life and flew in the face of killing in the name of Religion. It was one of the early rosary prayer beads that we use today. Our students led this beautiful community prayer and I know that our Mother Mary was pleased. At the end Mr. Baldwin said, "Some of us spoke clearly and projected, some you could barely hear, some of us even forgot our words, but the most important thing that God wants from us is our time and prayer to Him. He accepts each of us just the way we are. We don't have to be perfect, we just have to make the time to talk to God."

What a blessing to be part of a school community that makes prayer a priority every day. We pray in the morning asking God's blessings on us and our families during the day. We pray throughout the day as we change classes. We pray at the end of the day to thank God for allowing us the opportunity to learn in a positive environment, and for the teachers who give their all each and every day. This month we focused on the rosary, teaching our students by example, how to pray the rosary and how it helps you in your daily life.

As we get ready for a brand new week and gift from God, let's follow the motto of our patron St. Anthony of Padua, "Let your words teach and your actions speak."

God Bless,

Mrs. Runnels

This week Mr. Baldwin's 8th grade social studies class worked on a Civics project to get more shelter dogs and cats adopted. These students called the City of Beaumont to get information on the number of dogs put down each day. They will be working on plans to get the word out for families to adopt these pets.