Dear Fabulous Families -

• Congratulations to our 8th grade students who graduated from St. Gabriel last night. We wish them the best of luck and God's blessings as they move onto high school!

• Thank you for another great year and all of your support! Have an enjoyable and safe summer! We look forward to seeing our families back in the fall!

• Reminder: Friday is a half day with a NOON DISMISSAL. Note that we will be having Mass outside on Friday morning. Students can bring a towel to sit on. Please feel free to join us!

• Thank you for donating to Claver House and Southside Day Care. Please continue to send in the following items through Friday:

Diapers, Tissues, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Sponges/Cleanser, Soft Soap

Canned Chicken, Boxes of Rice, Boxes of Oatmeal, Canned Fruit

• We will have another newsletter or two to close out this year before taking some time off this summer.

• There are always lots of items to go in the school newsletter throughout the year. Please send in submissions by noon on Monday to Dr. Winkeler, dwinkeler@stgab.org, and Mrs. McEnery, tmcenery@stgab.org, before the Wednesday publication. Graphics should be a jpeg or png - not a PDF.
  

Peace and Joy -

Tonya McEnery

Principal

St. Gabriel the Archangel

Dan Winkeler

Assistant Principal

St. Gabriel the Archangel

Thursday – Hats Off to a Great Year

Students may wear their favorite hat with their uniform.

Friday – Ready for Summer Dress Down Day!

Show off your vacation wardrobe – shorts, T-shirt, sunglasses, hat – Get creative! (No swimsuits) Bring a towel to sit on outside at Mass.

Congratulations to our Assistant Principals of the day, Colin and Quinn Knitter. They spent the day with Dr. Winkeler doing a variety of activities from reading the announcements and having extra recess, to painting their ceiling tiles to be displayed in the hallway. Of course, no day is complete without Bread Company for lunch!

School Supplies On-line Ordering for the 2023-2024 school year can be found here (Supply Lists)

Chairback Pouches:

If your child will be entering 3rd and 4th grade next year you will need a new chairback pouch.

Because the new chairs are wider in these grades the sides of the chairbacks are splitting open.

All chairbacks will now be made wider to accommodate all sizes of chairs!

They will be slightly big on the small chairs but will work nicely and hopefully save many from ordering new ones in the future.

• The order form can be found here if you wish for Mrs. Ortwerth to make the chairback pouch: (order form).
  

• For those of you who wish to construct your own chairback pouch for next year, Mrs. Ortwerth has graciously shared the dimensions and instructions here: Do-It-Yourself Chairback Pouch Directions See additional information below if you want Mrs. Ortwerth to make it for you. There is an order form below.

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Art Bags

All grades, kindergarten through 5th grade, will be using drawstring bags. Feel free to use any drawstring bag you may have. Just make sure you have your child's name clearly labeled on it. Joyce Ortwerth will also have some on hand that can be monogrammed but feel free to use what you already have around your house. If you already have a drawstring bag but would like it monogrammed, Joyce is also able to do that for you also. Just fill out the paperwork accordingly and drop it off to her with your drawstring bag.

Finally, if you are attached to the idea of the old art bags for the younger grade, contact Joyce she will accommodate you.

For any further questions, please contact Joyce Ortwerth at 314-323-3168.

We look forward to the following individuals joining the St. Gabriel Family next year. Keep an eye on the forthcoming newsletters for additional introductions.

I’m excited to be joining the Saint Gabriel the Archangel faculty. I have been a teacher for over 20 years in both Catholic and public education. Sharing my faith and teaching religion is one of my passions, and I am looking forward to teaching science again. My husband and I live in Kirkwood. One of my daughters, son-in-law, and four grandchildren live just three blocks from us. My other daughter and twin grandsons live quite a bit further away in the Boston Massachusetts area.

Mrs. Whited will be teaching 6th grade Religion and Science.

Totus Tuus returns to St Gabriel’s this summer during the week of June 26-30. The day program is for school aged children entering grades 1st-6th from 9 am - 3 pm in the school. There is also an evening program for those entering 7th-12th grade at 7:30 pm in the Gabriel House.

For those who are unfamiliar with Totus Tuus, it is initially a Catholic version of a Vacation Bible School led by missionary and seminarians from across Missouri. Totus Tuus includes Confessions, Mass, and Adoration as well as learning about the Catholic faith!

This is also an opportunity for high school students to volunteer who are in need of completing service hours.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Faith Kremer at vfaithkremer@gmail.com or 314-712-4433

https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=b2cb6348-c406-4592-a99a-1498bf1d6560

Dear Parents,

Please join us on Friday for our All School Mass at 8:00 am on the parking lot. Bring a towel to sit on.:)

See below for sacrament dates for next year.

Confirmation-Thursday, April 25th 7:00pm, at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church

First Reconciliation- Thursday, November 30 at 7pm.

First Reconciliation Parent Meeting- Thursday,, October 26 at 6:30 pm

First Communion Parent Meeting- Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 pm

First Communion- Sunday, May 5th at 2 pm

Here are some resources for the summer for prayer with your family.

https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/family/

A Favorite Mary Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFSRRcNWufc

A Favorite Prayer Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM&list=RDbFSRRcNWufc&index=3

5/26 Friday, Last Day of School, All School Mass

Enjoy family time this summer.

A Favorite Poem:

Praying by Mary Oliver

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Enjoy the summer!

Peace and blessings,

Deborah DaLay

Coordinator of Religious Education

Dates below are subject to change and additional days will be added as we continue to plan for the upcoming year.

May 26- Last day of school- NOON DISMISSAL

Are you interested in getting involved to support our school, faculty and students next year? The PFA strives to foster connections across our school community through activities both in and out of school.

We have two committees that need volunteers for next year:

• The Home & School Committee needs two volunteers. This committee focuses on supporting activities at school, such as—Class Party support, Veterans Day breakfast coordination, Grandparents Day breakfast coordination. (Often this committee spends 1-3 hours on PFA activities per month).
• The Community Outreach Committee needs one volunteer. This committee focuses on connecting our school with the broader community through service activities. Join this committee in finding amazing ways to help our school community give back. (Often this committee spending 1-3 hours on PFA activities per month with slightly more for our school-wide day of service in October)

If you have a couple of hours a month to give, please consider joining PFA to support our amazing school community! Reach out to Erin Knitter (erin.k.keefe@gmail.com) or Emily McGinnis (emilymcginnis@gmail.com) for more information or to volunteer.

If you are interested in being a mentor family, please see the link below:

bit.ly/3IZsc1H

SGYG is open to all high school teens. We meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9pm (Doors Open at 7:15pm) in the Gabriel House Chapel. No sign-up necessary! High schoolers can attend on a regular basis or drop-in as it fits their schedule!

-SGYG Wednesday Nights (and other activities) are now open to current 8th graders! Please feel free to join us for our weekly gatherings whenever if fits your schedule.

Saturday, June 17th | St. Gabriel Block Party!

St. Gabriel is having another Block Party this June and SGYG needs your help! We need volunteers to work in the food tent, monitor trash during the evening, and help clean-up the event. We had many volunteers last year, but need twice as many this year, especially with clean-up. Use the SignUp Genius link below or contact Sarah Henderson.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4caaae23aafbc16-stgabriel1#/

Follow us on Instagram @stgabesyg

Like our Facebook Group: St. Gabriel Youth Group (SGYG)

Join the Flocknote Group: Youth Ministry

Visit the Youth Group page on the parish website

Contact our Youth Minister: Sarah Henderson - hendersons@stgabrielstl.org

Dear Parishioners:

Veni Sancti Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit) is our chant as we conclude our Easter season with the Solemnity of Pentecost. May the guidance of the Holy Spirit always direct our Church and parish! Special blessings to all who received sacraments during this Easter Season, especially those who were Baptized, Confirmed, and received the Eucharist. We also ask the Holy Spirit’s care for all our newly married couples and for our newly ordained priests.

Special blessings on our newly graduated students here at St Gabriel and at so many other schools. These years of growing in knowledge, wisdom and holiness are a great foundation for the future.

On June 11, 2023 (Feast of Corpus Christi) immediately following our 9am Mass we will have a Eucharistic Procession from St Gabriel to St Raphael. As our parishes will be sharing pastoral care from one another and from sharing of clergy it seems a great opportunity to come together as one united with our Lord. This also helps us in our evangelization of bringing Christ to our community.

I especially want to thank so many for their words and acts of care and love for me as I celebrated 40 years of priestly service. I thank Judy Hunter and her team for helping to organize my reception and for all who attended, I felt loved! A fourth of my priesthood has taken place here at St Gabriel and it has been my honor to be with and serve you in many joyful and difficult times. I have grown and love being a priest every day please accept my apologies for my failings and continue to pray for me that I might be that wise and faithful steward of God’s gifts and blessings.

God bless and have a safe and relaxing summertime.

Pentecost Blessings!

Msgr. John Shamleffer

Memorial Day Prayer

As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy every day, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold our servicemen and women in Your strong arms. Cover them with Your sheltering grace and Your presence as they stand in the gap for our protection. We also remember the families of our troops. We ask for Your unique blessings to fill their homes, and we pray Your peace, provision, and strength will fill their lives. Amen!