Before we attend Holy Thursday mass, I want to offer, on your behalf, another huge thank you to our Auction Team. What an incredible evening! Congratulations to Karen Bombino, Andrea Marquez and Kristen Capka. Not only was it so very enjoyable, but it was a tremendous success for St. John. The Auction fundraiser is a big line item in our operating budget and then there is the Fund-a-Need. You all made it happen. Egan Hall will have the new fire alarm system and upgraded gym bleachers! And we have new rock stars! Doc Pablo and The Marty McFly parents were great, but I have to say 7th grader, ME B., stole the show! Check them out on the St. John Facebook page.
I am so grateful and touched by our community’s generosity. Our St. John families have embraced Father’s message of “more” this Lenten season: more service, more thoughtfulness, more charity and philanthropy. Thank you to the families who generously donated towards the success of the Auction. And thank you to Veronika Wellnitz for organizing after-school craft sessions for our students to make handmade signs of friendship for Ukrainian refugees; she will be delivering them when she volunteers at the refugee camps in Poland. Ms. Wellnitz and the Parent Association will host additional sessions after the Easter Holidays; more information can be found in the PA News post.
During Holy Week, may we take these outward expressions of “more” and turn inward: more prayer and more reflection as we approach Easter. As it is Holy Thursday, let us remember Jesus’s Last Supper and the beginning of the Triduum. Over these coming days, we will gather in faith to celebrate the Paschal mystery, Christ’s passing through death into new life. The Paschal mystery reminds us that all of life is about letting go, about loving more freely and deeply, about dying and rising. With Christ, we rise on Easter morning renewed, strengthened in hope, and joyful in our relationship with Christ. I wish you a restful and healthy break. Do note that NewsViews will pause next week and resume after the break.
Yours in Christ,
Bernadette O’Leary
