St. Teresa Catholic School
October 23, 2024
St. John of Capistrano
Spiritual Childhood
Our Faith is full of paradoxes: One God, but Three Persons; Death is actually Life; when we give spiritual gifts, we actually receive more! Another one is that of spiritual childhood, a requirement for maturity and sanctity. Jesus said, "Unless you turn and become like a little child, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3)
Our patron, St. Therese, gave us so much in the way of spiritual childhood. She, who has been named a Doctor of the Church (Pope St. John Paul II), and one of the "greatest saints of modern times" (Pope St. Pius X), saw herself only as a little one. "Because I was little and weak, He lowered Himself to me..."
When we feel our weakness, whether that is in our work, our relationships, our spiritual life, or simply in our bodies, we can get discouraged. We might start thinking, "I can't do anything right!" Or we might push ourselves even harder, to accomplish more. In contrast, the way of spiritual childhood could be summed up in one word: trust. We go to Jesus in our weakness, not hiding anything, crying out to Him for help. We recognize we can't do it, and we "love our littleness," opening ourselves up to receive God's mercy.
"And if the good God wants you weak and helpless like a child...do you believe that you will have less merit?...Agree to stumble at every step therefore, even to fall, to carry your cross weakly, to love your helplessness. Your soul will draw more profit from it than if, carried by grace, you would accomplish with enthusiasm heroic actions that would fill your soul with personal satisfaction and pride." (St. Therese)
"Do not fear, the poorer you are, the more Jesus will love you. He will go very far in search of you, if at times you wander off a little." (St. Therese to one of her sisters)
Sister Mary Agnes, C.K.
Upcoming Events
Friday, October 25
- Health Screening
- PK/K field trip
- 8th grade field trip
- Trunk or Treat 6:30-9:00 p.m. We have 21 trunks!
Monday, October 28
- 6B Class Mass
- 5th/6th confessions
- 4th grade field trip
- 7th grade volleyball, 6 p.m. (Home)
Wednesday, October 30
- Student Council Activity Day--students may wear non-uniform socks!
Thursday, October 31
- All Saints Parties
Friday, November 1
- All Saints Day--No School--Holy Day of Obligation
Report Cards
First Quarter report cards will come home via email this Friday, October 25th. If you would like a paper copy, please contact Laura Minchow at the school office. laura-minchow@cdolinc.net or 402-477-3358. Paper copies of all 4 quarters will be sent home at the end of the school year.
Immaculate Conception
This year the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception has been moved to Monday, December 9, due to the 8th being the Second Sunday of Advent, which takes precedence liturgically. The Holy See clarified that the Immaculate Conception remains a Holy Day of Obligation, even though in the past, when it landed on a Saturday or Monday, the obligation was waived. Fr. Stoley, our superintendent of Catholic Schools, has decided to cancel school for that day, in accordance with our usual practice of no school on Holy Days of Obligation. In conclusion, there will be NO SCHOOL on MONDAY, DECEMBER 9. See you at Mass!
Educators of the Year
See the links below to watch video interview of the teachers of the year, including our very own, Terri Schilmoeller!
Candy Tithing
Teach your children the practice of tithing and have them set aside one piece of candy out of every 10 that they receive through Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. Bring your tithed candy to school between November 4-8. It will be donated toward a good cause.
Trick-or-Treaters
Trick-or-Treaters are welcome to stop at the convent or rectory on Halloween, Thursday, October 31 between 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Volunteer Pregnant Mother Needed
On Tuesday, November 12th, Heart of a Child Ministries will be sharing their Celebration of Life presentation with our school community. All are welcome!
Heart of a Child Ministries is an Omaha-based, nationally recognized, archdiocese of Omaha approved, education ministry that brings these live ultrasound presentations to both children and adults with professional sonographers, master’s level social workers and pregnant volunteers. People of all ages love to see the miracle of life in the womb, listen to the heartbeat, and hear the joy-filled truth about God’s love for the preborn person and for all of His children through Scripture and spiritual teaching.
We are seeking a pregnant mother volunteer who is willing to share her baby with our students through this live ultrasound presentation. Ideal time of pregnancy is 20-32 weeks. We have one mother volunteer for the morning session, but are still looking for one for the afternoon session (12:30-1:30 p.m.) If you are interested in sharing the gift of life with our students or have any questions, please contact Sister Mary Agnes at sr.mary-agnes@cdolinc.net.
Please go to www.heartofachildministries.org for more information about this program.
Website
We will soon be launching new St. Teresa School and Parish websites! We are working with the "Solutio" company, and with their help, we will have an updated look, and hopefully easier access to the news and information that you need!
Thank you
Some of you may have noticed the numerous chairs sitting outside by the curb this past week. Thank you to Union Bank for donating bookcases and a variety of office chairs to our school!
Volunteer Opportunity
This is the link to our Christmas Boutique volunteer sign-up. Students could fulfill their sacking requirement here. Also, parents are welcome to help with set-up!
Bus Driver Needed
Many thanks to our wonderful bus drivers at St. Teresa for all they do for our school. We are in need of a bus driver to help our current drivers with field trips throughout the year. Please call the school office at 402-477-3358 for more details if you are interested in occasionally driving the bus. Thank you for considering helping our school out in this way!
Bazaar News!
Hello, Families!
Our Parish Bazaar is coming up on Sunday, November 10th, from 11am-3:30pm! 🎉 It's a fun day with food, games, raffles, and more.
We need your help! We're looking for parents and older students to volunteer and run the games. Your support is key to making this event a success!
Sign up to volunteer here:
👉Click here to sign up!
👉Click here to sign up!
Also, a huge thank you to everyone who has donated items for Bottle Mania, Spin to Win, and Deal or No Deal! 🥤 We still need more donations, though! If you can, please drop off bottled items at the office.
Questions? Contact Nikki Suesz at 📞402-840-8516 or 📧nikkisuesz@yahoo.com.
Let’s make this Bazaar the best one yet!
Thank you,
Nikki Suesz, Bazaar Games Coordinator
Gerbil Care
We have 2 gerbils in the office (Linus and Cletus)! If you would like to help care for them over the weekends, please see sign-up below!
Contact Sister Mary Agnes with questions: sr.mary-agnes@cdolinc.net
St. Teresa School Mission Statement
St. Teresa Catholic School, in partnership with parents, provides an education faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. We nurture students’ natural sense of wonder and guide them to know and love truth, beauty, and goodness, and to live as virtuous disciples of Jesus Christ with their hearts set on true and lasting joy.