St. Teresa Catholic School
September 30, 2026
St. Jerome
Sheen Beatification Pilgrimage
Our 8th graders were invited to go on pilgrimage to the Bishop Sheen Beatification in St. Louis. They traveled by bus and stayed in a local parish hall. This is from a family whose child went on the trip. (Shared with permission of parent and child.)
She came home from the Fulton Sheen beatification completely wiped out...I asked her if the trip had been hard.
She said, “Very. But I’d do it with Him again tomorrow.”
That about did me in.
I know so much goes into forming these kids over all the years they’re at St. Teresa. So many little things we probably don’t see the fruit of right away. But this felt like one of those moments where I got to see some of it.
She wrote this Fulton Sheen quote in her prayer journal after she was home and sick in bed, “Unless there is a Good Friday in our lives, there will never be an Easter Sunday.”
More than anything I could ever want for all of my children is for them to know Jesus, to love Him, to receive Him, and to spend their lives becoming saints. I want them to understand that the goal of all of this is eternity with Him. Watching my child come home exhausted and sick and still say she’d do it all over again with Him made me even more grateful that she had the opportunity to go.
So mostly, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for all the ways you help point our children toward Christ and remind them, over and over again, what all of this is ultimately for. To know Him, to love Him, and one day, by His grace, to be with Him forever.
What a gift.
And then this in her prayer journal… I asked her if I could share this. She said yes …
“Going to Fulton Sheen’s beatification was really hard. We slept on a floor, didn’t shower for days, were exhausted, and by the time I got home I was sick. But I would do it again tomorrow.
I think the biggest thing I came home realizing more than I did before is that my worth is in Jesus.
There are so many things that feel really important right now. What people think of me. If someone is rude to me. If I fit in. School, sports, grades, friendships, and all the things I think I need to have figured out. But someday I’m going to stand before Jesus, and none of that is going to matter the way I think it does right now.
It won’t matter how much of this world I knew. It won’t matter who liked me or didn’t like me. It won’t matter if someone was rude to me or if I felt left out. What will matter is how I loved Jesus and how I loved the people He put in front of me.
Being at the beatification and seeing so many people together because of the way one person lived his life for Jesus made sainthood feel really real to me. Fulton Sheen was a real person who lived in this world, had hard things happen, and still chose Jesus.
I want that.
I don’t just want to know about saints, I just really want to be HIS saint
I know I won’t do that perfectly. I’ll mess up and care too much about things that don’t matter. But I want to keep coming back to Him. I want my life to belong to Jesus.
Someday I want to stand before Him and know that even when it was hard, I kept choosing Him.
The trip was hard but also one of the best things I’ve done with Jesus.
I really really would do it again with Him tomorrow.
Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for me.”
God be praised for the blessings of this event! Thanks to Miss Timmerman who provided the original inspiration for our kids to go on the pilgrimage. Thanks also to Sister Mary Agnes and several staff members from St. Joseph School who worked hard on the planning team. Also, thanks to the parent chaperones and the students who went, and especially to God who graced the event in abundance. May the graces find permanent homes in our hearts.
She came home from the Fulton Sheen beatification completely wiped out...I asked her if the trip had been hard.
She said, “Very. But I’d do it with Him again tomorrow.”
That about did me in.
I know so much goes into forming these kids over all the years they’re at St. Teresa. So many little things we probably don’t see the fruit of right away. But this felt like one of those moments where I got to see some of it.
She wrote this Fulton Sheen quote in her prayer journal after she was home and sick in bed, “Unless there is a Good Friday in our lives, there will never be an Easter Sunday.”
More than anything I could ever want for all of my children is for them to know Jesus, to love Him, to receive Him, and to spend their lives becoming saints. I want them to understand that the goal of all of this is eternity with Him. Watching my child come home exhausted and sick and still say she’d do it all over again with Him made me even more grateful that she had the opportunity to go.
So mostly, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for all the ways you help point our children toward Christ and remind them, over and over again, what all of this is ultimately for. To know Him, to love Him, and one day, by His grace, to be with Him forever.
What a gift.
And then this in her prayer journal… I asked her if I could share this. She said yes …
“Going to Fulton Sheen’s beatification was really hard. We slept on a floor, didn’t shower for days, were exhausted, and by the time I got home I was sick. But I would do it again tomorrow.
I think the biggest thing I came home realizing more than I did before is that my worth is in Jesus.
There are so many things that feel really important right now. What people think of me. If someone is rude to me. If I fit in. School, sports, grades, friendships, and all the things I think I need to have figured out. But someday I’m going to stand before Jesus, and none of that is going to matter the way I think it does right now.
It won’t matter how much of this world I knew. It won’t matter who liked me or didn’t like me. It won’t matter if someone was rude to me or if I felt left out. What will matter is how I loved Jesus and how I loved the people He put in front of me.
Being at the beatification and seeing so many people together because of the way one person lived his life for Jesus made sainthood feel really real to me. Fulton Sheen was a real person who lived in this world, had hard things happen, and still chose Jesus.
I want that.
I don’t just want to know about saints, I just really want to be HIS saint
I know I won’t do that perfectly. I’ll mess up and care too much about things that don’t matter. But I want to keep coming back to Him. I want my life to belong to Jesus.
Someday I want to stand before Him and know that even when it was hard, I kept choosing Him.
The trip was hard but also one of the best things I’ve done with Jesus.
I really really would do it again with Him tomorrow.
Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for me.”
God be praised for the blessings of this event! Thanks to Miss Timmerman who provided the original inspiration for our kids to go on the pilgrimage. Thanks also to Sister Mary Agnes and several staff members from St. Joseph School who worked hard on the planning team. Also, thanks to the parent chaperones and the students who went, and especially to God who graced the event in abundance. May the graces find permanent homes in our hearts.
Sister Mary Michael, C.K.
St. Therese Feast Day
Highlights of the day will include:*8:15 Mass with Bishop Conley
*Opportunity to dress as one of the following: Zelie or Louis Martin (St. Therese's parents) or St. Therese as a Carmelite Sister
*Adoration and St. Therese activities throughout the day
*Special treat from the SFA
*2:30 p.m. Eucharistic Procession
Dressing as St. Teresa on her Feast Day
Your daughter is invited to dress as St. Teresa! Our St. Teresa Parish Feast Day Mass is Thursday, October 1st at 8:15 a.m., celebrated by Bishop Conley. Girls of the parish in K-5th grade are invited to dress as St. Teresa for this special celebration. To ensure room in the pews, please text or e-mail Britt Echtenkamp if your daughter(s) will be participating. email: britt.echtenkamp@gmail.com or cell: 512-777-9649. Girls will need to arrive in Kaczmarek Hall by 7:45 a.m. We will take a group picture AFTER Mass. They will be a part of the opening procession and will sit as a group in the front pews during Mass. Mothers are also needed as parent volunteers to assist with the procession and costumes before Mass. Please contact Britt if you are able to help. Thank you!Here are some links for suggestions of how to make a costume:
1. How to Make a Nun Costume (catholicicing.com)2. Sewing Easy All Saints Day Costumes – Mercy for Marthas
If you have a costume to loan or donate, please bring them to the school office.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Sign up below!Tuesday, October 6th: 3:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 8th: 1:30-7:30 p.m.
https://pickatime.com/StTeresaSchool
- Enter your email and create an account.
- Select the times/teachers of your children with whom you’d like to meet—note that there are two different days to choose from when signing up: October 6 or October 8
Co-Curricular and Enrichment Teachers: They will be available only on Tuesday, October 6th (with the exception of Mrs. Pokojski, who will be available on Tuesday in the Art room and on Thursday in the gym for 8th Theology)
Resource: Melissa Payne will reach out to parents as needed on an individual basis or will attend particular conferences
Title 1 Teachers: Katie Lewallen will be here on Tuesday, October 6th and Jana Conroy will be here on Thursday, October 8th
Special Ed: Mary Baker will be here on both nights
MathCounts
St. Teresa MathCounts will start up again in October for any 6th-8th grade students who want to participate. MathCounts is a national math enrichment program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement. More information can be found on their website: www.mathcounts.org.We will meet at St. Teresa School on Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. The first practice will be October 14. The season runs through mid-February, when the students compete in a competition against other schools in the area.
Please email Andrew Willis if your child is interested in joining the team or for more information – arwarw11@gmail.com
T-shirts coming home today
Walk the Little Way T-Shirts are coming home today! These will be worn for various school events, as well as the actual WTLW fundraiser in the spring!Little Flowers
Little Flowers is an extra-curricular program for girls in 1st - 5th grades. Girls meet monthly after school to learn about virtues and saints. St. Teresa's has active groups in most grades. Please contact Jean Timmerman for more information. Jean-timmerman@cdolinc.net.Pius X Homecoming Tailgate
All elementary and junior high students and their families are invited to join us for our Homecoming Tailgate on Friday, October 2. The meal is offered as a free-will donation and will feature hot dogs, chicken fingers, hamburger sliders, chips, cookies, and bottled drinks while supplies last. Following dinner, stay for the Homecoming football game, which kicks off at 7 pm. Halftime will feature performances by the Pius X Dance Team, Marching Band and Color Guard, along with the introduction and crowning of Homecoming Royalty. This is a wonderful opportunity for younger students and their families to experience the Pius X community, connect with current students and staff, and enjoy a fun-filled Homecoming tradition.Piano Available
We have a century-old Price & Teeple quarter-sawn piano that has been in our family for over 100 years. It has some wear and needs to be tuned, but otherwise is in good condition. I saw a restored version of the same piano on the internet for sale for $27,000! I just want a good school or family to get some use out of it.If you know of any school or family that might be interested, please have them contact me. Thanks for spreading the word!
Dennis Drudik
402-430-3163
CK Sisters Outdoor Fall Workday
Saturday, October 17, 1:30-4:30 pm
We will be planting shrubs, cleaning up our vegetable garden and cutting trees. Helpful items to bring include shovels, work gloves, wheelbarrows, pickups and chainsaws. Children are also welcome – and can use this for service hours! Mark your calendars now and contact Sister Mary Angela at sr.mary-angela@cdolinc.net if you would like to come and help. Please also print and complete a LIABILITY FORM (one per adult; children added to adult form.) Villa Regina Motherhouse, 4100 SW 56th St., about 2 miles west and south of Pioneers Park. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Praying for our Deceased Priests
Volleyball
Beatification Pilgrimage
Feast Day Flowers
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.