Dear St. Raphael School Families and Friends,
It’s a special week for us at school and in our Church. We celebrate All Hallows’ Eve on Wednesday, All Saints Day on Thursday and All Souls Day on Friday. So, why are these days important? Halloween is All-Hallows'-Eve, which is the night before All-Saints Day. It was in the eighth century that the Church appointed a special date for the feast of All Saints, followed by a day in honor of her soon-to-be saints, the feast of All Souls. All Saints Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1st. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church; that is, all those who have attained heaven. It should not be confused with All Souls Day, which is observed on November 2nd and dedicated to those who have died and not yet reached heaven. Although millions, or even billions, of people may already be saints, All Saints Day observances focus on known saints - that is, those recognized in the canon of the saints by the Catholic Church. Let us all remember our Baptismal call to live our lives to be saints!
Please join us on Thursday, All Saints Day, for our special school Mass on the Holy Day of Obligation at 10:00 am. Our 8th graders will be dressing up as Saints and helping our KinderKlasse students with their Saint dolls.
Wednesday is Halloween and we will have our annual parade that begins at 1:15 pm on the quad. This is always a fun time for students and parents to enjoy the costumes. Please, no scary costumes or masks! The parade will last about 30 minutes and then students will participate in a Harvest Carnival on the backfield.
We also want to thank the Santos, Almazan, Ramirez, Aguilera and Griffith families as well as the many parents that helped organize our Día de los Muertos ofrenda on the quad. It truly is amazing to see how all of our parents volunteer and donate their time to make St. Raphael School such a wonderful learning community for all!
Important Dates:
October 31: Halloween Parade at 1:15 pm
November 1: All Saints’ Day School Mass at 10:00 am
November 5-16: STAR Testing Window
November 12: No School for Veterans Day
November 14-16: Noon Dismissal for Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 19-23: No School for Thanksgiving Break
In Mary’s Love,
Ms. Michelle Limb, Principal
During the next five weeks, please pray the rosary as a family. Each newsletter will contain one of the joyful mysteries.
The Fifth Joyful Mystery: Finding Jesus in the TempleSpiritual Fruit: Obedience to God
At twelve years of age, Jesus goes with His parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. It is on their return journey home that Joseph and Mary realize that their son is missing. Joseph and Mary seek Him endlessly. On the third day, they find Jesus preaching in the temple amongst teachers, who were at once astonished at His wisdom. Despite their grief and anxiety, Jesus assures His parents that all is well, as He is doing His Father’s work. Although Joseph and Mary do not fully understand this at the time, they will see that this event foreshadows the mission of ministry and sacrifice that Jesus will fulfill in obedience of His Heavenly Father. This mystery teaches us that submission to God our Father comes before all else. There is always joy to be found when we seek Jesus in the spirit of obedience.
Download Newsletter (Fall/Winter 2017)
