Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. Psalm 51

Mercy. That’s what it’s all about. As we begin Lent, a great place to start is with a better understanding of mercy.

Often when we think about Lent, we think of it with a sort of dread. “I have to give something up,” we often think. But if that is our thought then we are missing the point. Do I “have to” give something up? Well, yes and no. It’s true that God wills this and has spoken this practice of self-denial and self-discipline to us through His Church. That is true. But it’s much more of an invitation to grace than the imposition of a burden.

Giving something up is really all about entering into God’s abundant mercy on a deeper level. It’s about being freed from all that binds us and it helps us experience the new life we so deeply seek. Giving something up could refer to something as simple as fasting from a food or drink. Or, it can be any intentional act that requires a certain self-denial. But this is good! Why? Because it strengthens us in our spirit and our will. It strengthens us to be more resolved to say yes to God on that complete level.

So often in life we are controlled by our emotions and desires. We have an impulse for this or that or to do this or that and we often let those impulses or desires control us. Entering into a practice of self-denial helps strengthen us to control our disordered tendencies rather than being controlled by them. And this applies to much more than just food and drink. It applies to many things in life including our life of virtue, especially our charity.

Mercy is all about charity. It’s about love in the way God wants us to love. It’s about being free to let love consume us and take us over so that, in the end, all we want to do is love. This can be a hard practice to establish in our lives but is the source of our joy and fulfillment.

Mercy, in particular, is an act of love that, in a sense, is not deserved by another. It’s a free gift that is given purely from the motivation of love. And this is exactly the love God gives us. God’s love is all mercy. And if we want to receive that mercy then we also have to give it. And if we want to give it we need to properly dispose ourselves to giving mercy. This is accomplished, in part, by our little acts of self-denial.

So make this a great Lent, but don’t get stuck thinking that the Lenten sacrifices are burdensome. They are one essential piece of the pathway to the life God wants to bestow upon us.

We celebrated Ash Wednesday yesterday with Mass prepared by Mrs. Mancinetti and the 3rd graders. It was a prayerful experience to begin this important time in our Church liturgical year. With the beginning of Lent, let us pray for peace in our country.

Today we hear about another shooting in a school, with 17 students and adults senselessly killed. Our prayers go out to those family members who have lost loved ones. When will this stop? It can happen anywhere at any time. I have reassured our students that as long as they are in our school building they will be safe and that we have done as much as possible to protect them. We have a very good lockdown procedure in place, and we practice it monthly. The important point I have stressed to the students is that they need to follow the directions from their teachers and from the administration. So that you are aware the students know where to place themselves in the room, out of sight of an active shooter/perpetrator. All rooms have communication back to the office and teachers have walkie talkies. Let us hope that our school will never be in such a position but we are prepared should it occur.

Molloy's Fun Night

The School Board is organizing a wonder night of fun at Molloy's Tavern on Old Mission Blvd. This event will take place on Saturday, March 10th. I would encourage all our families and friends to attend. The entrance is $10.00, and this includes food. Drinks are at a reduced price. All proceeds will be put to repairing the wall of the main school building. A flyer is attached and you can order tickets on line at https://fs17.formsite.com/allsouls/form38/index.html

Re-Enrollment
Re-enrollment for current and new families begins March 1st for two weeks. You will receive information from Mrs. Cierra about the process during this month. I do need to let you know that at the time of re-enrollment the fee is due. The fee will be $310 per child. So please budget for this during the next week or so.

Financial Aid

A reminder to families that this is the time to complete the BASIC or TADS forms for financial Aid. If you are receiving BASIC already, you will receive a renewal letter from them. If you are receiving TADS assistance, you will need to reapply. The BASIC and TADS web site links are located on the school website.

Congratulations

I wish to congratulate all our basketball teams who have reached the playoffs this season. Thanks to the Athletic Board and the coaches for all the hard work they do with our students. Playoff schedules can be found at the Peninsula Parishes/School League (PPSL) web site.

Bingo Program

The Bingo program at the parish funds the school's ongoing maintenance program and also supports tuition reduction. The last two years Bingo has been struggling with low attendance as well as parents who are not fulfilling their bingo commitment per their family agreement. Mr. Cristobal, the Bingo coordinator, has been trying to keep the program going with organizing the parent side of things. Of late there have been issues with some parents not attending their shifts, leaving their shifts early or turning up late. It is not fair to those parents who are fulfilling their commitments.

In the event that this does not improve and the Bingo program closes down, we might need to add a levy to each family to cover the $50,000 subsidy. It would be a pity that we would have to take such measures. I am asking the School Board to look into this critical situation. If anyone has any suggestions please speak with a School Board member.

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

16 - Semester Holiday

19 - Presidents' Day - Holiday

20 - School Board Mtg. - 6:30pm - Annex Meeting Room

21 - Spring Pictures

22 - First Communion Parent Mtg. - 7pm

1 - Family Fun Night

3 - First Reconciliation - 9am

4 - School Family Mass - 9am

5 - Early Dismissal - 2:30pm - Faculty Meeting

10 - School Board Parents' Event - Molloy's

14 - Athletic Board Meeting - 6:30pm

19 - Arch. Staff Dev. Mtg. - 12:20 Dismissal - Athl. Board Hot Dog Sale

20 - School Board Mtg. - 6:30pm - Annex Meeting Room

24 - Basketball Awards Night - Church Hall - 6:30pm

29 - 12:20pm Dismissal - Holy Thursday

- 9am Prayer Service (Full School Uniform)

30 - Good Friday - Holiday

31 - Cesar Chavez Day

Email: info@ssfallsoulsschool.org
Website: www.ssfallsoulsschool.org
Location: 479 Miller Ave, South San Francisco, CA, United States
Phone: (650) 583 3562