The Messenger
A Publication of St. Gabriel the Archangel School 2/28/2024
Dear Fabulous Families -
- Next Monday, second grader, Oliver M. gets to be Principal of the Day thanks to some great bidding at last year's auction! He wanted everyone to know that he is declaring next Monday, March 4 a Dress Down Day. Oliver wants everyone to wear apparel from their favorite sports team along with their crocs (if they have them). Bosco sticks are also a choice for school lunch on Monday. So, just in case, your children come home talking about an announcement for a Dress Down Day and Bosco sticks, it is all true!!
- The next round of volunteer opportunities at Claver House are taking place. See the sign up below to help prep garden beds and plant seedlings. Sign up for a great time of parent-child service to others.
- This Sunday is the Second Grade Family Mass and Donut Sunday. We look forward to seeing our second graders at the 10:00 am Mass!!
NEW! Please note that the link for second semester lunch and recess duties are below:
Coming home today in the yellow envelope:
Nothing
Reminder: Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to Mrs. McEnery by noon on Monday. Graphics should be a jpg or png. In the subject line, please put "Newsletter".
Tonya McEnery
Principal
St. Gabriel the Archangel
Claver House - Volunteer Garden Opportunities
Claver House Community Garden: We need volunteers to help with garden clean up on Saturday March 9th 9-12 and with planting on Saturday April 13th 9-12.
Thanks to those who have already signed up. We have enough people starting seedlings at home.
8th Grade Pizza Fundraiser
THE 8 TH GRADE CLASS OF 2024 IS SELLING DELICIOUS, FROZEN,
ST LOUIS STYLE, 12” PIZZAS FROM ST LOUIS CITY PIZZA.
AN 8 TH GRADER OF YOUR CHOOSING WILL DELIVER TO YOUR DOOR!
THERE ARE 10 DIFFERENT TYPES OF PIZZAS TO CHOOSE FROM
ORDERS MUST BE PLACE BY FRIDAY, MARCH 8 TH
DELIVERIES WILL BE MADE THE WEEK OF MARCH 18 TH
DON’T WANT TO ORDER PIZZA, BUT STILL WANT TO SUPPORT THE CLASS OF 2024?
YOU CAN MAKE A DONATION INSTEAD, LOCATED BELOW THE PIZZA OPTIONS
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO ORDER PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE 8 TH GRADE CLASS OF 2024!
Girls On the Run - Open for Registration
Girls on the Run Registration for the spring session is now open! Visit GOTR STL.org to register your girl today!
We are STILL in need of coaches for the Spring 2024 Girls on the Run season. Specifically looking for parents of 3rd and 5th grade girls who are wanting to participate.
Practices will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:00pm March 4th through May 11th. Coaches ONLY need to be able to commit to ONE practice per week but girls need to commit to BOTH practices each week. No running experience necessary, just the desire to move! See flyer for more info and contact Erin.d.backes@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved.
Totus Tuus
Registration Open
Totus Tuus will return to St Gabriel’s this summer during the week of June 23-28th.
The day program is for school aged children entering grades 1st-6th from 9 am - 3 pm in the school. There is also an evening program for those entering 7th-12th grade at 7:30 pm in the Gabriel House.
For those who are unfamiliar with Totus Tuus, it is a Catholic youth program led by missionary and seminarians from across Missouri who are dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic Faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship through Confessions, Mass, and Adoration! This is also an opportunity for high school students to volunteer who are in need of completing service hours!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Faith Kremer at vfaithkremer@gmail.com or 314-712-4433.
https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=181c224e-b66c-4824-a650-161d1b700f08
Parish Vocation Chalice Program - Summer Dates Added
To promote family prayer and awareness of vocations to the priesthood the Vocation Chalice Program has been reinstated on Sundays at the 10 am mass. Each week the priest celebrating mass will call the family to the altar after communion to receive the Chalice and prayers for the week. The family will be given the chalice to take home, place it in a prominent place, and pray daily for vocations to the priesthood.
Prayer is a moving force in vocation development. Prayer is effective; prayer is powerful; prayer is essential. Few are called to the priesthood, but all are called to pray for vocations. The Vocation Chalice Program is a wonderful way to involve our whole St Gabriel parish family, especially our children, in praying for vocations, and in uniting in perpetual prayer for vocations to the priesthood.
If you would like to sign up, please see the signup genius below. For further information or questions regarding the Vocation Chalice Program please contact parishioner Faith Kremer at vfaithkremer@gmail.com or 314-712-4433
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F4DAEAE2CA5F94-45592287-sunday
Auction
Protecting God's Children / Safe Environment Training
- Reminder from last week: Important - All volunteers need to successfully complete the mandated Archdiocesan Protecting God's Children/Safe Environment Training. Before signing up for lunch duty/recess duty, field trips, etc., volunteers must have this completed. Please use the following link to find the complete information from the church website: mandated training information. Please direct questions to our parish secretary and Child Safety Coordinator, Eileen Garavaglia, at 314-353-6303 Ext. 110 or garavagliae@stgabrielstl.org.
7th Grade Students Volunteer at Southside Day Care
Religious Education Information and Resources
Dear Parents,
This coming Sunday we celebrate Mass with our second grade families at 10:00 am. We look forward to praying together.
The three actions on which we focus during Lent are: pray, fast, and give alms (do service). Our 7th graders continue with their service project at Southside Early Childhood Center. (See photos above.)
This Lent, our community is participating in CRS Rice Bowl, a Catholic Relief Services program that invites us to encounter God and our global family through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Through CRS Rice Bowl, we encounter communities in Uganda, El Salvador and Indonesia and learn how issues like hunger and climate change are impacting our sisters and brothers around the world. Together, we will reflect on our participation in the body of Christ and how the Eucharist—the Bread of Life—compels us to share bread for life with all members of our human family.
The CRS Rice Bowls are being sent home today. There is a calendar inside of the rice bowl with a daily prayer that can be used and an action.
Dear Jesus,
You call us, as members of the body of Christ, to serve one another.
This Lent, may we be your eyes to see with compassion.
May we be your hands and feet, to serve with love.
By meeting you in the Bread of Life, may we joyfully share bread for life with all members of our global family.
Amen
https://www.crsricebowl.org/families
Prayer Resource:
The School Sisters of Notre Dame have a virtual prayer space to pray for peace.
SSND Prayer Room: Open on Fridays from 9am- 9pm Central Time.
https://ssnd.org/ssnd-virtual-prayer-room/
It is our privilege to partner with you in your child's religious formation. Students attend Mass twice weekly. See below for our Mass days and for which homeroom is in charge of Mass planning. Masses are at 8:00 am. Please join us whenever you are able!
Tuesdays
3/5 3P
3/12 4H
3/19 2O
3/26 2G
4/9 2A Baptism Mass
Wednesdays
3/6 6W
3/13 6D
3/20 6B
3/28 5W
4/10 5P
Thursdays
2/29 2A
3/7 1M
3/14 3B
3/21 Patrick House-Collection for Saint Patrick Center
3/28 Holy Thursday-No School
This school year, we are hoping to build community by having a grade level Family Mass once a month at the parish's Sunday 10 am Mass. We are excited to see families come together at the weekend parish Mass.
Family Mass Schedule:
2nd Grade- March 3rd
K and 1st Grade- April 21st
Sacrament Dates 2023-2024
Confirmation-Thursday, April 25th 7:00pm, at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church
Confirmation Retreat Day- April 23rd
First Communion Parent Meeting- Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 pm in church
First Communion- Sunday, May 5th at 2 pm
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Come pray with us!
Deborah DaLay
Coordinator of Religious Education
Calendar Dates for 2023-2024
Dates below are subject to change and additional days will be added as we continue to plan for the year. Dates are also posted on the Google calendar located on our website.
MARCH DATES
March 8 - Planning & Collaboration - Noon Dismissal
March 21- First Communion Parent Meeting
March 23 - Auction, 6:00 pm
March 24 - Palm Sunday
March 28 - Holy Thursday - No School
March 29 - Good Friday - No School
March 31 - Easter
APRIL DATES
April 1-5 - Spring Break
April 16 - Grandparents Day (NEW)
April 17-19 - 6th Grade Camp
April 22-23 - Book Fair (NEW)
April 23 - Confirmation Retreat
April 25 - Confirmation, 7:00 pm
April 26 - 8th Grade Only Off School (day after Confirmation)
April 26 -28 - 8th Grade - Youth Ministry Luke 18 Retreat
MAY DATES
May 3 - 2nd Grade Jesus Day
May 5 - 2nd Grade - First Communion, 2:00 pm
May 7 - Vocal Concert, 7 pm (Grades Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and Honor Choir)
May 8 - Band Concert, 7 pm
May 7 & 8 - Art Fair during concerts
May 10 - Field Day - Noon Dismissal
May 17 - 7th Grade Leadership Day
May 17 - Mystery Day
May 21 - 8th Grade Graduation, 6:00 pm
May 24 - Last Day of School, Noon Dismissal
JUNE DATES
June 23-28 - Totus Tuus
For the 2024-2025 Calendar, click here.
Welcome to ARCHANGEL YOUTH MINISTRY (AYM) covering the parishes of the St. Louis Hills neighborhood (St. Gabriel & St. Raphael). AYM is open to all high school teens. No sign-up necessary and teens do not need to be from the St. Louis Hills parishes to participate. High schoolers can attend on a regular basis or drop-in as it fits their schedule.
Sunday evenings (6:45-8:15pm in Gabriel House) include snacks, socializing, at least one game, a talk, and discussion time. Teens are encouraged to bring a friend to share in the fun.
PROGRAMMING CHANGE:
Please know, beginning March 3rd AYM will not have Life Teen Nights due to the planning of the LUKE 18 Retreat. All high schoolers who are on the LUKE 18 Team will continue to attend Sunday evenings. Any high schoolers who are not on the LUKE 18 Team are welcome to attend the planning meetings, but please know the format will be different and meetings will run from 6:45-9:00 pm.
Life Teen Nights and Social Nights will resume in May.
WHAT'S ON THE SCHEDULE:
Sunday, Mar. 3rd - LUKE 18 Planning Mtg. #1
Monday, Mar. 4th - Stations of the Cross Practice #1
Sunday, Mar. 10th - NO AYM
Monday, Mar. 11th - Stations of the Cross Practice #2
LOOKING AHEAD:
Silhouette Stations of the Cross | Moved to March 27th at 8pm
LUKE 18 Retreat | April 26th - 28th | for 8th graders, led by high schoolers | Registration is open and will remain open until Feb. 29th or until we reach max capacity. There is room for 30 eighth graders to attend. Don't delay your registration! A waiting list will be created if we reach capacity. Please email Sarah with any questions or to be put on the waiting list. hendersons@stgabrielstl.org
Steubenville Conference | July 12th - 14th | 8th - 12th graders | For those interested in attending but missed the registration deadline, extra spots were purchased by AYM. Please email Sarah if interested in one of those spots; only TWO remain. If there is additional interest, a waiting list will be created. hendersons@stgabrielstl.org
SMILE! Make Your Appointment for the Parish Directory
The Pictorial Directory Committee is excited to announce that, coinciding with St. Gabriel’s 90th anniversary, a new parish pictorial directory is planned for this year! Much has changed in the ten years since the last pictorial directory was published and we want EVERY parishioner to be included.
Photo sessions will take place May 9th – 25th. To sign up for a photo session, go to ucdir.com and click on the "Photography Appointment Scheduling Login" box on the right. Our church code is mo317 and the password is photos. Once you select a date and time, you will receive a confirmation email.
Look for more details in the weeks ahead in the bulletin, on the parish website and Flocknotes.
For questions, contact Jack or Claudia Wright at 314-353-3527.
Here's the SignUpGenius Link for Tuesday Adoration during Lent.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CAAAE23AAFBC16-47586150-lenten#/