Our Spiritual Theme
Our Spiritual Theme: We Walk by Faith
October Focus: We Walk by Faith... in Understanding
Spiritual Reflection by Miss Sheila O'Callaghan
People are much more aware of the Earth during the month of October. Perhaps this is because they want to enjoy the outdoors before the weather gets colder. We are also aware there are no more crops until next spring.
The interest in the Earth should be carried into our prayers. There is a beautiful story called the Song of the Three Children from the book of Daniel. An evil king threw three children into a fire because they refused to give up their faith in God. But the children did not die. Instead, they stood up in the fire and called on all creation to sing God’s praises. Then the king joined in their song.
We Walk by Faith is our religious theme for this school year. There is no better example than the Song of the Three Children. They certainly did Walk by Faith.
On October 6, we remember William Tyndale, an English priest. He translated the Bible from Latin to English. William Tyndale had a great love for the word of God. He gave his life so that people could read the Bible for themselves. We can be thankful for William Tyndale when we read the Bible in our own language.
On October 7, we celebrate Our Lady of the Rosary. To pray the Rosary we repeat the “Hail Mary” many times. With each set of ten “Hail Marys” we think about a different mystery in the life of Jesus. If you want to read about the “Birth of Jesus”, the third joyful mystery, go to Luke 2: verses 1, 3-7.
We remember St. Denis on October 9. Long ago he brought the good news of Jesus to France. He is buried in one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Paris. The church of Saint Denis is so beautiful that people built other churches in the same style. They are called Gothic churches.
We have just celebrated the Feast of St. Francis. It is a special time to bless our pets and be like Francis, who loved all animals. If you would like to bless your pets, hold out one hand over the animals in blessing and say:
Lord, with love and compassion watch over our pets and all the animals. Keep them in health. Guard them against trouble. May the wisdom of Saint Francis and our love for these animals deepen our respect for all your creation. Amen.
Please pray for the sick, especially Fr. Mink, Mrs. Miriam Harris, Oliver Conaty, and all the sick of our parish. Please continue to pray for Maureen Engelbert. Pray also for our Armed Forces and First Responders.
In Honor of Miss O
One of our school parents, Christopher James, father of two students at St. Ann School, is turning 50 and has decided to "celebrate" by challenging himself to run 50 laps (or 12.5 miles) at a local track. He's calling it 50 Laps Around The Sun.
He writes "I thought it would be great to do this as a charity fundraiser and I've chosen The Spirit of St. Francis Fund. This fund was initiated in honor of Sheila O'Callaghan, known to many as "Miss O," in celebration of her 50 years of service to The St. Ann School in Wilmington. The Spirit of St. Francis Fund helps embrace diversity and provide the opportunity for under-served families in our community to access a Catholic education. Thank you, Mr. James!
To help support this worthy fundraiser and help Christopher reach his goal, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/50-laps-around-the-sun
To find out more about The Spirit of St. Francis Fund visit the webpage : https://www.stannwilmington.com/misso
Reminders from the Admissions Office
- The 2024-2025 School Directory is published! You can find it on the website: https://www.thesaintannschool.org/parents/school-directory A passkey is needed for access to the school directory. Parents may call the office if they need the passkey.
- A reminder: information on tuition assistance and applications for the 2025-26 school year is available here: https://www.thesaintannschool.org/admissions/tuition-fees
Student Life Notes
Band Lessons Begin Monday 10/7
Mrs. Wilson is eager to begin band lessons tomorrow! Students are grouped according to instrument and grade and classes rotate order.
Lesson Schedule for Monday 10/7:
- Group 1: Clarinets
- Group 2: Flutes
- Group 3: Percussion
- Group 4: Saxophone & Tenor Saxophone
- Group 5: Trombone & 4th Grade Trumpet
- Group 6: 5-7th Grade Trumpet
No Lessons Monday 10/14 (School Holiday)
Lessons on Monday 10/21 will begin with Group 2.
SAS Game Club
Game Club starts this week!
Registered 3-5th grade students will meet on October 9, 16, 23, and 30 from 2:45 PM to 3:30 PM in the Art Room.
Questions can be directed to Mrs. Kuha at ckuha@thesaintannschool.org.
Join Mink's Mustangs for the Annual Kidney Walk!
Father Mink is a recipient of a kidney transplant on October 30th, 2018. The Kidney Walk this year will be held at Glasgow Park, on October 20th beginning at 9am. We will again walk as a team: Mink's Mustangs. If you cannot attend and participate on that date and time, you can pledge to walk on your own or help raise funds to support the National Kidney Foundation and its innovation in research, advocacy and transplantation.
Sign up here: https://www.kidneywalk.org/northernde/Minksmustangs
