Having celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord, we now mark and honour his Baptism. The word ‘Epiphany’ means to show or reveal. Jesus was shown and revealed as the Saviour and light for the whole world and all peoples for all time. Tradition suggests to us that after his baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, Jesus began his public ministry of healing, teaching and proclaiming the Good News of Gods Kingdom especially to the poor. The Baptism of Jesus then is another epiphany or revelation of God’s power and presence in and through the person of Jesus.

This is first highlighted in the reading from Isaiah; ‘The Lord says, here is my servant, whom I strengthen, my chosen in whom I delight. I have filled him with my spirit.’ By the time of Jesus people have seen this as a description of the long awaited and promised Messiah; the chosen One of God. In the gospel, we are told that when Jesus emerged from the water, that ‘The Spirit, like a dove, descended on him, and a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my Beloved; my favour rests on you.’ This then is the moment of epiphany when the true identity and nature of Jesus revealed, not only to those who were present but to each of us today. Jesus is the Chosen One of God for all time and for all people. To see the face of Jesus is look into the very eyes of God. To hear Jesus speak is to hear the very voice of God. Jesus is called intimately by God and confirmed as the Saviour of the world. Jesus not only knows who he is, he also knows from where he comes and to whom he belongs. His identity and mission comes from God, not himself. Jesus is Emmanuel; God-is-with-us.

We often spare no expense in remembering and celebrating our own or others birthdays with presents, gifts, cards and parties. These are very good and proper things to do as we recall the day our friends, family members and loved ones were born and came into our lives. When they were born they became part of and changed our family forever. We can’t imagine our lives without them and the joy they bring us every day.

Why don’t we recall, remember and celebrate our own and others Baptism when we became sacred and royal members of God’s family. Through our baptism, whether as a child or an adult, we became Sons and Daughters of God, Brothers and Sisters of Jesus and each other. Through our Baptism we become members of God’s Family and Household. At the very moment of our baptism, God spoke the very same words to us that Jesus himself heard; ‘You are my Beloved; my favour rests on you.’ If we only appreciated and realized the power of these words. Each of us is personally created and loved by God. This is what God says to each of today and every day; Do not be afraid, I call you by your name; you are mine. You are precious in my eyes and I love you.’ (Isaiah 43.1,4) (Br Michael Moore OMI)

We start a new year with “Hope”. A year that we can recover and look to the future. Life for many of us has certainly changed this past year, but fortunately through the grace of God, we have our Faith to guide us.

It was nice to read the hopes from our students the other day when they wrote on the Padlet their hopes for 2021.

For the time being all, we can do is to hang in there and wait for the vaccinations to occur and to follow the recommendations from the public health department and from the governor.

We were fortunate enough to have our technology infrastructure in place to carry on with distance learning and now with hybrid learning. I am assuming this will be the norm till June unless things change.

The next intake into hybrid learning will occur on Monday, February 1st. If you wish to change from distance learning to hybrid learning please email me at principal@ssfallsoulsschool.org by Wednesday, January 27th.

Kindergarten and Preschool Enrollment

We are in the process of accepting new Kindergarten enrollments for the 2021-2022 school year. If you know of anyone looking for a kindergarten, please direct them to Mrs. Cierra, the Admissions Director. For Preschool admissions please contact Mr. Liu at preschool@ssfallsoulsschool.org.

2021-2022 School Re-Enrollment

I wish to give you a heads up that re-enrollment will begin in March. The fee of $325 for each child will be required at the time of re-enrollment. We are currently preparing budgets for the new school year and every effort will be made to balance the budget with little tuition increase.

COVID – TEST

The next COVID-19 testing date will be January 25th in the Church Hall. Click here to register.

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

Dear All Souls Families,

You can now pay and add credit to your child/children's cafeteria account through SchoolSpeak. Your payment will be processed through PayPal with a 3% convenience fee for all transactions.

Sign-in to your SchoolSpeak account and select "Lunch Order" in the quick links menu on the left. The "Pay" tab will direct you to your payment options. You may pay the cafeteria balance through your existing PayPal account or as a guest using your credit or debit card. You may also add credit to your child/children's cafeteria account. If you wish, you may still make cash or check payments to the school office.

Please note, for the families that have a credit card on file I will no longer be charging your credit card for lunch payments. You are responsible for paying and adding credit to your cafeteria account.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Regards,

Ms. Escobar

18- Martin Luther King Jr.Day - Holiday

19- Archdiocesan Staff Development Day - Student Holiday

19- School Board Mtg. - 6:30pm

25- COVID Testing - Church Hall

26- School Assembly - 2:20pm

29- Faculty Meeting - 12:20pm Dismissal

Please check with all providers regarding current summer program dates, times,

and other important information.