Number 17

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

As the Church journeys through the Easter Season, we continually celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection. But it’s important to keep in mind that the point of this joy is the feast celebrated at Easter’s end: the holy feast of Pentecost. Pentecost, celebrated on the fiftieth and final day of the season of Easter, is a celebration of God the Holy Spirit flooding the hearts, minds, and souls of those who wish to live as members of the Body of Christ.

So Pentecost is the end of Eastertide in two senses. Pentecost is the final day of the Season of Easter. But more importantly, Pentecost is the end of Easter in the sense of being the goal of Easter.

Each Sunday of Easter, in its own unique way, helps us prepare for Pentecost. Jesus’ appearances in His Risen Body alert us more and more to the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, of which God calls us to be full members.

Last Sunday, we heard that on the very evening of the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles—except Thomas—and breathed upon them the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that they might be able to forgive the sins of fellow human beings. Just days earlier Jesus had died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins. Yet on the evening of the Resurrection, by giving to the apostles what St. John in the Book of Revelation calls “the keys of death and the nether world”, Jesus gave the apostles the power to free men and women from the prison of sin.

This Sunday we hear how Christ extended the gift of reconciliation to one of the apostles in a particular way. Like all the gifts that God gives, this gift of reconciliation was given to Saint Peter so that he would be a better disciple of Christ Jesus in his own particular manner. After commanding St. Peter in regard to the miraculous catch of fish—itself a symbol of the apostles’ ministry to be “fishers of men”—Our Risen Lord asks Peter a very simple question. This questions aims at reconciliation.

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” The fact that Jesus addresses this question to “Simon, son of John” instead of to “Peter” is significant. St. John the Evangelist, before the answer to Jesus’ question is given, refers to this man as “Simon Peter”; after the answer is given, the evangelist refers to him simply as “Peter”. We know that the name Peter means “rock”, and that it is upon this rock that Jesus built His Church. Nonetheless, until Peter repented publicly three times, in order to make up for his three-fold public denial of Jesus, Peter could not serve as Jesus wanted.

Only by assuring Jesus that he loved Him could he accept the name “Peter”. But notice also that in Jesus accepting Peter’s repentance, He also gives Peter a new command. Jesus commands him not only to be faithful to proclaiming His Name, as he had failed to do after the Last Supper. Jesus’ new command for Peter was something greater: “Feed my sheep.” Peter was not only to be “rock-solid”, so to speak, in preaching the Gospel. Peter was to be the Rock at the very heart of the Church, upon which the entire Church would rest. Just as the Israelites in the desert struck the Rock and found a source of living water, so the Church finds in the Rock of Peter the assurance that the words the Church teaches are the words of Jesus Himself. (reflection by Fr. Thomas Hoisington)

Dear Parent/Guardians,

I hope everyone had a Blessed Easter, celebrating the Risen Lord and spending time with family and friends.

Window Project Update and End of Year Last Week of School

I had the opportunity to visit the manufacturer yesterday out in Livermore where our new school building windows are being produced. You can see the progress of the windows from this link. I was very impressed with the manufacturing side of the project. They will certainly make a dramatic change to the Miller side of the school building.

As you are aware, we have been waiting for two years for the installation. When COVID hit, we had to place the job on hold. The demolition of the old windows will begin June 13th and the project should be completed early August. To prepare for the project we need to prepare the classrooms and all rooms facing Miller Ave. Scaffolding will be placed on Miller Ave. for the demolition side of the project. Once the demolition team has gutted the old windows, the new windows will slide into the window cavity. Quality control checks will continue throughout the project. Therefore, we have changed the time schedule for the last week of school.

The revised schedule will be as follows:

Monday, June 6th to Thursday, June 9th: 12:20 Dismissal - Minimum Days

Friday, June 10th: 8 am End of Year Mass followed by a Faith Family Activity. Pick-up will be 10am. No Extended Care.

The reason for having Monday and Tuesday for Minimum days is for the teachers to pack up all books and to start moving everything to the corridor side of the classroom. The demolition team need half of the room from the windows to the center of the room cleared.

By Thursday, this will be completed, and students will not be able to enter the building on Friday. Therefore on Friday, students will go to Mass and after Mass we will hold our Faith Family Activity in the Church Hall.

We may need parent assistance on the Thursday afternoon to move furniture from the window area to the center of the room. If your classroom teacher requests assistance, I hope people will be able to assist.

I wish to thank everyone for understanding why we need to change the schedule, especially the teachers who have the arduous task of packing everything up.

First Communion

This Saturday, our second graders and other students from various grades will be receiving the Sacrament of Communion. They have been preparing for the sacrament all year and I wish to thank Miss Villano for all her hard work in preparing the students for the Sacrament. First Communion Mass will occur at 9 am in the Church. All are welcome.

Family Mass Reminder

This Sunday we have our School Family Mass at 10:30am. Hosted by our Kindergarten and seventh grade students. All are welcome to join.

Washington DC Trip

Our 8th graders will be attending the Washington D.C. trip from Sunday, May 22nd, through Thursday, May 26th. I wish to thank Mr. Ceja for all his organization of the trip. We wish all attending a safe and pleasant time.

Bingo

Bingo resumes this Friday evening. I would request that all who have signed up for Bingo to please adhere to their commitment. Thanks to Mr. Derrick Wong for his organization skills in bringing Bingo back to the school and parish community. All proceeds from Bingo go towards the maintenance and capital costs of the school.

God Bless and Stay Safe,

Vincent Riener

Principal

Mrs. Carter is in need of parent volunteers to help take down artwork after the show is over and organize the art to send home with the students. If you can help with this on Thursday, May 19th between 5:30pm-8:30pm, or on Friday, from 10am-1pm, please contact Mrs. Carter at scarter@ssfallsoulsschool.org.

The All Souls Catholic School Grand Opening Sale has begun! Save 25% sitewide through May 1st! Choose from hundreds of designs and garments, all with fast home delivery. Plus, we have added new product lines including performance wear! Shop Now!

To view the Activities Description, CLICK HERE.

All Souls Catholic School offers financial assistance to families in two ways. BASIC Fund and the Archdiocese of San Francisco Scholarship Fund, referred to as TADS, are the two primary sources of financial assistance.

The Basic Fund deadline is March 31, 2023, and TADS is April 15, 2023.

Parents must follow the guidelines from these groups regarding deadlines for submissions of applications.

Please feel free to contact me if you encounter any issues or concerns.

Ms. Claudia Escobar

cescobar@ssfallsoulsschool.org

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

28 Agape - 2pm

30 First Holy Eucharist - 9:00am

1 School Family Mass - 10:30am

2 Early Dismissal - 2:30pm - Faculty Meeting

2-13 Star Testing

13 Fun Run

16 Staff Development Day - 12:20pm Dismissal

17 School Assembly - 2:30pm

17 School Board Meeting - 6:30pm

18 Art Show - Please See Flyer For Times

22-26 8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip

30 Memorial Day - Holiday

31 Student Body Farewell Mass - 9am (Full School Uniform)

Our Summer Programs is now open. Please feel free to share this information with your school community.

We have various offerings for all grade levels. More information on our programs and registration can be found here.