Monday, September 20, 2021

A Visit to St. Ann

Imagine a beautiful spring day. A young family comes to visit St. Ann. They have a 4-year old daughter walking in with them. The father is busy trying to control and entertain their 2-year old son in his arms. The mother has a beautiful newborn baby girl strapped tightly and sleeping quietly against her chest. They are new to the Bartlett area and looking for a Catholic home for their family. They are filled with excitement and some anxiety as they look for just the right school. Their daughter has not yet attended school because of the unknowns brought about from the pandemic. Now, it is time to let go and do something they have looked forward to yet dreaded for the some time now.

As they enter the school, Mrs. Westrich is the first to greet and welcome them to St. Ann. They have spoken on the phone in setting up the visit but have never met. They are quickly off on a tour where the parents meet Mrs. Morgan and Ms. Farm, our PK4 teachers. They see the PK4 students busy at work in the classrooms. As they are walking down the hall, they meet Mrs. Slattery in the computer lab where she has a wonderful and hilarious St. Ann story to share. They hear the children singing in Mr. Cooper's class and see them drawing in Ms. Lola's. A quick peek in the gym and they see Coach Angotti leading her students through a stretching exercise. They meet Fr. Ernie as he is heading back to his office after morning Mass. They are so thrilled and excited about their child attending at St. Ann.

As they come back into the office to get more information and learn about the enrollment process, there is still one question they have to ask. They know the cost of tuition because they read through the whole website. Being a young family on a single-income, they know they will need financial assistance to be able to afford to send their daughter to St. Ann.  As the father kind of shuffles back and forth, looking down at his feet, it is time for the question they have been afraid to ask. "Is there any financial aid available to help us?" For a few seconds, they hold their breath and anxiously await an answer.

How many of us have gone through exactly what this family is going through? Remember that feeling of not knowing if you would be able to afford to send your child to a Catholic school? How about the conversations regarding the sacrifices we were willing to make to give our children the best education possible? What if there is no financial aid available to help us? What will we do? What if there was no alumni support, no generous friends, no philanthropic families, no giving foundations, no annual fund drive, no fundraising events, and no Fall Fest to help families wanting a Catholic education for their children?

There are so many families who need your support to be able to send their children to a Catholic school. They want what's best for their children, but it is hard for young families to materialize money when they are starting their professional lives, raising children, and working to make ends meet.

Because we do have fantastic alumni support, generous friends, philanthropic families, giving foundations, an annual fund drive, fundraising events, and Fall Fest, we are able to provide tuition assistance to nearly 100 of our students.

Now, back to our question from the young family asking about financial aid. Mrs. Westrich's reply: "Yes, we have financial aid available. When you fill out the online registration, you can also fill out the financial aid form as well. Once we have all the information, we can evaluate and determine the level of financial aid you will need."

Thank you to the many alumni, friends, families, foundations, volunteers, donors, and supporters who come together to make Catholic education a reality for all families. Last school year's donor board is going up on the donor wall this week. As we kick off the fundraising for the 2021-22 school year, we would love to see your name on the donor board. Come join us. We need your love, kindness, and support. You give families hope and all of us a brighter future.

Click on the St. Ann seal to support a St. Ann family.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal



Wednesday, September 8, 2021

The Good We Do

This blog is a thank you to all the incredible people I work with who give and give and don't hesitate to throw themselves into their work especially when things get tougher and tougher as they have these past 18-months. These are the folks who see the beauty in the purposeful work God created them to do. They truly honor God by participating in their faith. 

The poem "As Kingfishers Catch Fire" makes me think about the good we do.  Am I the person God created me to be in doing His work? In this poem, there are two lines in particular that have me asking this question. 
The lines are "What I do is me: for that I came" and "Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is."

The way I interpret these two lines is if I am truly a participant in my faith, then I am to be the person God created me to be. Since God created me for a purpose and gave me certain talents, shouldn't I put those talents to good use by serving Him in doing His work? Am I to be seen in God's eye as He sees Christ?

The key is not to be an observer in my faith. Instead, I am to get knee-deep in my faith by putting my heart in the work I do. Christ taught us to participate in our faith by being doers of God's will and not observers. In Mark 7:6-7, Jesus recounted Isaiah's prophesy about the hypocrites who honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. Maya Angelou said, "Life is going to give you just what you put into it. Put your whole heart in everything you do."

This is also how I view James 2:26: "As the body without spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." I can have faith, but if I don't participate in that faith, isn't that a waste of who God created me to be? The good we do is our purpose. "What I do is me, for that I came."

Daily, I witness selfless people participate in their faith by spending countless hours and energy working to better those entrusted to our care. Being Catholic school educators is our ministry. The folks I work with definitely live their faith through the work they do, and get an A+ for participation. God has chosen us to do His work, and it is our responsibility to do our part to help build up the Kingdom of God in the hearts of our students.

Thank you and much love to the faculty and staff of St. Ann Catholic School. The good we do brings our students closer to heaven. You "fulfill your ministry with the affection of your heart." - St. John Baptist de La Salle

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

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