Pastor’s Letter & June 6 Bulletin

Pastor’s Letter & June 6 Bulletin

4 Jun 2021 | Posted by: chadmin

The June 6 bulletin is available online.

Dear friend,

There was a noticeable change on campus this week. With the school year ending, the number of souls that daily come to campus greatly decreases. A much deserved rest for our teachers and students from all the challenges to the academic year. Looking back on the year, I don’t know that St. Philomena staff could have done a better job. There will be lots of questions about how this whole pandemic was handled locally, nationally and world-wide; but, in general I think everyone has tried to do their best. We certainly saw that here locally. Everyone just tried to roll with the changes and do the best for the kids. In general, I think that is the most successful aspect of this school year. The St. Philomena staff focused on implementing what was best for the kids, even when it was personally challenging. As we kept the kids in classroom bubbles this year, our Junior High teachers rotated from classroom to classroom, instead of the kids coming to them. By the end of the year, I felt like we should buy each teacher a new set of shoes for the amount of walking they did from class to class each day. Each teacher has his/her own story about this year, but it is certain that not one teacher was saved from making many personal sacrifices to make the school year successful. Thank you to every employee on our campus!

With Illinois currently on the Bridge to Phase 5, we’ve all seen the removal of many limitations. We have started talking about the next school year and any considerations that will be necessary. Hopefully we have a successful full reopen into Phase 5 which will clearly allow a normal school opening in the fall. We will certainly keep an eye on this as we plan for August. As far as the church, we will remove the rest of the pew barriers soon. The signage will also come down. I plan to put the holy water back in church, after I can remember where I stored the holy water dishes last spring! For those that like a little more distance between people, I always advise people to sit near the front of church. The transmissibility of the virus on touchable surfaces is less significant than originally thought. The use of holy water upon entering church is to remind us of our baptismal status and invite God’s blessing. It is certainly an optional devotion and not required by those who enter church. As with all things right now, proceed with caution at your own comfort level.

This past week, St. Philomena hosted Sr. Mary Rose from the Nashville Dominicans. She is an expert in the Montessori-based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. CGS is a faith education program for our 3-year-olds through 3^rd graders. Special thanks to our teachers for graciously accepting the timing of this training the week after ending school. This program has successfully helped our children grow in their understanding of the Christian faith and foster a personal relationship with Jesus. I am hopeful this will continue to guide our children for many years. Thank you to Sister for traveling to us and bringing her wisdom, expertise, faith and love. Have a great week.

God bless,

Father David