Dear Saint Andrew Families,

Greetings and Peace to you all!

A few weeks ago, we began our school day with the final Faith Family Assembly of this school year. Following the assembly, students transitioned into their Faith Family groups. During Faith Families, the students completed activities focused on learning about the virtue of the month and about the life of one of our saints of the month. In this way, our students continue to grow in faith together, learning about the lives of the saints and the virtues of our faith.

During the month of May we will be focusing on our last virtue of this school year, Responsibility, which is being reliable in your duties and accountable for your actions. In their roles as students, as brothers and sisters, as followers of Jesus, as sons and daughters, our children have many opportunities to practice the virtue of Responsibility. Whether it is being a responsible friend, or a responsible son or daughter; being a responsible student and a responsible child of God, we all have the chance to do our best to be persons for and with others. And for the times we fail, we can practice responsibility by owning our mistakes and seeking forgiveness of others and of God through confession.

We also discussed the lives of three holy people who lived out the virtue of Responsibility. Saint Henry II, Blessed Bartolo Longo, and Saint Peter all had great responsibilities in their lives. There is much we can learn from them about how to take responsibility and follow God’s will for our lives. Further information about these three holy individuals and how they forgave others can be found in further down in this Wildcat Way!

Throughout this month, our students, teachers, and families will all continue to practice and learn about the virtue of Responsibility. It is our hope that by intentionally teaching the virtues and applying them in our daily lives we can become ever more perfect in our holiness. Please find ways this month to celebrate, discuss, and practice the virtue of Responsibility in your homes as we continue to grow in this virtue together as a community of faith!

We wish you a restful and joyous summer and hope that you all continue to grow in Faith, Hope, and Charity!

May God bless you,

Paul Vanasse

Campus Ministries

Responsibility is doing our job and admitting or owning up to our mistakes. We all make mistakes in life. We can take responsibility by admitting when we have done something wrong and trying to fix our mistake. It can be easy to pretend that we did nothing wrong, or make excuses or blame something or someone else for our mistakes. But Responsibility helps us to admit our mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and move forward. When we are responsible we show others that they can depend on us.

Saint Peter

(1 BC-67 AD, Jerusalem/Rome)

Feasts: February 22 and June 29



One of the twelve Apostles who was first called by Jesus as he was fishing with his brothers. Saint Peter was not perfect, and in fact he made several mistakes in his life. But he always admitted them, learned from them, and worked to do better in the future.

When Jesus was arrested and on trial, Peter denied that he had ever known Jesus. Not once, not twice, but three times! Peter knew this was wrong, and felt ashamed. But when he saw Jesus again after the resurrection, he admitted his mistake and Jesus forgave him! Saint Peter was the first pope and the leader of the Church. He had a very important job and was responsible for leading the entire Church!   

Saint Peter, you asked Jesus to forgive you for denying Him, and he made you the first pope! Help me to be responsible. Amen. St. Peter, pray for us.

Saint Henry II

(972 - 1024, Germany)

Feast: July 13

Saint Henry II was born to a royal family in Germany. He eventually became the fifth Holy Roman Emperor! As Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Saint Henry was responsible for leading his people and caring for their needs. He always sought what was best for his people and the Catholic Church. He was known for his justice and kindness and humility. Once, Henry was so sorry for a mistake that he had made, he went to the Bishop of Cologne and begged for his forgiveness. He said that he would resign as Emperor so that he could live the rest of his life as a monk serving God. Saint Henry was counseled not to resign because God had given him the responsibility to be emperor and to care for the empire. Henry admitted his mistakes and remained faithful in his duties as Emperor.

Saint Henry, you fulfilled the duties God entrusted to you and faithfully served the people of your kingdom. Above all, you tried always to be faithful to Jesus, the true King of the world. Help me to be responsible for all my duties, and to grow in holiness by serving God and others. Amen. Saint Henry, pray for us."

Blessed Bartolo Longo  

(1841-1926, Italy)

Feast: October 6   



Bartolo was born in Italy in the 1800’s. He was raised Catholic but fell away from his faith in God and joined a satanist cult, where he became a leader. A dear friend of Bartolo helped him find his way back to God and his Catholic faith! Bartolo was helped by a Dominican Friar, Father Alberto, to leave the cult of evil that he had joined, and to turn his life around. Bartolo recognized his mistake of abandoning God and was able to come back to faith through the help of his friends and the receiving of the sacraments. He began working for a charity group who helped the poor, he married a Countess, and together they helped raise orphans and fund the education of seminarians (those studying to become priests. Blessed Bartolo also was devoted to Our Lady and the Rosary. He even started a yearly festival to celebrate the Rosary and helped build a shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy. Blessed Bartolo died in his home listening to the Rosary being prayed around his bed by the orphans he had helped raise. 

Blessed Bartolo Longo, although you had offended God severely, you turned back to Him in confession, and dedicated your life to reparation. Help us to be honest with ourselves, to take responsibility for our actions and sins, and to determine to change them for the glory of God. Intercede for us that we may have the strength to repent, as you did. Amen.

Blessed Bartolo Longo, pray for us."

In an assembly on Tuesday, one student per homeroom (Kindergarten - 8th) was recognized with a certificate for exemplifying the March virtue of Respect.

Congratulations to the following Wildcats and to all of our Wildcats who are living their faith everyday.

Looking ahead to next year: Next year will be the year of Faith in our virtue program! Throughout the year of Faith we will be learning about the Virtues and Saints listed in the chart below. while also focusing on the theme of Service. We look forward to continuing to grow in Virtue with you next school year!

“We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.” -Pope Francis

Our children are “worth it” as difficult as raising them may be at times. You have made the difference. I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to the Saint Andrew School community – parents, teachers, staff, and most importantly, students – for having faith in the journey of virtue as we joined together in moving forward in the light of Christ and virtue within our community and homes.

We have appreciated your feedback and support as it shows we live in our vision and mission as a Catholic school—

Mission

Saint Andrew Catholic School is a Christ-centered community working in partnership with families to instill our Catholic faith, to nurture a sense of service, and to academically challenge the next generation of leaders in our global society.

Vision

Saint Andrew Catholic School strives to shape the faithful hearts and minds of its students to serve God, the Body of Christ, the Church, and the greater community.

Enjoy the summer with your family and continue counting your blessings every time your children reveal virtue in their lives.

Summer could be a great time to build virtue in your family!

Our children spend a lot of time participating in sports, recreation, and social camps during the summer. And what about reading programs, tutoring and academic practice. How about a virtue camp using the virtues from this school year or the year to come.

Maybe do a virtue a week and tie it in to behavior by using the word often during the week to acknowledge virtues being used, or how virtues could have been used. Get the older siblings involved by having them create a project or presentation on the virtue of the week. I was amazed during the teacher of the day, when my counselor protégé began to mentor the younger children, we encountered. The younger students were engaged and tuned into what he had to offer. He shared his experiences and what he does in certain situations to help them. Never underestimate the power of sibling interactions!

Another idea is to get friends involved and maybe each family plan a morning or afternoon centered around the weekly virtue. This may include an activity, role playing or acting out a scene of good virtue use. The children could even put on a play for the parents! Your virtues camp can be as elaborate or as simple as your family’s time allows. The main goal is to keep the virtues alive in your family and reinforce observable positive behavior.

And finally, let us not forget about respect-the last virtue for this year! Respect is so important in the family; it helps promote a positive environment and helps family members feel appreciated and valued. It also promotes future sibling relationships when they reach adulthood. Insist on respect and your home, as difficult as it can be to address your children’s rivalry, it will pay off!

Angela Klütz and Cassandra Kneblik 

Counselors 

[email protected] 

[email protected]

VIRTUE ACTIVITY:



OWN UP: Admitting you were wrong and asking forgiveness.

OPINION: Ask God His opinion: ""Am I in the wrong?"" Listen humbly.

WHO: Who did I hurt?

NEXT TIME:   What made me do it? What will I do next time?

UNBURDEN:  Go to the person. Name the deed you regret. Explain why you did it and what you will do next time. ASK FORGIVENESS.

PAY EXTRA ATTENTION: Watch closely for small ways to show you like that person over the next few days, to mend the relationship."

Role-play these situations, naming the steps as you go.

• Your little sister wanted to play with you, but you told her to go away so that you could play with your friends.

• In gym class you pegged someone hard with the ball, and then got everyone to laugh at him.

• A friend told you something personal and you talked about it with several other students, which really hurt your friend's feelings.

• Someone was joking about one of your friends and you joined in. Later, you realized it was pretty mean. Your friend heard about it and you feel like a traitor.

Our 4th - 8th Grade students were blessed to have witnessed Francis Davis' Baptism at Mass yesterday. He is the brother of Sebastian (5th), Felicity (2nd), and Charlotte Joy (Kindergarten).