Dear Parents, Guardians, and Friends of OLMC,

Never has afternoon carpool dismissal at OLMC been so charged with excitement.  Even as I was walking children to their cars, parents were streaming news from Rome and I was asking parents if we heard yet who the new pope was.  Within a few minutes we met our new Holy Father Francis I, who asked for prayers from us, and gave us his first papal blessing.  Most newscasters are surmising that Francis I is taking his papal name for St. Francis of Assisi, the famous founder of the Franciscan Order, who lived in the late 12th century.  St. Francis is one of the best loved saints of our time - for his gentle demeanor, his love for nature, and even his legendary communication with animals.  St. Francis is also famous for choosing to live his life in stark contrast with the excessively worldly ways around him.  He preached repentance and conversion to those who lived in a time of inordinate luxury.  Excess was embedded into the society of his time.  Perhaps we too need a Francis in our day to remind us of what is most important in life! 

Throughout the day today and tomorrow, there will be rallies in major cities all over the United States to celebrate and support the new Holy Father.  These can be viewed at Pope Election Rally. It is a great reminder that Christ remains with us in His Church. Most of us are not too familiar with Pope Francis when he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio - what his ideas are, what his experience, his abilities, etc.  But we do know that Christ is the head of the Church and the pope will lead the Church, steadied by the promise of Christ that he cannot teach anything in faith or morals that is erroneous. He will strive to provide clear direction for Christians, and all men and women of good will who are trying to live upright and holy lives in the midst of our current culture.  

On another note, it is also an exciting time right here at OLMC. We are planning to provide summer camp opportunities throughout the summer for children ages 3 and older. Before offering and presenting an entire program, we would like to know your interests. Would you please take the time to complete the survey at the link at the end of the paragraph. Even if you do not plan to use summer camps, it would be most helpful if you would open the survey and indicate that on the first question. We are trying to gather accurate data. The camps would be themed each week, are offered on a part time or full time basis, and are open to all children. A fully qualified and licensed staff will support the summer camps. 2013 Summer Camp Survey.  

I am sure most of us are just looking toward spring break, but I am also anticipating our Faith Day, which lies just beyond spring break. Our school wide Faith Day this year falls on April 24th. More on the logistics of this day can be found in the Crusader Connection for the month of April which will come out soon. The catechetical and spiritual portion of the day will focus on three gospel scenes, each of which explains a meaningful encounter between Peter and Jesus. (It is all so fitting that Peter will be our guide for Faith Day as we get to learn about our new pope in the coming weeks.)   One of these encounters is captured in a famous Latin phrase, Duc in altum. It is the phrase that translates Jesus' command to Peter, Put out into the deep waters and lower your nets for a catch. If you recall the scene, Peter and his partners were professional fisherman. They had been out all night and had caught nothing. Jesus arrived on the shore and stepped into Peter's boat. (This simple detail is of extraordinary importance for those of us who see the connection between Peter, the first Pope, and his teaching authority. This authority comes from Jesus being "in the boat" or "in the church" with him.) Jesus spent a little time teaching the crowd which had gathered, and then said to Peter, Duc in altum. Peter - the professional fisherman - replied, in so many words, Master, I know what I'm doing here. I'm a fisherman. We've been out all night and there were no fish. I'm tired. We've just washed our nets. But...(and here the "but" is a just enough space for faith to enter in) at your word, I will lower the nets. And we know the rest of the story. The nets were so full of fish that Peter had to call his partners in the other boat to help him take in the fish, and both boats were so full that they were beginning to sink. The catch of fish was an absurd volume. It was so shocking that Peter immediately recognized, by faith, that this Jesus is someone who has power from God. All circumstances showed that Peter should not be able to catch any fish that morning, but at your word, at the word of God Himself who created the fish, the world, each of us, and knows their and our design...at His words, all things come to be as they should be. It is obedience to the word of God - obedience through faith - that enables Peter to do what he could never do without faith and obedience. Our obedience to God is a blessed act. God is so pleased with obedience, not for His sake, but for ours, that He blesses it a hundredfold. He says to the Pharisees "It is obedience I desire, not sacrifice." Sacrifice fulfills an obligation, but obedience is something done in love. We prove our love through our obedience, but we are always the ones who benefit from this. God cannot benefit - He has absolutely everything He needs in Himself. This Scriptural passage about Peter and Jesus is a wonderful meditation for us in our relationship to God, but also for parents and teachers of children. This virtue of obedience is a goldmine for holiness and success. Our children need to learn how to obey lawful authority, such as parents, teachers, and trusted adults, from a loving heart. This prepares them to listen to and be obedient to God. Great spiritual writers assert, "he who cannot obey cannot hope to lead." To read the entire passage and meditate on it, you can go to the following link:  Duc in Altum

If you are interested in volunteering to prepare for Faith Day through organizational efforts and planning efforts, joining a Faith Family on that day and helping to support the adult leader, or taking times of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the gym when students are engaged in other activities, please email me at  principal@olmc-school.com and we will arrange an informational and planning meeting. Many thanks for all you do to support the academic, social, and spiritual aspects of the school.  

With prayers for your families,

Sister Dominic, O.P.