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Thursday Thoughts
December 4, 2008
Carlton Rider, Principal |
I wanted to share with
you four projects that were carried out
recently by our students with the guidance
of their teachers that affected many people
from many walks of life both locally as well
as a foreign country.
The first project involved our seventh
grade students and their teachers, Mrs. Lipp
and Miss Vajen in collecting school supplies
to alleviate the after effects of Hurricane
Ike in the Huston area. Supplies included
notebook paper, notebooks, pencils, pens,
and other such supplies. In a letter sent
on November 14, 2008 written by Sister
Cornelia Marie Knezek, SSCJ, Special
Assistant to the Superintendent for the
Archdiocese of Galveston-Huston, she said,
“The joy of receiving your gift and the
pleasure of opening the boxes and finding
such a variety of supplies can only be
compared to the spirit of Christmas. It
came early to our office today, thanks to
each of you. We will be distributing these
supplies to several of our schools. I thank
you, for them, in advance.”
The second project involved our eighth
grade students and their teachers, Mrs. Van
Evra and Mrs. Cummins. A former student of
St. Mary and Fisher Catholic, Elizabeth
Shumaker, recently returned from a trip to
Cusco, Peru. There she did volunteer work
for the organization, Aldea Yanapay. Her
work there included working with
underprivileged children at a school and
police station. After seeing the conditions
there, she wanted to help.
The children she worked with ranged
from babies to the age of 17. In their
short time on earth, they had already lived
lives that many people would never want to
imagine. The police station had only one
bathroom, and it was broken and dirty.
Dirty toilet water covered the floor daily.
The children had to tread through the water
to use the bathroom, most of the children
with broken shoes or no shoes at all. No
one could afford to fix the situation, so
Elizabeth decided to do something about the
unsanitary conditions and approached me for
our help in raising money.
Our eighth grade teachers decided to
help and sold paper stars for one dollar
that could be put on the students’ lockers.
The response by our students was
overwhelming! Over $1,000 was raised and
given to Elizabeth to take back to Cusco.
Elizabeth will be returning to Cusco for one
month in the next few days and will share
our donation with the authorities so that
the bathroom can be repaired.
The third project involved our third
grade students and their teachers, Mrs.
Foura and Mrs. Novena. The class collected
coats for the needy from not only our
families at St. Mary School but also from
families in our parish. A total of 178
coats were taken by the class to our St.
Vincent De Paul Shop the week of
Thanksgiving.
The fourth project involved a grub day
with all proceeds being given to the Brenden
P. Krannitz Scholarship Fund. Each student
was asked to donate $1.00 and over $750 was
collected and given toward this special
scholarship fund that provides financial
assistance to those in need.
Why do I share with you these very
noble and worthwhile projects? As we begin
a new church year with the season of Advent,
I am reminded, as are all of us, about the
end of time. The Gospel readings at this
time of the year point to Christ coming at
the end of the world and our own final
judgment when our time arrives. A recent
Sunday Gospel reading gives us the answer as
to what it takes to merit eternal life in
heaven. It’s in Matthew’s Gospel 25: 31-46,
the Gospel about the final judgment where
Jesus separates the sheep from the goats.
To the sheep on his right side, Jesus says
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world. I was hungry
and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave
me drink, naked and you clothed me, ill and
you cared for me. Whatever you did to the
least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Can you guess where the goats or those on
his left side went and why they went there?
If this is how we will be judged at our
final judgment, recognizing Jesus in the
less fortunate and down-trodden, I would say
that involvement in projects such as those
mentioned above will put all who participate
or become involved on the side of the sheep.
Let’s hope that this willingness to help
others continues for the rest of our lives!
Previous Messages:
November 27, 2008
November 20, 2008
November 13, 2008
November 6, 2008
October 30, 2008
October 23, 2008
October 16, 2008
October 9, 2008
October 2, 2008
September 25, 2008
September 18, 2008
September 11, 2008
September 4, 2008
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