Christ is Alive

A Message From Pope Francis to Youth

Happy Easter! As we celebrate Easter Week 2019 we would like to pass on just a few highlights from the Apostolic Exhortation on the young that Pope Francis released April 2, 2019. 

• Christ is alive and he want you to be alive! 
• He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons you. However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One. He calls you and he waits for you to return to him and start over again. When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, he will always be there to restore your strength and your hope. 
• Samuel was still a young boy, yet the Lord spoke to him. Thanks to the advice of an adult, he opened hie heart to hear God's call: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." 1 Sam 3:9-10
• King Davis was chosen while still a boy. 
• A Jewish servant girl of the foreign commander Naaman intervened with faith and helped him to be cured of his illness. 2 Kg 5:2-6
• The young Ruth was a model of generosity...Ru 1:1-18
• Jesus...insisted that "the greatest among you must become like the youngest." Lk 22:26
• ...young people are also urged "to accept the authority of those who are older" 1 Pet 5:5
• "Urge the younger men to be self-controlled" Titus 2:6
• Jesus stands before you...and with all the power of his resurrection he urges you: "Young man, I say to you, arise!" Lk 7:14
• The heart of the Church is also full of young saints who devoted their lives to Christ...
• Saint Sebastian
• Saint Francis of Assisi
• Saint Joan of Arc
• Blessed Andrew Phu
• Saint Kateri Tekawitha
• Saint Dominic Savio
• Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
• Blessed Isadore Bakanja
• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
• Blessed Marcel Callo
• Blessed Chiara Badano (born in 1990)
• ...
• Dare to be more, because who you are is more important than any possession! 
• "God loves you." 
• "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you" Jer 31:4
• "For you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you." Is 43:4
• When he asks something of you, or simply makes you face life's challenges, he is hoping that you will make room for him to push you, to help you grow. He does not get upset if you share your questions with him. He is concerned when you don't talk to him...
• ...Christ, out of love, sacrificed himself completely in order to save you. 
• Are you looking for passion? ..."Fall in Love!"..."nothing is more practical that finding God, thank falling in love in a quite absolute, final way." 
• Youth, as a phase in the development of personality, is marked by dreams which gather momentum, by relationships which acquire more and more consistency and balance, by trials and experiments, and by choices which gradually build a life project. At this stage in life, the young are called to move forward without cutting themselves off from their roots, to build autonomy, but not in solitude.
• Through our friends, the Lord refines us and leads us to maturity. Faithful friends, who stand at our side in times of difficulty, are also a reflection of the Lord's love..."there is nothing so precious as a faithful friend." Sir 6:15
• I hope you will be serious enough about yourselves to make an effort to grow spiritually...
• Becoming a saint means becoming more fully yourself...
• ...I know that your young hearts want to build a better world...
• ..."it is impossible for us to grow unless we have strong roots to support us and to keep us firmly grounded" 
• "Stand in the the assembly of the elders. Who is wise? Cling to him...If you see an intelligent man, visit him; let your foot wear out his doorstep." Sir 6:34, 36
• For one of the greatest joys that any educator can have is to see a student turn into a strong, well-integrated person, a leader, someone prepared to give. 
• To respond to our vocation, we need to foster and develop all that we are...It has to do with finding our true selves in the light of God...
• ..."the family continues to be the principal point of reference for young people..." 
• ...it is important for young adults to nurture a vision, learn how to work in a truly personal and life-giving way, and continue to discern God's call. 
• Work is an expression of human dignity, a path of development and social inclusion...it is an opportunity to give glory to God...

• Dear young people,...keep running,...The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. 

Christus Vivit: Post-Synodal Exhortation

March was Reading Month at ASA

"You are never too old, to wacky, too wild, 

to pick up a book and read to a child." - Dr Seuss

March certainly WAS reading month at the All Saints Academy!  There were scheduled schoolwide times for all to Drop Everything and Read, literature related projects as well as various guest mystery readers--including moms, dads, grandparents, cousins, friends--even firefighters and a police captain! 

We enjoyed special themed dress days, such as Favorite Book Character and Comfy Reading Clothes Days. 

Incredibly, we were blessed by Kiwanis Club members with a donation of two bicycles that were raffled following an elementary campus reading challenge.  Our lucky winning ticket holders were Leo Z. and Isabella S.!  Congratulations to them and a great big THANK YOU to the Kiwanis Club for their generous donation!

Putting the Pieces Together

One Body Together in Christ 

“For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good work that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” Ephesians 2:10

At All Saints Academy we believe that we can ALL grow! Students and staff at ASA have been reflecting on their unique individual set of strengths and particular areas to grow. When you put those strengths and areas to grow onto a puzzle piece in pink and green it quickly becomes obvious that we were made to work together, to help each other grow! Our areas to grow can be supported by someone else's strengths, and we can also support others in their area to grow with our personal strengths. We can even work alongside others with similar strengths to continue to grow. Reflecting on all of the various pieces of ASA's puzzle, it's not hard to believe that through Christ we were brought together to grow in faith, learning, loving, and service as one community!

There are various puzzle piece displays in both of our buildings posted to serve as visual reminders to staff and students that their unique creativity and innovative gifts can be used to help others grow. These displays are also a reminder that there is always someone in the community with a strength that can help each of us grow! It is inspiring to consider what these puzzle displays would look like if we could add pieces for members of all of our families. These puzzles also provide a visual reminder that there is always room for our community to grow!

Imagine the puzzle God is creating as He continues to build the Body of Christ! 

At ASA we rely on the Holy Spirit as we work to prepare all learners to make a positive impact on others. Our teachers are tasked with supporting the spiritual, intellectual, moral, social, and physical development of all our students at all levels. Our partnerships with Christian Learning Center and the Program for Inclusive Education provide valuable strengths to our puzzle of learners. Programs like MobyMax and Osmo, opportunities that allow our 7th and 8th grade students to take classes at our local Catholic high schools or take placement tests for Algebra and Spanish II, all the individualization effort teachers invest, partnerships with Aquinas College, middle school homework club, Early Birds, math and reading smart groups and passion projects are just a few examples of how our teachers continually strive to meet the wide range of strengths and areas to grow of ALL of our individual learners!

As we engage in a strategic planning year it is valuable to evaluate programs and systems,  and also gather feedback and ideas so we can continue to strengthen and grow our All Saints Academy puzzle! 

“Now the body is not a single part, but many. 

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. 

If an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. 

If the whole body were an eye where would the hearing be? 

If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 

But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. 

If they were all one part, where would the body be? 

But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” 

1 Corinthians 12:14-20

Inspired by Changes...

To Make Dreams Possible 

For this week's blog we are sharing a very special reflection written by Brian and Marcie Schaab for the Program for Inclusive Education (PIE) at the University of Notre Dame about their experience at ASA and their dream to have all of their children learning together at a Catholic school.

You can read more about their story by clicking here. We are so blessed to have entire the Schaab family as part of the ASA family, and PIE as one of our community partners as we continue to strive to meet the needs of all learners at All Saints Academy.