Weekly Principal’s Message

This week’s Principal’s Message is a wish for a “Happy New Year” from Saint Mary School.  It’s a desire for all in the Saint Mary School & Parish community, and beyond, to look ahead with renewed excitement and hope for better things to come.  As we look back on 2019, I’m sure there’s much that makes us sad.  There have probably been difficulties and troubles throughout the past year that seemed insurmountable, but we can never give up hope.  Our hope lies in our belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, after being in the tomb for three days, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the day when we will also be in Paradise with Him.
 
As Catholic Christians, we see 2020 as an opportunity to “begin again”, to keep those promises we made in the past and neglected to fulfill.  We know that resolutions typically last about 30 days and, by the time February rolls around, they are tossed on the trash heap of other unrealized resolutions of the past.  Well, I’m here to tell you, as someone who always makes well-intended resolutions that never seem to “stick”, that the secret to making resolutions that result in substantive change is self-discipline.  That’s right, it takes discipline to make positive changes in our lives, and I would have to believe that all New Year’s resolutions are intended to address our perceived shortcomings in an attempt at self-improvement. 
 
So, in addressing the need for discipline to make positive changes in our lives, it would benefit us to build discipline capacity by taking a very small, but important step.  This would be to begin and end our day with prayer and the reading of Scripture.  Carving out a bit of time during the day can be a difficult task once we wake up and put our feet on the floor.  The normal busyness takes over and we struggle just to keep our heads above water accomplishing all that’s required of us during the day.  Rather than trying to fit this into our already jam-packed daily schedules, I will make a few suggestions: wake up 15-30 minutes earlier and use this time to pray and read.  It’s a great way to start your day and after only a few “sessions”, you’ll find yourself upset with yourself when you don’t spend this time with the Lord.  Hence, it becomes a habit and you’ve made a positive change in your life.  A few resources that will make this “resolution” easier would be The Magnificat and The Word Among Us.  Both monthly booklets will provide you with daily Scripture readings, meditations on the readings and prayers that can be recited in response to the readings. Once you’ve committed to this practice, you’ll find it easier to develop other resolutions and be more confident of keeping them in the future.                 
 
Please check our website, Facebook page and the Church bulletin for updates and upcoming events that you can enjoy with us.  Please continue to pray for our school, its staff, students and families, and our clergy as we strive to provide an education that is unapologetically Catholic, family centered, caring to others and respectful to all. 
 
Craig Palmer
Principal