While October is Respect Life Month, we also remember that life continues after death in our Lord, Jesus Christ.  November 2 is the feast of All Souls. We remember all who have died, especially those members of our family, and celebrate their lives.  We also remember to pray for their souls. With this in mind, the sixth grade class had a special Day of the Dead celebration on Monday, November 3rd.  This custom is borrowed from our brothers and sisters in Mexico and is a great way to remember those who have gone before us and pray for their souls.  Sixth grade students brought a picture of a person or people they wanted to celebrate and pray for.  They designed a special prayer mat around this person's favorite foods, hobbies, and activities to model the "offrendas" or altars to remind us to lift their souls to the Lord.  As we celebrated the octave of All Soul's Day, each student presented his or her loved one to the class and we offered prayers for each.  We also celebrated by creating decorative calaveras (skeletons) and paper marigolds, the flower of the dead. These remind us that while we are mortal, we carry our personalities and memories with our souls and that unique part of us will be reflected in our eternal lives.  May God have mercy on all the poor souls in purgatory!

LifeChain 2026 is on Sunday, October 4, from 2:00-3:30.  Each parish has a designated location to stand at in peaceful witness to the dignity of each human life from conception until natural death.  Please check your parish bulletin for details.  St. Joe stands at the corner of 183rd and Kellogg on the Holy Spirit property.  Whether you can stay and pray the whole time, or just for a half an hour, your witness matters!

https://www.respectlife.org/articles

Our class spirit shirts arrived just in time for our first school-wide spirit day.   They look great!  Many of the staff and parents commented on how striking our shirts were.  My compliments to the ladies in our class who submitted the design and to Mrs. Kremer and Kaitlin Seiler who took charge of the orders.

Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome back to school!  I hope you had a wonderful summer, full of time with the family, fun activities, and time to grow in your faith. I know I said this last August, but I can't wait to show you the updates we've made to our middle school space!  The crew worked very hard over the summer to install new carpet, paint, and move things around to make our basement more inviting as well as to accomodate our growing student body. (Literally, just how much DID you grow over the summer?)

Just a reminder to 6th and 7th grade parents that our primary text for religion will be the Old and New Testaments, respectively.  We use the New American Bible, Revised Edition.  It is not mandatory that students bring their own Bible, but if you are planning on continuing at a Catholic high school, it would be a good idea to get your own now.  If you have questions, I can answer them at Open House or at the upcoming 6th grade parent meeting.

Last year was our first year for the updated 8th Grade Culminating Project.  After seeing what their predecessors did last year, I'm sure our current 8th graders have some ideas and even more questions!  No worries, we'll start that conversation this quarter and get set for managing one of our traditions that prepares our students for high school and even college in so many tangible ways.

Our theme this year comes from two great saints who share a name and a love for humble simplicity. When she was the same age as our middle schoolers, St. Therese decided that the only way to make a difference in this big world was to do small, everyday things out of love for God.  St. Teresa of Calcutta looked to this example as she served the poorest of the poor.  Though she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, what is her enduring legacy? Love.  Simple acts for family, for classmates, for neighbors... that create a habit of love.  This is what we wish to cultivate during this school year.  I'm looking forward to it, and I'm sure many of you are as well!

God bless,

Ms. Jenny Peloquin