Sunday Evening News – 4/3/22

April 3, 2022 - 8:34 pm

April 3, 2022

Were you there when they pierced his side?
Oh! Sometimes it makes us tremble, tremble, tremble.

Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it makes us tremble, tremble, tremble.

                                                                                                                                        (Iona & Tyler Popa)

Peace and Greetings!

As the calendar has turned to April and the Lenten season approaches Holy Week, we are reminded of the agony of the Passion of our Lord followed by the celebration of His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. This Friday, weather permitting, we will participate in solidarity as a school community in the Stations of the Cross on McPhee Field.

We will be invited to meditate on the suffering of our Lord and gaze upon Christ crucified as anything other than a moment of trembling. Trembling is a call to action, calling us to find Christ in our neighbors … our classmates.

I often encourage you as a community to take care of yourself … to take care of each other. As our Lenten journey continues, may you approach Friday’s Stations of the Cross and the sacred events of Holy Week finding a moment to tremble, a moment of sad stillness in your heart. And may that moment transform those simple words, take care of each other, into intentional action seeing each other as living images of God.

So, when they ask, were you there … you can say YES!

Tomorrow morning at Monday Morning Assembly, we will be welcoming Fr. Joe and Fr. Peter from St. Paul Parish, Kensington who will be sharing the humanitarian outreach work of the Franciscan Friars in Poland and Ukraine during this unsettling time of conflict. As a result of our student dress down and generous online donations from parents, past parents and alumni, we will be presenting them a check for $5,500 and assuring them of our continued prayers to further support their efforts.

It was a busy day yesterday, in spite of the fact that opening day for spring sports was postponed due to the weather and field conditions. The NHS hosted a craft fair with nearly 60 vendors, the boys’ and girls’ golf teams conducted a clothing drive, and nearly 60 students, faculty and parents represented St. Paul in the police officer Chris Corbett Memorial 5K Road Race in Waterbury. It truly amazes me sometimes that this place never sleeps!

Exciting week ahead as our performing arts program returns to the stage for their first spring musical in three years. Tickets for the Wizard of Oz can be found online, www.spchs.com. Tickets are going fast so don’t miss out! Performances are Friday, April 8th and Saturday, April 9th at 7:00 pm and Sunday, April 10th at 2:00 pm. There will be a special performance for over 400 Catholic elementary school students on Thursday, April 7 at 10:00 am. If you’ve never been to one of our shows, now’s the time. Our cast and crew will amaze you as we journey to Oz!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge this year’s awesome Forever Falcons Gala held at the Aqua Turf on Saturday, March 12th. My special thanks to our Advancement team, Shelley Mendoza and Melissa Lindquist, the terrific Gala Committee, the generous event sponsors, numerous goods and services donors and the 250 attendees, including several student volunteers, who shared this evening with us. There was a very special spirit of community in the room that evening. Gross proceeds exceeded $110,000 raising scholarship dollars for deserving students and as well as funding for several planned facility, technology, security, and athletic projects.

I’d also like to acknowledge Chelsea Mone in Admissions and her Student/Parent Ambassadors for all their efforts. Following our March registration last week, we have 97 students registered for the incoming Class of 2026 with still other families in the process. I remain grateful to all our current families for reaching out to family, friends and coworkers in promoting St. Paul. You all make a difference!

Spring vacation begins this Saturday, April 9th through Easter Sunday, April 17th. Students and faculty will return to classes on Monday, April 18th.

Good, once again, to express my gratitude to students, parents, faculty/staff and all of our alumni/ benefactors for your contributions to the life of St. Paul. These remain challenging times on many fronts for everyone. While impressed by moments of goodness and excellence as we strive to be a truly great Catholic High School, we are not perfect. That challenges all of us to be better and better every day. So, when they ask, were you there … we can say YES!

Make it a great week!

In the Spirit of St, Paul,

 

Cary M. Dupont ‘72
President/Chief Administrator