NOTES FROM P.R.E.P. FEBRUARY 20, 2013

LEVEL 2 STUDENTS ARE MAKING SHEEP TONIGHT

Students and parents in Level 2 are making sheep tonight for First Penance. Students should report to their classroom tonight as usual and attendance will be taken. Parents can go directly to the school hall. Mrs. Karas will bring the students down to the hall as soon as they are ready and will give directions on how to make the sheep.

A FEW REMINDERS ABOUT FAST AND ABSTINENCE DURING LENT The Bishops of the United States prescribe as minimal obligation, that all persons who are 14 years of age and older are bound to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent. All persons 18 years of age and older, up to and including their 59th birthday are bound to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, while the other 2 meals on those days are to be light.

While these rules don’t apply to most PREP students, they can still do something during Lent by giving, instead of giving up. Helping others, such as through “Operation Rice Bowl”, is an excellent way to keep the spirit of Lent. Attending Mass, the Stations of the Cross, reading about the lives of the saints and praying daily are also ways that children can prepare themselves during Lent for Easter. Lent has just begun. Now is a good time to figure out what we will do during Lent to help us to change our hearts. FOOD PANTRY

The winners of last week’s Food Pantry Award were:

MRS. HEFFELFINGER’S LEVEL 3H CONGRATULATIONS!!

IN FEBRUARY WE ARE COLLECTING: CEREAL OATMEAL PANCAKE MIX AND SYRUP

PREP REGISTRATION HAS STARTED – HAVE YOU BEEN PAYING ATTENTION?

Don’t forget that registration for 2013 -2014 is taking place NOW! Registration forms must be in by April 24, 2013.

Tuition for next year remains the same. Would you like to save some money and get in on the tuition discount? You can get a tuition discount if you pay by March 13.

One child - $75.00 Two or more children - $105.00

After March 13 tuition becomes – one child $85.00, two or more children - $125.00.

PLEASE!

SACRAMENTAL UPDATE

Our Level 2 students will be making their sheep tonight, February 20. Father Eckert will be giving a tour of the confessionals on March 6. First Penance takes place on Monday, March 11, at 7:00 PM in church.

Confirmation students’ project, “My Gifts, My Mission” is due March 13. The Information Form, Saint Name Project and Sacramental Preparation Tuition ($35.00) are all past due! LENTEN IDEAS

I know we are already into the first week of Lent but I came across this idea on Catholic Icing. It’s actually something that you would do on the day before Ash Wednesday – burying the Alleluia. During Lent we don’t say or sing the word Alleluia in church. We don’t use it again until the Saturday night Easter Vigil. It looked interesting – so I thought I would share it. Better late than never!

Check out www.CatholicIcing.com for more interesting ideas to observe Lent with your children. Mardi Gras Activity for Kids- Bury the Alleluia for Lent

February 10, 2013 By Lacy

It’s almost Lent! We’re really big at our house on observing Lent, then celebrating Easter. Burying the Alleluia is a great way to kick this off! Before I started this site, I never realized that Catholics don’t say Alleluia or the Gloria during Lent. It’s so awesome to be more in-tune with cool stuff like that! Now, when I’m at Mass following along in my Mass booklet, I can follow along with what’s going on and be more aware of our waiting.

Several years ago, we began the tradition of burying the Alleluia with our kids, and we just printed out an Alleluia. It’s cheap, fast, and easy. The basic idea is that you make an Alleluia of some kind, hide it away during Lent, and re-surface it on Easter. We leave ours out for the entire Easter season. At this point, since we do this year after year, I wanted a nice set that we could use forever. I decided to finally spring for the supplies to do this with wooden letters from the craft store.

Supplies Needed for Wooden Alleluia Craft:

 Wooden letters to spell “Alleluia”. Prices vary a lot depending on what size letters you get. Check out your local Hobby Lobby, AC Moore, or Michaels.  Wooden box. If you go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels, be sure to search for a printout of a 40% off one item coupon first and use it for your box.  Spray paint. We used purple and gold.  Wooden cross. Optional- these are pretty cheap.

Lay your items out on newspaper to be spray painted. Always lay more newspaper than you think because you WILL overspray the paint if you don’t.

Spray the letters and cross gold, then spray the box purple. Allow to dry.

I love spray paint because it’s SO FAST! Sometimes I start thinking that I don’t want to deal with the hassle of spray painting something, but it’s just so much less work than brush painting stuff. Totally worth it.

That’s it. The idea is that on Mardi Gras, you parade around with the letters, preferably singing an “Alleluia” song of some variety.

Then, you pack all the letters away in the box, bag, cloth… whatever… and keep them hidden until Easter.

Then proudly display them for the entire Easter season!

We painted the box purple because that’s the color of Lent. You probably got that, but just thought I’d make sure. When you’re at the store buying your letters and box, make sure they all fit, okay?

POPE BENEDICT RESIGNS

I’m sure that you’ve heard by now that Benedict is resigning on February 28, 2013. The pope feels that because of his advanced age (85) and his declining physical strength, he is no longer suited to the adequate exercise of the papal ministry. Pope Benedict plans to continue serving God through a life of prayer and reflection.

Now comes the task of electing a new pope.

When a pope dies or resigns, the governance of the passes to the . Cardinals are bishops and Vatican from all over the world, personally chosen by the pope, recognizable by their distinctive red vestments. Their primary responsibility is to elect a new pope. Following a vacancy in the papacy, the cardinals hold a series of meetings at the Vatican called general congregations. They discuss the needs and the challenges facing the Catholic Church globally. They will also prepare for the upcoming papal election, called a conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election. In the past, they made arrangements for the funeral and burial of the deceased pope.

In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for a Mass invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors, and their number is limited to 120. For the conclave itself, the cardinal electors process to the Sistine Chapel and take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors.

The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment, saying a prayer and dropping the twice-folded ballot in a large chalice. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. The result of each ballot are counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders. If no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.

When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.

The senior cardinal , currently French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, announces from the balcony of St. Peter's "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") before the new pope processes out and imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the entire world.

White smoke signals that a new pope has been elected.

CYO NEWS

Thank-You Father/Daughter Dinner Dance Volunteers CYO would like to thank Jen Zadnik and all the other volunteers that made this year’s Father/Daughter Dinner Dance a rousing success.

Track & Field Sign-Ups

Track & Field Sign-ups for the 2013 season are open. Novice, Minor & Cadet Age Groups (4th- 8th Grades) are $50.00 per runner and the Sub-Novice Age Group (1st to 3rd grades) is $45.00 per runner. Please sign up via WWW.WAGDOGS.COM. Any questions regarding Track & Field, please contact Doug Bartlett at [email protected].

CYO Board Meetings The CYO Executive Board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM in Trinity Hall. Our next meeting will be on January 8, 2013. Anybody is welcome to attend these meetings. We would like to see you there. Officers for the 2012-13 school year are:  President Doug Bartlett  Vice President Chris Clawges  Treasurer Dave Johnson  Secretary Beth Haws  Athletic Director Pat McMenamin Anybody interested in volunteering with the CYO, please contact one of the above officers.

Final Basketball Standings Team Won Lost Pct. High School Girls 10 4 .714 High School Boys 5 9 .357 Varsity Girls 6 8 .429 Varsity Boys 3 13 .189 Junior Varsity Girls 4 10 .286 Junior Varsity Boys 8 8 .500 As of 2/17/2013

Congratulations to Our Playoff Teams Congratulations to the CYO Basketball Teams that qualified for the Region 19 Playoffs: High School Girls Varsity Girls Junior Varsity Girls Junior Varsity Boys

Playoff Results High School Girls St. John Blue 51 - Holy Trinity 34 Varsity Girls 1st Round - Trinity 38 – Assumption 20 2nd Round - St. Andrew 41 – Trinity 7

Upcoming Playoff Schedule Both games will be played at St. Ignatius on Tuesday February 19th. Junior Varsity Girls 7 PM Holy Trinity vs. Holy Family Junior Varsity Boys 8 PM Holy Trinity vs. Team To Be Determined

Thank-You Coaches Thanks to all of our Basketball Coaches, both Travel and Intramural, for volunteering their time and talents.

Subscribe to the CYO News You can get all of the CYO Newsletters and important announcements electronically! Simply send your name and e-mail address to [email protected].

CYO NEWS