May 8, 2012

Dear St. Anthony Family and Friends,

In family life, we have many opportunities to show love in action. Each time we postpone a task to tend to the needs of another, we show ourselves to be on the path to following the example of love shown to us by Jesus. Sometimes the sacrifices we are called upon to make for others are small. But these small choices to love and to serve others prepare us for the larger choices and sacrifices that we may be called upon to make. If we are people who have practiced showing our love for others with generosity, we will also be people who are willing to lay down our lives for those we love.

As you gather as a family, talk about the meaning of the word generosity. Ask each family member to describe an action that shows generosity. To be generous is to give freely to others without counting the cost. Recall that generosity is one of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Introduce Sunday’s Gospel reading by saying that Jesus taught us to be generous in showing our love for one another. Read together John 15:9-17. What examples did Jesus give to us that show this kind of love? (washing his disciples’ feet; accepting death on the cross) Jesus helps us to show this kind of love to others. In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus promises that God will give us whatever we ask for. One of the things we can ask for from God is a generous spirit so that we can love others as Jesus did.

I would like to thank everyone that supported our school Auction this past weekend. It was a great evening of fellowship as we honored Deacon Jim Henry. A huge THANK YOU goes out to our PTO Board members, Mrs. Callo, and Mrs. Regollar for their countless hours in putting the auction baskets together. To our wonderful donors thank you for believing in our wonderful school! We are the BEST KEPT SECRET IN OXNARD!

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas

Proud Principal

Dear St. Anthony Family and Friends,

Family life is strengthened through storytelling and shared meal times. In a similar way, Christian life is sustained by God’s word in Scripture and by Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. We are especially sustained in our faith through our weekly celebration of Mass. Sunday’s Gospel reading reminds us that the Scripture and the Eucharist are given to us so that our acts of bearing witness to Christ might be strengthened.

As you gather as a family, ask each person to share their favorite story about your family. Talk about the importance of these memories about your family life and the importance of the meals you have shared together as a family. Recall that these stories and meals strengthen the love you share. In a similar way, our Christian life is strengthened by sharing God’s Word and the Eucharist at Mass. Read together Sunday’s Gospel, Luke 24:35-48. Discuss the mission that Jesus gave to his disciples after their shared meal. The Eucharist also sends us to be Christ’s witnesses in the world today. Conclude by praying together that we will be strengthened by God’s word and by Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist to be witnesses to Christ.

Our School Auction is off to a great start! Thank you to those parents who submitted extra donation baskets for this wonderful event honoring Deacon Jim Henry. If you have not purchased your tickets for this fun filled evening of dinner and dancing at the Tower Club on May 5^th please do so and reserve your seat!

Lastly, I would like to thank Ms. Keating, Mr. Centeno, Mr. Cabrera, Mr. Maldonado, Mr. Callo and the Knights of Columbus for all their hard work in planning our 1^st Annual Golf Tournament. Due to the amount of players registered we had to cancel this event. We look forward to making this event even better next year!

I hope you all had a restful spring break!

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Proud Principal

Easter Prayer

Lord,

Thank You for the gift of HOPE you gave us on Easter morning. Because of you we know that no problem is too difficult and even death does not have power over us.

Thank You for the gift of JOY you gave us when you were resurrected. Because of you we know That no matter how challenging life may be, In the end we will rejoice again.

Thank you for the gift of LOVE you gave us when you laid down Your life. Because of you we know that there is no sin too great to separate us and we are incredibly valuable to You.

Thank You for the gift of LIFE, You gave us when You left the tomb. Because of Easter we know this world is just the beginning and we will spend forever in heaven with You.

We celebrate You, JESUS, With hearts full of praise and gratitude For who You are and all You’ve done for us!

Amen.

Have a Blessed and Safe Easter weekend, and enjoy your Spring break!! School resumes on Monday, April 16^th.

Have a great Vacation!

Deacon Henry, Faculty and Staff

Dear St. Anthony Family and Friends,

We are invited to pray to the God of peace with the joy that comes through our being reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. We pray with a new notion of a God of peace whose constant labor is for our ongoing creation resulting in peaceful union.

We are also asked to pray with eagerness to celebrate the realities of Easter. There is the old Latin phrase, “Hasten, slowly.” We can pray with patience and to linger with these days of waking up to who God says we are in our Baptisms.

We may reflect as well on our need for a Savior, a Jesus to free us. We can pray as well for a deeper sense of the areas of our lives which are not quite living yet.

Here at St. Anthony’s our students have had the opportunity to recite the Stations of the Cross.  The Stations are a reminder that Jesus died on the cross for us. The “Stations of the Cross” also reminds of the great love Jesus has for each and every one of us. Our Students have had the opportunity to experience these Stations of the Cross in many fashions. They recited the traditional Stations in the church, stations through Mary’s eyes, stations through our senses and dramatization. The 3^rd grade class is preparing the stations through shadow. Last year this was a powerful experience for all who witnessed it. We invite you to join us on Tuesday, April 3^rd in the Msgr. Condon Center at 1:00pm. If you cannot join us at 1:00pm we will have a second performance at 6:30pm for the parish community. Let us continue to walk this Lenten journey together.

On behalf of the Administration, Faculty and Students we would like to thank Ms. Acuña for all her hard work and for sharing her faith with us. She helps us strengthen our Catholic Identity here at school and allows our students to have prayerful experiences. We are truly blessed to have her be part of our school community.

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Proud Principal

Dear St. Anthony Family and Friends,

Parents whose children are afraid of the dark are struck by John’s observation that darkness is preferred to light. Perhaps this is as it should be. God made us to live in the light of his love. But this original friendship with God was corrupted by sin. Our sin causes us to shy away from Christ, the light that has come into the world. During the season of Lent, we try to fight this tendency by remembering God’s great mercy and the salvation that we have received through Jesus. We do not fear confessing our sins, knowing that God forgives us, and so, during Lent, we seek out opportunities to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

After your family gathers, sit for a time in darkness, then light a candle. Invite people to talk about what it felt like to be in the darkness and to compare that to their feelings when the candle was lit. What are we able to see by the limited glow of the candlelight that we couldn’t see when we were sitting in darkness? Read Sundays Gospel, John 3:14-21. John’s Gospel teaches us that Jesus was the light that came into the world. In this light we know ourselves to be sinners, but we are not condemned. Instead we have been saved because we have been forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Conclude in prayer together, thanking God for the great gift of forgiveness we have received through Jesus.

This Saturday, March 17^th students from St. Anthony School will celebrate for the very first time the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This light that has grown dim in the hearts of these students will become brighter for they have been forgiven by God’s Priest. Let us continue to pray for them as they prepare for the Sacrament of Communion in May.

Yesterday we received a Thank Card from Marcie Olvera and Family: “Deacon Henry & St. Anthony School Tigers, although it has been a challenge I could have never accomplished anything without the grace of God. How beautiful to feel the power of prayer coming through. Please keep them coming. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! Marcie Olvera and Family.”

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas

Proud Principal

Dear St. Anthony Family and Friends,

This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to reflect upon our worship of God. For Jesus and his Jewish contemporaries, the Temple was an important, holy place where they gathered to worship God. The Christian understanding of worship was transformed in light of Jesus’ Resurrection. In the Christian understanding, God is worshiped in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. As we read in Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is himself the Temple that will be destroyed, but in three days God will raise him up again.

As you gather as a family, talk about places and times when you have experienced God’s presence. After his Resurrection, Jesus’ disciples understood that Jesus was present with them as they gathered to pray and especially when they gathered to share a meal. Read together Sunday’s Gospel, John 2:13-25. Jesus teaches us in the Gospel that he is God’s presence with us. Thank God for Jesus’ presence with us, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Pray together the Lord’s Prayer.

Tiger-Thon will be held on Wednesday, March 14^th. Our goal this year is to raise $16000.00. Let us make this fundraiser a huge success. The money raised from this event will be used to purchase a new mobile computer lab that will hold at least 25 lap tops.

 The planning of our school Auction is well underway. This will truly be a wonderful evening as we raise money for our school but most importantly as we recognize the service and dedication of Deacon Jim Henry. Deacon Jim has been a great supporter of our school and the community. I hope you will be able to join us for this great evening.

 The Faculty and Staff and students are very grateful for all your time and efforts in making our dreams a reality.

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas

Proud Principal

Dear St. Anthony Family and Friends,

Every family has special moments that they remember and share again and again. In sharing these stories, the meaning and importance of these events develop and deepen over time. This is how it was with the disciples’ remembrance of Jesus’ Transfiguration. The full significance of what they had seen and experienced could only be understood after Jesus’ death and Resurrection. As they told other believers about this event and recorded the story for us in the Bible, our understanding of what it means to call Jesus God’s own Son has also deepened.

As you gather as a family, think about some special family memories that your family tells over and over again. Talk about why these memories are important to you. Recall that in the Bible we find many important memories about Jesus that have been recorded for us so that we can believe that Jesus is God’s Son. Read Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 9:2-10. What do we learn about Jesus from this Gospel? (He fulfills the promises God made to Israel through the Law and the prophets. God glorified Jesus in his Resurrection. Jesus is God’s Son.) Conclude in prayer together that as we continue to read the Bible, we will deepen our understanding of and our love for Jesus.

This Friday we end our 2^nd Trimester of school. Wow it is hard to believe that we are almost at the end. As we enter the 3^rd Trimester we must continue to encourage our students to strive for the very best and work to their full potential.

Tiger-Thon is quickly approaching.  This year’s Jog-a-thon will be held on Wednesday, March 14^th. Our goal this year is to raise $16000.00. Let us make this fundraiser a huge success. The money raised from this event will be used to purchase a new mobile computer lab that will hold at least 25 lap tops. The Faculty and Staff and students are very grateful for all your time and efforts in making our dreams a reality.

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas

Proud Principal

Dear St. Anthony Family,

Like the paralyzed man’s friends in Sunday’s Gospel, we would make extraordinary efforts to find care for a family member who was ill. Caring for one another in times of illness is an important part of family life. When we care for one another, we are attentive not only to physical needs, but to emotional and spiritual needs as well. Our Catholic tradition teaches that prayer for those who are sick is an important way to help them. As Jesus was moved by the faith of the paralytic man’s friends, so too our prayer for the sick helps to bring them Jesus’ healing presence.

As you gather as family, recall times when family members have been ill. Talk about the concrete ways in which we care for a family member who is sick. Notice that when someone is sick, we care for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Read Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 2:1-12. In what ways did the paralytic man’s friends care for his needs? In what ways did Jesus care for the man’s needs? One of the most important ways that we care for those who are sick is through prayer. Conclude by praying together for family members and friends who are sick.

We thank our St. Anthony School community for the continued support through prayer for Marcie Olvera. She is on the road to recovery!  She is now out of ICU and in a regular room. Hopefully she will be home very soon to be reunited with her entire family.

Please remember to mark your calendar for our 2:00pm early dismissal on Ash Wednesday. You are also invited to join us for Mass at 11:00am on Ash Wednesday.

Have a great 4 day weekend!

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas

Principal                                                                                                       

Dear St. Anthony Family,

This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to think about the choices we make as individuals and as a family. Jesus will be faced with a choice in Sunday’s Gospel. By choosing to heal the man with leprosy, Jesus will show God’s compassion for the sick and the outcast. The man will know that Jesus had a choice and that Jesus could reject his request. He may have expected that Jesus would not help him. The social taboos regarding leprosy certainly gave him little on which to base his hope. In the person of the man with leprosy, we see an image of all those in need. The sick and the outcast of our world are watching us, to see if we as Christians will choose to extend ourselves to others in need of healing and compassion.

Gather with your family and talk about some of the choices you have made as a family. (Where to go on vacation, what activities to do together, how to spend our evenings, and so on) How does your family go about making these decisions? What do your choices communicate to others about your family’s values? In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus will be faced with a choice. Read Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 1:40-45. In choosing to heal the man with leprosy, Jesus chose to show God’s compassion and mercy. All our choices reflect our faith, and others are watching. Conclude in prayer together, asking God to help your family show compassion to others in your family decisions.

As we conclude Catholic Schools Week, we praise God for the many good deeds that occur in Catholic schools in our nation. For generations Catholic schools have served inner cities, rural areas and suburban neighborhoods, educating children from every walk of life and economic background. Our high academic standards go hand and hand with high moral standards to create strong, faith-filled, successful adults.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Knights of Columbus for providing lunch to our students on Friday. Your dedication to our school is greatly appreciated. A huge thank you also, to our PTO board for a beautiful luncheon on Wednesday for our teachers. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated.

Blessings,

Deacon Henry Barajas 

Principal