March Letter from Headmaster

Dear Families,

Last week was the beginning of the Lenten season. As Jesus went into the desert for forty days and nights we to go into “the desert” during Lent for forty days and nights preparing our hearts for Easter.

As children many of us were taught to “give up something” during lent as a mean of doing penance. Last week, my kids were asking each other “What are you giving up?” at the dinner table. I told them the purpose of Lent is to strengthen our faith and devotions and be stronger in them at Easter than when we start on Ash Wednesday. To do this we pray, fast, and give alms or in other words give more time to God, abstain from something we like as a sacrifice, and perform acts of mercy towards others.

This Lent students will be praying, fasting, and giving alms at school as well. Their prayers will include meditating on the passion of Our Lord during the Stations of the Cross every Friday. They will “fast” by “giving up” small pleasures and they will give alms by collecting school supplies to help a less fortunate school.

If you want more information about Lent or are looking for some family ideas, I found some Lenten ideas at www.americancatholic.org; www.catholicmom.com; and www.catholicblogs.com/search/lenten_ideas.

If you have Lenten family traditions or please feel free to respond to this e-newsletter.

I hope you and your family have a holy Lenten season.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

David A. Thibault

Headmaster

High School Knights Finish 2nd in MRA Invitational After Thrilling Championship

Congrats to the Knights of Our Lady! The high school boys basketball team placed second in the 4th Annual Mount Royal Invitational. The championship game was the most captivating and thrilling game of the season thus far, with the final score at 45 – 43. We are very proud of the effort and determination demonstrated by the boys. You have all immensely improved on the court this season.

The season wraps up with the St. Marie’s Invitational this upcoming Friday, March 9th. Please pray for the continued improvement and formation of our high school boys.

School Newspaper Returns

Thanks to the leadership and guidance of Mrs. Richardson, the 1st/2nd grade classroom teacher, the school newspaper has returned to the Mount Royal community.

Fittingly titled “Mount Royal Messenger”, the newspaper is yet another channel spreading the good news that Christ is building the Kingdom of God using the efforts of Mount Royal students, parents, and community members. The Messenger invites student writers to challenges themselves and communicate the activities and accomplishments of the entire school community.

We ask that you join us in praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our newspaper editorial team, that it may become a permanent component of MRA’s mission of forming the whole person.

MRA Messenger_Volume 1_Issue 1_Page 1

MRA Messenger_Volume 1_Issue 1_Page 2

 

4th Annual MRA Invitational on March 3rd

The 4th Annual Mount Royal Invitational basketball tournament is coming to the St. Joseph’s Center on this upcoming Saturday, March 3rd. We are so blessed to have our own basketball gymnasium on campus so that we can continue to host basketball tournaments.

Come and support our high school boys team as they try to recapture the tournament title for the second consecutive season. Games begin at 9:00am, with the Knights tipping off at 10:00am for their first game. Please wear red in support of the Knights of Our Lady.

6-8 Boys Basketball Championship Bound

Congrats to the 6-8 boys basketball team, who won their semifinal game against New Boston today by a score of 42 – 39. The Knights will now play in the championship game on Saturday, February 18th. Tip off is at 10:30am at the St. Paul’s gymnasium in Franklin. GO KNIGHTS! Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!

 

6-8 Boys and Girls Basketball Seasons Coming to an End…

Please come and support the Knights tomorrow (2/14), as the 6-8 boys basketball team hosts the first ever home playoff game in the new St. Joseph’s Center. The Knights of Our Lady finished in 4th place out of 22 teams. We are asking fans to wear red in support of the boys! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for a 6:00pm tip of.

Congratulations on the return season of the 6-8 girls basketball team. This Knights squad improved tremendously over the course of the season. We are so proud of you girls! You should be proud of your effort!

Catholic Schools Week Upcoming

Several activities are planned to celebrate Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 30-Feb. 3. On Monday, Mass will be celebrated in the morning and students will gather to do puzzles together in the afternoon. On Tuesday afternoon, each class will send two representatives to a school-wide spelling bee where we will all cheer on our classmates. Essays for our Catholic Schools Week essay contest will be due on Wednesday; students have also been working with Mrs. Dwyer to complete posters for a poster contest. The ski program will also be held on Wednesday. On Thursday, students will get together in the afternoon to make cards for seminarians in the Diocese of Manchester. On Friday we will wrap up Catholic Schools Week. The upper and lower school will eat lunch together and Mr. Thibault will announce the winners of the essay and poster contests. That afternoon, a sledding party is scheduled. Thank you to HASA for providing hot chocolate and treats!

March for Life 2012

Today, the Upper School students begin their annual witness to the culture of life. MRA is blessed to have a full bus of students and youth traveling down to Washington D.C. in order to increase awareness for the sanctity of all human life. Please pray for the safety of our students, and also that through our collective spiritual sacrifices, political leaders will be open to God’s inspiration to ensure that all life is protected, from conception until natural death.

A reflection on why the MRA community embarks upon this spiritual pilgrimage can be found here.

Below are videos from Fr. Robert Barron that articulately and persuasively explain the motives and parameters behind the culture of life movement.

Guest Speaker Reflects on Visit to MRA

Discovering Mount Royal’s presence in unexpected and unknown locations is very exciting, especially when our school appears on another blog!

Yesterday we were privileged to host Brother Rene of the Marist order on our campus. Br. Rene spoke with Upper School students about the founder and inspiration of his order.

Marist brothers are a reminder of the power and influence of the Catholic tradition in the education and formation of youth.

We invite you to read Br. Rene’s illustrative and powerful reflection on the benefits of saying yes, no matter how much it costs. True freedom is found in following the will of Jesus!

A Christmas Message from our Headmaster

Merry Christmas!  It may sound like I am too late to be wishing you a Merry Christmas, however, it is important to remember that the Christmas Season begins on Christmas Day.

“The Christmas season begins with the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Christmas day, or as a vigil on Christmas Eve. The Feast of Christmas lasts 12 days, until Epiphany. However, the time from Epiphany until the Baptism of the Lord is also included in the Christmas season. Traditionally, Epiphany had been fixed to January 6th, and the Baptism celebrated on the octave of Epiphany, which was January 13th. In most countries, the Epiphany is now celebrated on the Sunday closest to January 6th, and the Baptism celebrated the following Sunday.”   (http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-catholic-liturgical-year/article/208)

It is interesting to me that the culture is just the opposite as many end their celebrating by Christmas Day.  All the Christmas parties have been had, the cards have been received, the after Christmas sales are in full swing, and the trees are on the curb.   The Good News is that we have another week to celebrate.   A nice idea would be to have a party or start a new tradition this weekend for the feast the Epiphany this Sunday, January 8, 2012.

With this said I also have exciting news to share.  The week of January 30, 2012 will begin the process for taking down the Upper School in preparation for our new classroom building to be completed by August 2012.  The new building will be two stories and will include larger classrooms for the Pre-K and Kindergarten, an adoration chapel, and classrooms for 1st – 8th grades.  Jr. High and High School students will have classes in the St. Joseph’s Center and the Lower School for the remainder of the year.  We are very thankful for the Broom family and their generosity to Mount Royal Academy giving this new building to us. Please join me in thanking them and praying for them and their intentions.

God Bless your families and Merry Christmas!

David A. Thibault
Headmaster