We begin in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The sign in front of St. Joseph Catholic School is a popular place for a "First Day" photo op

New Year’s Day has nothing on the first day of school, especially at our Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools.

In fact, we were so excited to get our school family together, we started a little early.

Before school began, our administrators and staff, in cooperation with Fun Services and the Kaufmann Family, hosted a picnic for students and their families on the St. Joseph School grounds. There was food, inflatables, prizes, and lots of smiles.

Before school began, our teachers attended professional development days, learning, among other things, the history of St. Philip High School from BCACS historians Matt Davis, Class of 1979, and Sheri (Cobb) Robotham, Class of 2003. St. Philip High School turns 100 this school year. It’s a big deal.

Before school began, students came to Meet the Teacher night, middle and high school orientations, band camp, and sports practices.

Finally, on August 28th, the new school year began.

For some, it was their first time away from home. For others, it was the first time managing a locker and changing classes. For freshmen, it was the first day away from the familiar hallways of St. Joe. For new students, it was the first day with their new school family. 

Some goodbyes included photos and tears, others a quick kiss blown from a car window. Either way, when the bell rang, the hellos began.

Our newly-minted eighth-graders throw Ms. Williamson a surprise birthday party the first week of school.

Some were traditional, like Ms. Hamel’s fifth-grade group photo or St. Philip High School’s hot dog picnic on Cherry Street. Some were unique, like the eighth graders throwing math teacher Ms. Williamson a birthday party or the high school students digging deeper into St. Philip’s history.

One hello, however, was universal – the first All-Schools Mass.

Every member of the BCACS family came to St. Joseph Church on Thursday to pray together, including Bishop Paul Bradley.

“For 100 years, our schools have shown that faith is the center of our lives,” Fr. John Fleckenstein said. “The opening school Mass certainly reminds us of that.”

Students from every grade level took a leadership role, whether reading Scripture, taking up the gifts, singing in the choir, or mentoring a younger student through the Mass.

Afterward, students and staff gathered with Bishop Bradley for a group photo – a moment captured in time that will set the stage for hundreds of special moments.

Come June, some of these souls will have received Confirmation, First Reconciliation, or First Communion. Come June, some of these souls will have graduated from high school. Come June, all of these souls will have grown in Christ.

But those are stories for another day. Right now, our backpacks are packed, our pencils are sharp, and our kids have been blessed.

It’s time to begin.

One family from the battle to the dance

[l. to r.] Katie Reed, Bronwyn Pasche,
and Sara Meyers

Life isn’t always fair, but love is always there.

It wasn’t fair that St. Joseph Middle School student Bronwyn Pasche was diagnosed with leukemia in the fifth grade, but her St. Joseph family was there.

“It was inspiring to witness our students fight Bronwyn's battle right along with her,” Katie Reed, St. Joseph Middle School assistant principal, said. “They assisted her by carrying her books, helping her with her studies, and praying for her when the fight became tough.”

And when Bronwyn completed her final treatment two and half years later, her family was ready to celebrate her victory.

Middle school teachers Don Shafer and Tina Sprague organized a living rosary in the gym, where middle school students and staff were the beads.

Living Rosary for Bronwyn in the school gym

Forty students wore red shirts for the “Hail Mary” beads. Five members of Bronwyn’s seventh-grade class wore black shirts for the “Our Father” beads. And ten of the teachers and staff wore orange – the color for the fight against leukemia – as the last decade of the rosary.

As a school family, they said the Luminous Mysteries in gratitude for Bronwyn’s recovery and sang “Ave Maria”.

Afterward, Bronwyn’s mother Heather Pasche addressed the students.

“The kindness and the love and the caring that you have shown Bronwyn has been the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed,” Ms. Pasche said. “From helping her on the risers during concerts to carrying her books to praying for her, it was all a very important part of Bronwyn becoming healthy again. I think I speak for all the adults in the room when I say we are all so very proud of you and how you have grown up.”

Bronwyn received a bouquet of orange tulips and a resounding round of applause.

Dance proceeds went to the St. Baldrick's Foundation

The celebration continued that evening, as students returned to the school to dance and give back.

“Bronwyn loves to dance and she loves popcorn, so we decided to celebrate a dance in her honor,” Mrs. Sprague said. ”We talked to her mom to find out what charity she would like the money to go to.”

The theme was “spring” and the cause was the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which raises money for childhood cancer research.

“It was a spring dance and Bronwyn has new life and spring is the celebration of new life,” Mrs. Sprague said.

Everyone had a wonderful time. Better still, $300 was given to St. Baldrick’s in Bronwyn’s name to assist other children in their battle against leukemia.

“I believe this is a true testament as to why our schools are so special,” Ms. Reed said. “We absorb each other’s challenges and get through them together because we are not only a school, but also a family.”

First Communion Joy

It was a rainy Saturday, full of budding flowers, and the crisp dresses and pressed dress shirts of St. Joseph’s 2017 First Holy Communion Class.

These children had prepared all year, reflecting on the significance of the Eucharist, reading about saints devoted to the Eucharist, and practicing how to receive the Eucharist.

Finally, their big day had arrived.

Unable to use St. Joseph Church due to roof repairs, these 29 second-graders and one third-grader, their loved ones, Father Chris and Father Jose, St. Joseph School principal Sara Myers, and second-grade teachers Barbie Carrier and Amy Doyle sojourned across town to St. Philip Church.

St. Joseph Middle School students Hayden Schaub and Gregory Garfield were waiting for them.

“We didn't have any siblings [of First Communicants] who were trained to altar-serve at St. Philip and they both graciously accepted the request,” Mrs. Doyle said.

The Knights of Columbus, in all their finery, led the children into the church, which was filled to capacity. Each child carried a flower to be presented to our Mother Mary.

Some students took part in the Mass, reading the first reading, offering the petitions, and bringing up the gifts. Others said prayers for deceased loved ones, those who couldn’t celebrate with them in the flesh, but smiled down from heaven.

Father Chris and Father Jose concelebrated Mass, which underlined for the children how special this day was.

“Father Chris gave a beautiful homily about St. Christopher,” Mrs. Doyle said. “A few of the kids remembered that as a very special part of the Mass.”

The children knelt as a group, while the Eucharistic Prayer was said. They joined hands for the “Our Father” and shook hands during the Sign of Peace.

Then, one by one, the children came up to receive Our Lord for the first time.

Mrs. Doyle shared that some students were worried about approaching the altar with arms crossed to receive a blessing instead of hands cupped to receive the Lord.

But no one forgot.

After Communion, Father Chris blessed religious items loved ones had placed near Mary’s altar as gifts to the children.

The children also gave a gift, singing “Follow Me” for the congregation. St. Philip high school freshman Adam Sprague accompanied the First Communicants on the piano.

“This song talks about our communion with Jesus, our uniting with Him in love,” Mrs. Doyle said.

Blessed and happy, everyone gathered in the St. Philip Parish Center for cake, congratulations, and, of course, pictures.

“It was a beautiful day,” Mrs. Doyle said. “All of the children walk in with such holy anticipation. They were excited about being dressed up and receiving Jesus.”

May it always be so for these children of God.

Taking on the role of Jesus

There are many ways BCACS students reflect on the Lord’s Passion – they study the scriptures, they attend the Stations of the Cross, they say the Sorrowful Mysteries on the Rosary. When they entered the eighth grade, they bring the Lord’s Passion to the stage.

“Watching the play in the past, it has always been really neat to see how the kids put themselves in the places of Peter, James, John, and Mary,” Don Shafer, St. Joseph Middle School theology teacher, said. “I think the kids really try to embrace and get into those parts as much as they can, and they really do a super job.”

This is Mr. Shafer’s first time directing the play, which has been passed from teacher to teacher for more than ten years. Although the script remains the same, each class leaves its own mark. This year seventh-graders Nathan Pawlowicz, Arianna Pontoni, and Cami Arroyo played the piano.

“We did add a seventh-grade influence this year,” Mr. Shafer said. “Tina Sprague [middle school science teacher] had the idea to add music during transitions. It turned out really nicely.”

The play is primarily an eighth-grade production, taking these Confirmation candidates on a unique journey with the Lord.

“How do the kids take on the role of Jesus, knowing how important that is beyond just knowing the lines?” Mr. Shafer said. “I think it’s the fact of representing, maybe in a very small fashion, what Jesus gave up for us. What does that really mean and how does that come to life in our own lives?”

Students spend nearly two months reflecting on these questions and memorizing their lines.

“[The hardest part was] demonstrating the struggle that Jesus went through and doing it with my whole person,” Ben Shafer, who played Jesus, said.

“As a narrator, I was trying so hard not to make a mistake and make sure I pronounced everything correctly,” Kathryn Keller said.

“[The best part was] being able to be Peter and share his passion for Jesus,” Pedro Reyes said.

Normally, the show takes place in St. Joseph Church, but due to ongoing roof restorations, it was moved to the school gym.

“It was different, just to get a lay of the land, to be able to know how we were going to move, our transition from one scene to the next,” Mr. Shafer said. “The administration did a great job helping the kids get to that transition point with practice.”

Challenges aside, on Holy Thursday, elementary and middle school students, as well as the greater St. Joseph community gathered to watch the Lord’s Passion as performed by our eighth-graders…and a few seventh-graders.

“The kids made me very, very proud,” Mr. Shafer said.

Seniors "cap" their education by defending the faith

High school seniors are constantly demonstrating their skills, often for scholarships. For our St. Philip seniors, this includes demonstrating their knowledge of the faith.

The Diocese of Kalamazoo Capstone project is a yearlong undertaking, requiring diocesan high school seniors to defend the faith on a subject of their choice. It is a graduation requirement, a diocese-wide competition, and a scholarship opportunity.

“This project sums up not only their education at our schools but especially their faith,” Nicole Krajewski, St. Philip theology teacher, said.

The Capstone journey begins junior year when students pick a topic from an approved list based on the Theology curriculum. With help from teachers and priests, these students research their subject with an eye towards defending the church’s position.

Once the research is complete, students write a thesis paper on their findings, as well as prepare an 8-12 minute presentation on their topic. Students present their Capstones to a panel of school judges for a final grade in March.

Three students move on to the diocese’s Capstone competition held in Kalamazoo in May, presenting alongside finalists from Hackett Catholic Prep and Lake Michigan Catholic High School. The winning presenter receives a $5,000 scholarship, second place receives a $3000 scholarship, and third place receives a $2000 scholarship. All Capstone finalists receive a $500 scholarship.

[l. to r.] Noah Ellinger, Taylor Pessetti, Grayson Obey

Representing St. Philip this year are Noah Ellinger, Taylor Pessetti, and Grayson Obey.

Noah focused on human genetic manipulation, a subject he became familiar with during his Math and Science Center studies.

“Genetic manipulation is much more than adding a gene to somebody,” Noah said. “It takes on much more responsibility when you do things like that. [The project] really affirmed my Catholic beliefs and why you don’t do something like that.”

Taylor used the principle of double-effect – a four-step process to determine if something is morally right – to defend the church’s stance on abortion.

“I took a little bit of a science approach, going back to where life is defined as beginning, and I talk about the Catholic Church’s vision,” Taylor said.

Grayson tackled the morality of stem cell research, spotlighting adult stem cells and umbilical cord blood stem cells, which don’t destroy human embryos.

“I believe that it is important for others to be informed and aware of the other types of stem cell research being done and the results that have come from them,” Grayson said.

The Capstone’s true reward isn’t grades or scholarships, but maturity in the faith.

“They are going to have to defend their faith in college or at least live out their faith,” Ms. Krajewski said. “This helps them to know how to find resources to defend their faith [by] helping them learn how to teach themselves.”

Mingling innovation with inspiration

St. Philip High School English teacher Jenny Niesen believes in self-directed learning, which is why she assigns Innovation Projects. The project can be anything, but it must root from the student's passion.

Emily Pearl, a senior in Mrs. Niesen’s AP Language class, had three main passions: soccer, faith, and food.

She chose faith.

“I wanted to do something to help others and I couldn’t think of a project that would help others in those other areas,” Emily said with a laugh. “Faith is a really an aspect of growing up.”

Like most seniors, the future was on Emily's mind. She knew where she was going to college, had an idea what she wanted to do after college, but the rest was…what?

She found peace in God's plan.

“Once you realize life is chaotic, you realize God is there and it’s in his hands,” Emily said.

Trusting God's plan isn't easy, even with a Catholic education.

“Our theology classes are really important, but they are more about the doctrine of the Catholic faith and not really how to build a lasting relationship that you can really fall back on with Christ,” Emily said.

Emily decided to create a Faith Day for students with speakers, contemporary music, and reflection. The BCACS staff liked her idea. In fact, they wanted Faith Day incorporated into Catholic Schools Week – two months earlier than Emily anticipated.

This would require innovation.

Using local resources, Emily lined up Fr. Christopher Ankley, Tri-Parish Youth Director Andrea Perry, Sara Pekar, who interns at St. Joseph Parish, and Bob Johnson, who completed a service trip to Haiti, as speakers. Ms. Pekar would lead the singing and Fr. Chris would celebrate Mass.

[l. to r.] Sara Pekar, Andrea Perry, Emily Pearl, Fr. Chris Ankley, Bob Johnson

“I’ve never seen a student totally organize an event on their own and pull it off at this level,” Kyra Rabbitt, AP History teacher, said. “I’m really proud of her.”

Faith Day took place on Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. The theme was “Where Feet May Fail: Trusting in God's Plan”.

Emily cited Fr. Chris’ path from practicing veterinarian to parish priest as the stories she hoped to capture.

“It is an interesting perspective to hear how God’s plan for him was a little bit skewed,” Emily said. “It wasn’t an immediate thing. I think it is really important for us to hear those stories.”

Mrs. Niesen agreed, describing Ms. Pekar's presentation as “huge” because she questioned God's plan.

Students listening to Ms. Pekar's presentation.

“For students this age, it’s key, because which one of them isn’t questioning their faith all the time?” Mrs. Niesen said.

Hopefully, Faith Day helped with those questions.

“I had a few people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you. This day was really cool’,” Emily said.

Very cool indeed.

Comments, questions, have a few suggestions? Write us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.

Christmas off the grid

"Joy is the true gift of Christmas." ~Pope Benedict XVI

Christmas Break is over, which means the parties, presents, and planning is over. No more Christmas Carols on the radio. No more Christmas movies on TV – not even on the Hallmark Channel. The kids are back in school. The grocery stores are full of slim fast and spandex.

This is my favorite part of the Christmas season.

Yes, for us Catholics it is still Christmas. I first learned the difference between the secular Christmas calendar and the Catholic Christmas calendar in Catholic school. It wasn't a specific homily or lesson, more an observation.

Santa had come, Jesus was born, our Christmas tree was on the front lawn, but when I returned to school Christmas was still happening. We prayed Christmas prayers. Father greeted us with “Merry Christmas!” at the first school Mass. We sang Christmas hymns.

Like most kids, I loved Christmas. The idea that it was still going on was wonderful.

That wonder has only grown as I became a Christmas-facilitating parent. Being slightly out of step with the world’s idea of Christmas lends me peace on earth.

Secular Christmas begins the day after Halloween and ends on Christmas Day, which is too soon on both accounts. Catholic Christmas begins on Christmas Day, ending the second Sunday in January with the Baptism of the Lord. This is perfect.

It's okay to shop slowly and decorate gradually during December, for Advent is all about preparation. I try to wake a little earlier, saying my morning prayers by the light of the Advent Wreath. For me, that’s the eye of the secular Christmas Cyclone, the place of peace.

It's okay to leave the halls decked and nibble Christmas cookies well into January, for our Lord's birthday is worth more than one night. I've noticed when the secular party train winds down, reverence comes easier and joy is more profound than on Christmas Day.

It’s my quiet little Christmas.

I make a point to make the first school Mass in January. I enjoy hearing the priest greet our children with a big “Merry Christmas!” I enjoy hearing the priest tell the children that we’re still celebrating – pointing out the songs, the decorations, the white vestments, and the Nativity Scene surrounded by poinsettias.

And I watch the younger kids’ faces to see that light switch flip and hear them call back, “Merry Christmas!”

Need to bolster you Christmas Spirit? Come to our school Mass this week.

Enjoy the children singing the seasonal songs, their young voices reading the scriptures of wonder, their hands folded in prayer before the altar decked with light. Follow them to the King's feast, celebrating the season of joy.

Merry Quiet Christmas, dear BCACS Family! Let the celebration continue. 

Comments, questions, have a few suggestions? Write us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.