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.

More circumstance than pomp

The Class of 2017 will graduate the first Sunday in June. The official kickoff, however, was the fourth Wednesday in May, when the seniors, their parents, and the entire school gathered to celebrate the Baccalaureate Mass and Honors Convocation.

It’s more circumstance than pomp. A family affair.

This is my second year as a senior parent, my daughter having graduated last year and my son graduating this year. Of all the senior-related events, this one is my favorite. It justifies the journey and lays to rest any doubts.

Is Catholic school the best choice? Is it worth the financial sacrifice? Can a small school adequately prepare a child for college and career?

Yes. Yes. And, yes.

This year Bishop Paul Bradley celebrated the Mass. Our seniors entered the church before him, two by two, in their caps and gowns. Students, staff, and alumni smiled, while parents crane their necks and snapped the first of many pictures.

Bishop Bradley gave a beautiful homily to the seniors about remembering where they came from and staying connected to Jesus no matter where they’re going. These are messages they have heard all their lives.

Together we shared the Eucharist and crossed ourselves after the final blessing.

Directly afterward – well, after pictures, pictures, and more pictures – everyone gathered in the parish center for the Honors Convocation. Awards, pins, plaques and certificates lined the tables at the front of the room. The buzz of conversation and congratulations fell only when Fr. Simon Majooran called everyone to prayer.

One by one, teachers and community leaders took the podium. They recognized students for academics and service. They gave scholarships and departmental awards. They offered their congratulations.

This is more than a list of names and polite clapping. This is personal, especially when it comes to awarding the BCACS Foundation scholarships. Often it is alumni or family of alumni who founded these scholarships. Often these families present the award themselves, their dedication to the school echoing through their comments. Often we remember those we lost, putting down our cameras to dab our eyes.

The clapping is heartfelt. Every name, every time.

After Fr. Simon closed with prayer, the buzz returned in earnest, as fresh congratulations were said, not just to one, but to all. There’s no inner circle here.

The Class of 2017 was offered $3.1 million in scholarships, a staggering number on the shoulders of 38 kids. But these kids stand on the shoulders of hundreds, stretching back 100 years to St. Philip’s first graduating class in 1917. Most importantly, they stand on the shoulders of Christ.

It’s a family affair.

Convocation highlights are below. Check out our “Senior Spotlight” blogs to learn more about these amazing seniors.

Class of 2017 Highlights:

All together now

The Class of 2017 was offered
over $3.1 million in scholarships.

That's a new record!

• This class completed over 1,000 hours of community service this year.
• Twenty seniors completed the St. Philip Senior Internship Program, while others completed internship programs at the Calhoun Area Career Center and the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center.
• Seven seniors dual-enrolled in college classes.
• Fifteen seniors enrolled in AP classes at St. Philip, with more taking AP classes at the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center.
• This class received an average 1130 on the SAT; 14 qualify for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship (1200 or higher on the SAT).
• The average passing score for seniors taking AP tests in 2016 was 86%.
• All seniors completed a Senior Capstone project, with three moving on to compete in the finals.
• This class has a senior aspiring to be a priest and another senior aspiring to be a nun.
• This class has a Kellogg Community College Gold Key Scholar and a Trustee Scholar.
• Several seniors received athletic scholarships and will continue to play their sport at the college level.
• We have a senior who won a state-level culinary competition. She will represent Michigan in the national competition this June.

“Oh, the places they’ll go!”

Alma College (1 student)

Grand Rapids Community College (1 student)

Grand Valley State University (1 student)

Indiana State University (1 student)

Kalamazoo College (2 students)

Kellogg Community College (15 students)

Michigan State University (1 student)

Mississippi State University (1 student)

Siena Heights University (1 student)

Spring Arbor University (1 student)

St. Thomas Aquinas College (1 student)

University of Dayton (1 student)

University of Michigan (5 students)

University of Nebraska - Lincoln (1 student)

Western Michigan University (3 students)

Military (2 students)

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.

Don't put lit candles under the bed and other lessons learned from school Mass

I enjoy BCACS school Masses, partially for the unpredictability. You never know what young Catholics are going to do or say, which keeps us older Catholics from stodginess.

Kids don’t sit well or kneel well or stand in one place well, which is the exercise program of a Catholic Mass. They struggle with silence and reverence. So, why does Jesus insist we follow them? Perhaps because they have no pretenses.

When they sing, they sing loud. When they read, they read fast. When they shake hands for peace, they shake for keeps. You think they aren’t listening, but they are.

Once, I remember kneeling with my youngest and her first grade class. After saying, “Lord, I’m not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed,” my kid hissed in my ear. “Mom! What’s the word?”

See? Listening.

Once, I remember watching my son serve on the altar while the bishop was saying school Mass. My son and his buddy were holding the bishop’s staff during the homily. Watching it sway while two fourth-graders tried to right it made me chuckle. I don’t remember what the bishop said, but I left knowing it takes a lot of effort to hold a shepherd’s staff.

See? Learning.

I’m glad our teachers let the students lead school Mass. Even kindergarteners take a turn as lectors, cantors, and ushers. Seeing their brows bent in concentration, their earnest movements, their neatly tucked shirts – you know they are giving God their best.

My favorite is the homilies. Over the last 12 years, I’ve watched several different priests give homilies to our students, each one unique. Many ask the children questions, which sends dozens of hands into the air, waving and stretching. Often the children don’t wait for the priest to finish asking the question before their hands go up. They just want father to pick them!

I remember Father Bob Creagan talking to the students about not hiding their light under a bushel. The kids were struggling with “bushel”, so Father Bob decided to go with hiding their light under a bed. He asked what would happen if they put a lit candle under the bed, searching for someone to say it would be dark. Instead, the young student he picked said, “You’d catch the bed on fire.”

Father Bob lost it. We all did.

In many ways, it was the finest sermon I ever heard about trying to hide God’s light. You can try, but more than likely it will just catch something on fire and that will get your attention. I think that’s why I enjoy school Masses. You can’t hide our children’s light and that gets our attention.

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