May Letter to School Families
Dear DNU Catholic school families,
It appears we have achieved the impossible – we have reached the end of May during the wildest academic year of our lives! Not only have we gotten to this place, but we have done so with a fair amount of normal structure and routine, with the continuation of quality programming and reception of the sacraments. We have remained largely in person and, unlike our counterparts, have done so five days a week for the entire academic year. Sometimes that meant driving your kids to school or occasionally monitoring their progress during quarantine. Every day you were challenged to keep positive and proactive amid the many disappointments. You deserve more than a mere, thank you, but it’s what I’ve got. Sincerely, thank you, families!
Staff Appreciation
The first week of the month of May is dedicated nationally to teacher/staff appreciation. A week of gifts and cards would never prove adequate to express gratitude for the staff of each of our diocesan schools. They were tasked with learning new technology, coping with a revolving door of quarantined students, monitoring their own and the students’ mental health . . . . And yet they kept their students learning and happy. We are blessed to have men and women of faith who model that for our students – at all times--but especially during the infamous pandemic year.
Please do what you can to also thank the fearless leaders – our principals and pastors. They had to make hard decisions and share disappointing news. But they did so with courage and grace, true examples of holy disciples of Jesus. We are fortunate to have such passionate and compassionate leaders.
Back to Mass
A couple of weeks ago, Governor Walz lifted the mandate for masks. Before long, a sense of “normalcy” will return as we work toward 70% of Minnesotans being vaccinated which will allow us to return to business as usual. With this comes the anticipated lifting of the dispensation and full return to Mass. Though many returned to Mass months ago, there are still some who may need encouragement and/or an invitation. Each Sunday, as I see the numbers grow in my parish, I grow in appreciation of our community of faith.
The pandemic has undoubtedly created empty spaces in our pews, but if we’re honest, there was plenty of space before the pandemic. As the dispensation is lifted in the months ahead, I ask you to join me in reaching out to those you have not seen at Mass in a while. Reach out with a personal invitation, join a group that is planning a Back to Mass celebration, and continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to enliven our Church. May we be reminded of our call to be joyful witnesses to the Gospel and thereby draw others to Christ.
School Choice Advocacy
These are important days in the legislature with bills on the table reflecting school choice. In our Catholic schools, we are hoping to pass bills for education savings accounts and/or education tax credits. These bills have the potential to remove some of the financial barriers that families face and provide them with greater opportunities to choose the school that can best meet their needs. Our Catholic schools have provided in-person instruction all year, and had school choice been in place, that option would have been available for far more students.
You can contact your legislators very simply by using this link, and I urge you to act quickly.
https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=13101
Summer Blessings
I wish you all a blessed, healthy, and memorable summer. Please continue to support your school and do what you can to be an advocate as you share the memorable moments of 2020-2021 with friends and family. Remember that our families are our best marketers!
As you take time to travel this summer, you can find local Sunday Mass celebrations at www.masstimes.org. I encourage you to visit a new church or check out a shrine on your summer trips. You are our children’s first and most important teachers, and I trust that the lessons of faith will continue at home during the summer holiday.
Again, my sincerest thanks to all school pastors, leaders, staff, and families for making each day count during the 2020-2021 academic year. I am quite sure, as Paul’s letter to Timothy says, you have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). I cannot wait to see what crown is coming in 2021-2022.
In Him,
Dr. Michelle Kramer
Office of Schools
Diocese of New Ulm
April Letter to School Families
Easter greetings to the families of our diocesan Catholic schools!
COVID UPDATE
As the number of COVID cases once again is on the rise across the state, I want to express a special word of thanks to our schools and families who continue to go above and beyond with their mitigation strategies. Though our diocesan Catholic schools have remained largely in session, we are seeing an increased number of cases. Families, we ask for your extra efforts at home to follow state guidance and exercise caution during these last six weeks of school. We are on the home stretch and so grateful that we have been able to have students and staff in the classrooms.
AN EASTER MESSAGE
Those who know me well will tell you that I wear my heart on my sleeve. It’s not unusual for me to shed tears over a feel-good movie, a sweet message, or the powerful words of a song. On Easter Sunday, a whole new experience prevented me from singing the opening song at Mass—pure joy. I was in the choir loft and, from my vantage point, could see a FULL church (with social distancing)! After last year’s rather lonely Mass in our living room, the feeling of community completely overwhelmed me.
Perhaps you have experienced a similar realization. We pride ourselves in Catholic schools on the experience of community and family that are a core element of our identity. I often tell the story of when we enrolled our first child at the School of St. Philip in Litchfield. We were from out of town and didn’t know a soul. The school offered an invitation to a family night event, and the introvert in me wanted to toss it aside. But as I thought about it, I realized and said to my husband, “We’ve got to go. Anna is going to be friends with these people, and she’ll be going to their houses. We’ve got to get to know them.” So we went, reached out, and spent the next ten years enjoying the company of Anna’s, and our, new friends.
That experience of community was and is powerful, but it dulls in comparison to the community that God intended when we gather as a community of believers. During these weeks following the celebration of Easter and Pentecost, the daily readings from the Acts of the Apostles detail the founding of the Early Church. The disciples of Jesus continued His ministry, preaching and teaching, healing and sharing. But even more important than that, they came together to break bread and remember, just as Jesus instructed them to do. This celebration of Eucharist was the source of life for the community, sustaining them through the challenges they would inevitably face.
It’s not different for us today. We are still coming together to receive Jesus and His grace in the Eucharist, to remember His sacrifice and love. And it is His grace that forms, and even transforms, our community. While I thought we would find friends at St. Philip’s for Anna, we instead found a family of faith. Our school communities and the community that comes together each Sunday are more than just a group of friends. This community is united by God’s grace and is built on a foundation of shared faith. It is strong. It is life-giving. It is on a mission to do great things in the name of Jesus Christ.
It is easy to see the turbulence of our Church these days, but we remain a people of hope. We are “a community,” not lone rangers. And not only do we go forward together, we take God and His grace with us. My challenge for myself is to always consider where I am needed in the Church and be open to the call. I invite you to consider that as well.
If you have always been involved and will continue to eternity, perhaps you’re ready to take someone along with you. Have you ever considered stepping into a leadership role? How is God calling you to take the next step?
If you are a “Sundays” or “School Only” participant, how can you grow your involvement? My suggestion is to begin with Sunday Mass – and take your children with you. This is an opportunity for your children to see your faith move you to action.
In our varied journeys, we are called to walk together toward our heavenly home. We can do so with hope because we have others who support, encourage, and even challenge us. My prayer is that we need never experience the separation from the Eucharist and the community that we experienced in 2020. May our faith communities in our churches and Catholic schools remain a source of joy and hope.
In Him,
Dr. Michelle Kramer
Office of Schools
Diocese of New Ulm
The Year of St. Joseph
March 11, 2021
Lenten blessings to all of our Catholic school families!
Sunday, March 14 marks the one-year anniversary of the pandemic that has affected our schools. Since then, we have returned to learning and made it through six months of in-person instruction. We have much to be proud of – courageous school leaders and pastors, diligent teachers, and committed families. In these final four months of the academic year and with spring’s approach, may we have renewed hope that even brighter days lie ahead.
Travel
Once again, a season of travel is upon us, so I offer a request to use good judgment when planning out-of-state trips. Our mitigation strategies have been very effective in the past, and as other states lift restrictions, we need to remain vigilant to prevent outbreaks in our schools.
Vaccines
Gradually vaccinations have become more widely available, and you are encouraged to get signed up so you can receive the vaccine when it becomes available to you if that is your choice. The Vaccine Connector offered through the Minnesota Department of Health is a helpful resource for getting signed up, permitting you to be notified when it is your turn for the vaccine.
Year of Saint Joseph
On March 19 we honor the Feast of Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. This year, this feast takes on a whole new meaning as our Holy Father Pope Francis has declared 2021 as the Year of Saint Joseph. In his encyclical Patris Corde, Pope Francis outlines the virtues of this holy saint and humble man. If we learned anything in 2020, perhaps it was humility, a sense of knowing we were not in charge. We also experienced a new feeling of family when the world stopped, and family became everything. Had we paid better attention, Saint Joseph would have taught us these lessons long ago.
Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph's qualities beautifully. A beloved father. A tender and loving father. An obedient father. An accepting father. A creatively courageous father. A working father. A father in the shadows.
Each of these images provides a picture of unsurpassed parental holiness and speaks to the important role of dads in our Catholic schools. One caveat - I'm not forgetting about the amazing work of our moms. Remember, I'm one of you. But there is just something life-changing about having the faithful witness of a dad in a child's life. So dads, this time I’m especially writing for you.
Saint Joseph was beloved, revered by Mary and Jesus. So too, are you. Study after study tells us the most significant influence on a child's development of faith is their father's role. Please, dads, talk about your faith, pray out loud, and model reception of the sacraments. Your children are watching, and you – and what you do - are beloved.
Pope Francis called out Saint Joseph as a tender and loving father, the protector who went many miles to keep his family safe. Dads, you are called too to make sacrifices. In our Catholic schools, we know that you do that – in volunteer hours, in paying tuition, in seeing to the health and safety of your family and community. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.
Saint Joseph was obedient to the will of God, even when it came with challenges. He was “creatively courageous,” listening to the angels and trusting the voice of God speaking through them. In this last year of uncertainty, how many times have you prayed for wisdom and heard God give it to you? How have you been a man of obedience and courage?
You may, at times, be a father in the shadows – the one who silently does the work that no one notices. You may be stepdad or even a mother who takes on the role of father as well. Be reminded that, whatever your circumstances, we are called to be God’s shadow and follow the Son. This is Pope Francis’ special message for us and our children.
In celebration of the Year of Saint Joseph, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers a number of resources including a Novena to Saint Joseph that you may want to check out.
Let us ask Saint Joseph to intercede for all of us, especially our tender, obedient, courageous, and beloved dads. You are guardians of our domestic churches, and we are grateful for you. Many thanks to all of you dads, moms, and special family members who build up our Church and protect it, as does Saint Joseph.
In Him,
Dr. Michelle Kramer
Office of Schools
Diocese of New Ulm