AN E-NEWSLETTER FOR BORGIA ALUMS
Healthy Lifestyles Retreat
During the fall of the 1997-1998 school year, St. Francis Borgia Regional High School implemented Healthy Lifestyles as a service to all the Deanery grade schools. This program was launched as an educational workshop, geared towards 8 th graders, about making healthy lifestyle choices. Originally as an optional program held during the summer months, Healthy Lifestyles participation grew as SFBRHS recognized the needs and wants of area teenagers. The goal of Healthy Lifestyles is to educate the students about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, the benefits of chastity, and the advantages of proper eating and plentiful exercise.

This year, over 160 area 8 th graders spent two activity-filled days learning about how to make good choices from over 50 Junior and Senior student leaders at SFBRHS. The days included team-building, where students got familiar with one another, small group talks and a performance by a student band group. In addition to an open mic time where participation of the attendees was encouraged and welcomed, the 8 th graders also heard from two current Borgia students. These guest speakers shared their past experiences as high school students and the challenges and consequences they faced regarding drugs and alcohol.

This year’s Healthy Lifestyle core team was made up of five main leaders: Shane Becker, Sean Biermann, Elise Linz, Tiffany May, and Ashley Wallen. In addition to the core team, almost 150 additional students submitted applications to fill the 54 supplementary team leadership roles. To be eligible as a leader, students must live and encourage healthy lifestyles. Through the example set forth by the leaders, the 8 th grade participants saw older students making a conscious decision to avoid alcohol and drugs. Testimonials from all leaders described and reinforced why they have chosen to lead a healthy lifestyle.

In many cases, freshmen hang around a different group of friends than they did in grade school. At the Healthy Lifestyles workshop, students were encouraged to seek out friends with the same goals and values that they have set for themselves. By doing so, friends have the ability to stick together to support each other in their Healthy Lifestyle choices. This program gives the student’s the tools necessary to make good decisions.

This year’s program was held on Thursday and Friday, October 4-5. St. Francis Borgia is excited to have had students from Immaculate Conception, Immanuel Lutheran, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Anthony’s, St. Bridget’s, St. George, St. Francis Borgia, St. Gertrude’s, St. Ignatius, St. John the Baptist, St. Vincent’s and Holy Rosary. Additional students from any other area schools were also welcomed and encouraged to attend as well.


Like Us On Instagram @ Borgiaknight
Stay up to date with everything going on at your alma mater by following us on Instagram. You can find us by clicking the logo above or at Borgiaknight . In addition, we can still be found on Facebook @St. Francis Borgia Regional High School or Twitter @FrauTholen.
On Tuesday, October 11 we launched our annual Mega Raffle fundraiser. This raffle serves as one of our major fundraisers of the year. With the challenges of the economy, raising tuition dramatically is not a viable option. Therefore, the proceeds from this raffle help us offset our costs, allowing us to keep tuition the lowest in the Archdiocese.

By purchasing a raffle ticket for $25, your name will be entered into a bi-monthly drawing where you have the chance of winning $1,000. You also win by knowing that your purchase of a raffle ticket, will help secure the future of our students and our ability to offer a Catholic education to all who desire one.

Please watch your mail for your chance to purchase a ticket. Or, if you are a parent of a current student, look for the tickets in your child's backpack.

Questions?
Please call our office at 636-239-7871 ext. 122.

September Raffle Winners
September 1 - Jack Wilson, sold by Andrew Vorthman
September 15 - Maria Brundick, sold by Aiden Brundick
Six Borgia Grads Among the 2018 Washington Outstanding Young Professionals
The Washington Area Chamber of Commerce and The Missourian awarded the Outstanding Young Professionals Class of 2018 at a luncheon on Monday, September 24. Borgia is lucky to have six of these young professionals as members of its alumni.

Please help us congratulate the following:

  • Jamie (Diener) Holtmeier '03
  • Dustin Jasper '98
  • Kristen (Voss) Kopp ‘00
  • Lesley (Jasper) Liesman '00
  • Mark Pollock, Jr '97
  • Pamela (Ruether) Tholen ‘02 (SFBRHS Principal)
Healthy Lifestyle Scholarship Winners
Each year, as part of our Healthy Lifestyles Retreat, the Elaine & George Wingbermuehle Healthy Lifestyles Scholarship is awarded to one boy and one girl who participates in the retreat as a leader. This $500 scholarship is awarded based on their application to the Healthy Lifestyles program and their performance on the days of the retreat. This year, the scholarship was awarded to Cole Meyer and Ainsley Virtudazo. Congratulations! We applaud the decisions you've made to lead and live a healthy lifestyle.
Congratulations Coach Gildehaus!
Congratulations to SFBRHS head football coach, Dale Gildehaus, on being named to the 2018 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame! He's currently in his 32nd year coaching at Borgia with 258 wins (and counting). Super proud of Coach Gildehaus! Very well deserved!!

Below is the information from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for anyone that may wish to attend. The induction ceremony is Sunday, November 4 in St. Louis.
Video Production Students Tour KMOV Studio
On Monday, October 1, our Video Productions class taught by Mr. Joe Bitzer, received a personal, guided tour of the KMOV studio in St. Louis. This tour was led by Reporter, Paige Hulsey '08 and Digital Producer, Michael Ritter '13, both alums of SFBRHS.
The Feast of
St. Francis Borgia October 10
Born Francesco Borgia de Candia D'Aragon on October 28, 1510, Francis grew up in a world of power and privilege. His father was the 3rd Duke of Gandia and the grandson of the infamous Pope Alexander VI. From a young age, he displayed great piety, and his desire was to become a monk. His parents had other plans, however, and sent him to the court of King Charles I of Spain.
Francis married a noblewoman named Eleanor, with whom he had 8 children and enjoyed a happy home life. Unlike many nobles of his time, Francis wasn't interested in power or advancing his career at court. He was a true Christian gentleman whose passion was the Catholic faith. He enjoyed nothing more than receiving communion.
At the death of his father, Francis became the 4th Duke of Gandia, and he began a short-lived diplomatic career. After failing in an important diplomatic mission to unite Spain and Portugal, he retired from politics at age 33.
After his retirement, he lived a quiet life with his family and gave himself to the things of the Faith - especially sacred music. His passion for sacred music and his contributions to it were so great, he is considered one of the chief restorers of sacred music in the 16th century.
Francis' happy, domestic life came to an end when his wife died in 1546. After putting his affairs in order, passing his title on to his son, and making provisions for his family, he shocked his contemporaries by declaring his intention to join the newly formed Society of Jesus.
His life in the Jesuits was a complete change from his previous comfortable life. His superior tested him by making him perform the most menial and humbling tasks. Francis never complained however, and his humility, obedience, and spiritual fervor caused him to advance quickly in the society.
While he wanted a life of solitude and prayer more than anything, Francis' administrative talents meant he was given more and more responsibility. Finally, in 1565, he was elected Superior General of the Jesuits. Because of his personal holiness and efficiency in advancing the mission of the order, he is considered by many to be the greatest superior of the Jesuits after St. Ignatius.
Throughout his life, Francis Borgia shows us that holiness is not limited to any one state in life, but is rather found by humbly and lovingly conforming to the will of God, wherever it might lead. St. Francis Borgia, pray for us!
Upcoming Reunions
CLASS OF 1993
25 Year Class Reunion
Saturday, October 27
Lake Creek Winery
For information, contact
Brandy (Rott) Foss
636-667-6235

CLASS OF 1998
20 Year Class Reunion
Saturday, October 20
SFBRHS Wingbermuehle Activity Center
For information, contact
Wendy Wildberger
636-297-1000
The Class of 1958 Celebrate their 60th Class Reunion
The SFB Class of 1958 celebrated their 60 year class reunion on Wednesday, October 26. After celebrating Mass here in our chapel, the group gathered for dinner and catching up at the KC Hall's lower level.
The Class of 1968 Celebrate their 50th Class Reunion
On Saturday, September 15, the SFB Class of 1968 celebrated their 50 year class reunion with Mass at SFB followed by a reception at the Washington Farmers Market.
The Class of 1978 Celebrate their 40th Class Reunion
Always having a good time, the SFB Class of 1978 celebrated their 40 year class reunion at the Hummingbird Club on Saturday, September 29.
The Class of 2008 Celebrate their 10th Class Reunion
For their 10 year reunion, the Class of 2008 gathered for a celebration at the KC Hall on Saturday, September 15.
The Class of 2013 Celebrate their 5th Class Reunion
The Class of 2013 kicked off their celebration of the 5 year class reunion by gathering for the Homecoming football game on Friday, September 28. This was followed by a day at Balducci's Winery on Saturday.
Borgia Homecoming
Forever A Knight
On September 28-30, Borgia celebrated Homecoming. The festivities began with Mass on Friday morning, where Katherine (Post) Graham, a 1939 graduate and one of our school's oldest living alumni, was honored along with many members of her family. Upon being introduced, Katherine received a standing ovation from our student body.

After our Homecoming Pep Rally and lunch, we took to the streets of Washington where Katherine also served as our parade's Grand Marshal.

Rounding out the day, our Football Knights took on St. Dominic, defeating the Crusaders 30-0.

Saturday night's Homecoming Dance, where Shane Becker and Elizabeth Hellebusch were crowned king and queen, was followed by Sunday's Powderpuff football game where the Seniors walked away victorious over the Juniors, 35-14.
Rev Kev Corner
How to Become a Saint in Three Simple Steps

See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.

What the Catholic Church needs now, what the whole world needs now, is saints. And that means all of you reading this article. We have enough cynics, we have enough smart mouths, we have enough skeptics, we have enough knuckleheads, and, as the sophomores used to say, we have enough hoochies. We need saints. Good, solid, centered, holy saints.

The fact of the matter is that by virtue of your baptism you are called to be saints, to holiness, to wholeness, to the fullness of life.

So how do we become saints? I am glad you asked.

Step One: You need to be human before you can be a saint.  OK, I know we call some of the angels saints, but I think this is a pre-requisite for all of you. When I was in the seminary there were guys who tried and tried and tried to be so holy. Their understanding of holiness, like the understanding of holiness for a lot of people, was to deny their humanity. “We are supposed to be celibate and pure, so I won’t even look at anyone, let alone have any sort of relationship with them. I only want to think about holy things, so I won’t laugh, and I won’t accept any failure or fault in my life.” I am convinced that this repression of our human nature has led to all sorts of problems in our Church. A basic principle I once learned is that grace builds on nature.  In other words, instead of rejecting our human nature, instead of trying to be something that we are not, we are called to be fully human. This means two things: we need to recognize our sinful side and thus our need for God; and we need to rejoice in the wondrous absurdity of life. The parishes I have served have the funniest children in Roman Catholicism. And they all sit front and center, and they never fail to crack me up. Some priests would get upset at these distractions. I rejoice in them. Remember, be a human before you become a saint.

Step Two: Find your place . Saints are remarkable for their variety and their ability to adapt to almost any situation they find themselves in. Sanctity does not come in one flavor only. Once again, when I was in the seminary, there were a lot of guys who thought that there was only one pattern, there was only one way to become holy. They often failed miserably. The genius idea of the Roman Catholic Church is that there is a wide of variety patterns of holiness, and this is seen in the wide variety of patron saints. This suggests that holiness is where you find it.  We have patron saints for practically everything. Are you an actor? You might want to ask the intercession of St. Genesius. Athletes? St. Sebastian. Bee Keepers? St. Ambrose. Doctors? St. Luke. The Chilean miners could have called upon St. Barbara. Winemakers? St. Vincent of Saragossa. St. Francis Borgia is the patron saint of protection against earthquakes. (If anyone knows the story why, let me know!) Practically every profession and occupation has a saint. There are patrons for every part of the world. There are patrons for every situation you could possibly find yourself in. If juvenile delinquents have a patron saint – St. Dominic Savio – everyone should have one. All of this speaks to the wondrous reality that God’s grace touches, inspires, and strengthens us everywhere and all the time. 

Step Three: Being a saint means you will continually go against the norm; you will be unconventional, counter cultural, a non-conformist, a maverick, and maybe even a bit eccentric . That’s a good thing. I learned this in a wonderful way when I was in kindergarten. For Halloween, we were supposed to dress up as our patron saints. So my sainted Irish mother went to the Catholic encyclopedia and looked up the life of the great Celtic saint St. Kevin of Glendalough. She was, however, somewhat horrified when she read that good old St. Kevin lived in solitude in the woods, slept on a rocky ledge on the edge of a cliff, and was so committed to a life of self denial and poverty that he didn’t wear any clothes most of the time. Needless to say, nakedness was not an option for Halloween, so she made me a St. Patrick bishop costume. The saints teach us not to settle for the plain, the ordinary, the bland. They call us to live and to live fully in the Spirit of God. Their lives are at times, quirky and odd, but that just reinforces the wondrous way that God’s love works in our lives.

If you still need convincing that ALL of us are, indeed, called to holiness, do some reading about a woman who may not be formally canonized, but is a saint in my mind: Dorothy Day. Day led a rather loose lifestyle, dropping out of college, living in two common law marriages, having an abortion. She was an agnostic with Communist leanings, when she had a spiritual awakening and joined the Catholic Church. As a Catholic she worked tirelessly for the poor and the downtrodden, protested against growing militarization, and basically was a voice for the voiceless. An author’s description of Dorothy’s character may be the best summary of what it means to be a saint in this day and age: She was cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful, patient when it was difficult to be patient. She pushed on when she wanted to stand still and was agreeable when she wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be. She was a sinner, but, unlike many of us, she kept on trying.  

Human and Holy. Unusual and Unconventional. 

That’s how to become a saint. Simple, yes. Easy, no.

Sports Schedule
Welcome to another exciting year of Borgia Athletics. Together, let’s always, and in all ways, celebrate the efforts of our players and coaches as they strive to make Borgia #1 in class, style, sportsmanship and competitiveness. Go Knights!!

Click logo at right for a comprehensive sports schedule.
Do you suffer from anxiety?
Does your child?
Learn how to cope & find hope.
ANGST screening on November 7, 2018
IndieFlix , a leading independent online streaming platform, along with its non-profit arm, the IndieFlix Foundation , is sparking a global conversation about anxiety through screenings of its brand-new documentary, “ Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety ”. In addition to a student viewing, we will host a special screening of the documentary at Borgia to open up a dialogue between local families, community leaders and experts at a date and time TBD. The event will feature a viewing of the 56-minute film, followed by an informative panel discussion. This event is free and no ticket is required.

In addition, Washington School District is also hosting a screening on October 24 @ 6 p.m. in the Washington High School Theater.
St. Francis Borgia Regional High School 

1000 Borgia Drive, Washington, MO 63090
P: 636-239-7871 
F: 636-239-1198