News from The Atonement Catholic Academy -- Vol. 2022-2023, No.14: October 28, 2022

ALL SOULS' DAY: MEMENTO MORI

If it were but known how great the power of the good souls in Purgatory with the Heart of God is, and if we knew all the graces we can obtain through their intercession, they would not be so much forgotten. We must, therefore, pray much for them, that they may pray much for us.

~ St. John Vianney

As we enter Heaven, we will see them, so many of them, coming towards us and thanking us. We will ask who they are, and they will say ‘a poor soul you prayed for in purgatory'.

~Ven. Fulton Sheen

Our Altar of Remembrance has taken shape and is in the gym this year. Thanks to Mrs. Trevino for organizing this memento of our deceased community and family members.

Death is inevitable and being mindful of that fact is a healthy way for us to reflect on how we live each day. If we are intentional about how we spend each day on earth, and we also consider the inevitability of death, we can lead better lives.

This coming week will be a great time to visit Our Lady of The Atonement's Sacred Heart Chapel (pictured here) to offer a prayer for the repose of the many souls whose ashes are in the columbarium there.

PERSPECTIVES FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

To Whom Much is Given

By Mr. Walter Spencer, Principal

In pursuit of those lofty goals we design for ourselves, how often it is that we allow fear or doubt to get in the way of us accomplishing something extraordinary? The smallest ounce of uncertainty can carry with it the potential to derail the most determined will and make us freeze just before the point of launch. All the improbabilities for failure, embarrassment or ridicule are calculated and recalculated, and our vision then casts toward eminent disaster and leads to inaction. 

In spite of these setbacks, over and again we are called to achieve a greater end. Our talents, those gifts from God, are the very tools by which He designed a better place for us. When we employ our talents, we become the simple vehicles through which He accomplishes a grander vision of the world. When we give in to fear and placate those doubting voices whispering in our mind’s ears, His plans are stymied. Whether we are called to inspire joy and love through music, bring pleasure and esprit de corps through games, offer insights by decoding the impossible query, or provide hope through prayer, we fulfill God’s plan by simply using the gifts with which we’ve been blessed to the betterment of ourselves and others. 

Imagine how different the world would be if Luciano Pavarotti, Michelangelo, Shakespeare or Pope St John Paul II had all given into fear or doubt and retreated to the corners of their respective selves never to use the talents with which God had blessed them. Consider the inspiration, wisdom and love we would have missed in their examples if they had instead chosen a life of ease and comfort, never challenging themselves and employing those blessings that they had been called to use. 

St. Luke writes, “Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much, they will demand the more.” No matter how frail or vulnerable we might feel, regardless of how frightened we are, we still have the obligation to cultivate, develop and use our gifts to the best of our ability – if for no other reason than to be of benefit for those around us – and the more talented one is, the greater the expectation is to excel. 

Among the many priorities of The Atonement Catholic Academy, one of its strongest is to help students identify, nurture, and hone their gifts in these critical years. Supportive teachers with high expectations, a demanding curriculum, and standards of comportment that require one’s best are just the beginning of what makes an Atonement education vibrant. Daily Mass with an emphasis on keeping sacred the liturgy, preserving that which is supposed to be beautiful and good, honoring Truth because it is true, all of these attributes of an Atonement education serve as reminders that we are called to achieve greater ends, because we’ve been provided with greater means. We are bound by God’s calling to direct our hearts, bodies, minds and souls to overcome our fears and expect more of ourselves and each other. That expectation is high, because through God’s grace we’ve each been given great blessings, and we are, therefore, held accountable for what we do with them.  

DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR CATHOLIC EDUCATION EXPERT FR. STRAVINSKAS NEXT TUESDAY

TRICK OR TREAT?

Some insights from Father Jon Jenkins, Parochial Vicar at

Our Lady of The Atonement Catholic Church

Trick or Treat? Do you know why you do what you do on Halloween?

Where did this whole idea come from? It has something to do with the “eve of all-hallows"--whatever that is, right? But why the candy and costumes? Let’s start with Halloween. What is Halloween, or All Hallows Eve? Just as we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Hallowed be thy name…,” hallows means holy ones, or put more simply, the Saints. And we know what “eve” means, it’s the evening before.

All Hallows Eve, or the Eve of All Saints' Day is a day when we prepare to celebrate the feast of All Saints, but what do we do to prepare? What is there to prepare for? November 1st has traditionally been All Saints' Day, and November 2nd is All Souls' Day. On these days, we typically pray for and honor the departed souls of those who have come before us. Even now, in some places, All Saints' Day is when they pray for the Saints and departed children, and All Souls' Day is a day to pray for everyone else, known or unknown, who have departed this life.

So people would prepare for these days of prayer by collecting a list of all of the departed souls they knew, recent deaths as well as ancestors. People would also pray for their neighbors’ departed relatives and keep them in their devotions on these special days.

But what does this have to do with putting on a costume and going door-to-door asking for candy? Well, in preparation for gathering those names we just mentioned, and to teach their children how to begin/maintain this devotion, people would send their children door-to-door to ask their neighbors for the names of their departed relatives. And the children’s reward for their prayers was a small cake or pastry, often called a “soul-cake,” given in trade for a prayer for a departed soul—one cake for one prayer.

A custom also came along over the years where children would honor All Saints' Day by dressing up as their favorite saint, so to learn more about those Christians that gave their lives to the service of the Lord, and to pattern their lives after the Saints. Somewhere along the line, these practices were combined, and we ended up with children dressing up as saints and going door-to-door asking for sweets and prayers.

Of course, like many other Christian days of devotion, All Saints Day was put in its current place on the last day of October to thwart the celebration at the end of the pagan year, which was much like a New Year’s Eve celebration. Somewhere in this mix, we get the phrase “trick or treat?” as the pagans were reluctant to give up their holiday and participate in the Christian holiday. Christian children were likely saying “trick or treat” merely to ask if they were to be given a treat for their prayers, or to be tricked into praying for a pagan god of some sort.

Naturally, time withers all kinds of things, and customs get lost in their public interpretations. So instead of seeing children dressed up as Saints such as, St. Laurence, St. John, or the Virgin Mary, we see Batman, Sponge-Bob, and Cat-in-the-Hat walking the streets asking for candy, and we give them no names to pray for on All Saints Day.

So next Halloween, if you are able, or if you have the inclination, consider dressing your child as a Saint, or at least teach them to pray for the souls of your departed loved ones. The Saints pray for us daily, and we should return the favor! Also, if you don’t currently attend a church, call around and find a church to try on. God is always calling us back home, and the Saints continue to pray for us to find and serve God as they did, whether or not we pray for them. 

KING'S FAIR FLASHBACK: Back in 2010, when Mrs. Christianson had a winning banner for her PreK class!

PILGRIMAGE 2023 IS COMING!

The annual pilgrimage is back, and Upper School families should watch their email inbox for full details concerning the itinerary and how to sign up! Questions should be addressed to Mrs. Trevino via email.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? PIZZA, PLEASE!

CRUSADER ATHLETICS UPDATE

Volleyball Update from Coach Alex Alvarez

JV Team:

JV finished the season with a 2-1 win over Center Point. They had a very good season with a record of 10-5 overall, which was better than expected. The team was led by Rebekah Barron with 25 aces, 24 kills, 110 assists, 46 digs and Asha Janaki with 19 aces, 47 kills, 50 digs. 

Varsity Team:

Varsity's season came to a close with a 3-0 victory over San Angelo Christian during Senior night. They ended another solid season with a record of 21-14, barely missing the playoffs. This is the third year in a row that they have had 20 wins. 

Here are the top three in season stats for each category:

• Aces: Karolina Garza - 77, Talen Skeens - 73, Daria Cosnowski - 47
• Kills: Sophia Musquiz - 149, Karolina Garza - 144, Hannah John - 124
• Assists: Talen Skeens - 416, Karolina Garza - 171, Daria Cosnowski - 29
• Receptions: Daria Cosnowski - 459, Karolina Garza - 252, Sabella Berlanga - 229
• Digs: Daria Cosnowski - 512, Karolina Garza - 361, Sabella Berlanga - 277
• Blocks: Sophia Musquiz - 56, Hannah John - 34, Vanessa Cannard – 8

MS Football

Please congratulate your MS Football team as they played a FANTASTIC season full of many great performances. The played the South Texas Football Conference Middle School League Championship Game this week against Gloria Deo and showed great heart and courage as true Crusaders! Although they must be content with Division Runner Up, they accomplished more than any other MS team in our school's history, and they have made us all very proud!

Join us in congratulating our crusading Crusaders on the turf this fall: Brett Rogalinski, John Paul Ku, Armando Garza, Hank Halpin, Logan Farber, Devin Deschenes, Tristen Noriega, Charlie Tamez, Santiago Sanchez, Patricio Pareja, and Lucas Pareja. These mostly 6th and 7th graders have a bright future ahead!

Homecoming King and Queen:  John Giltner and AnaMarie Santos. US students and teachers voted for the candidates.

The courtyard was a wonderful setting for the dance, and the weather was perfect!

These gallant young men rented a limo and asked these young ladies to go to the dance with them! The freshmen had a wonderful time!

Line dances are always so much fun!

LAST WEEKEND FOR THE AHG PUMPKIN PATCH!

AHG Trio: Julia, Evie, and Briony obviously enjoying their work last weekend!

Class photos: Mrs. Wright's second graders visited the pumpkin patch and had a great afternoon break with a story from Mrs. Benzaquen!

CYO WINTER SPORTS SIGN UPS BEGIN

ONGOING THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE

Our PE teacher Ms. Kori Johnson rallied the faculty for a cheer squad at the pep rally!

Students, teachers, and coaches loved all the Spirit Week activities!

Mrs. Lozano's class "sponsored" athletes Gabe and Perla, and she said, " It was so special to have sponsored these extraordinary athletes for homecoming spirit week! We enjoyed having awesome Gabe and sweet Perla in our classroom, and the PreK-4 students were amazed to interact with them! We are glad they loved their spirit baskets with all the goodies, and it was an honor to wear Gabe’s football jersey #15 for the Pep Rally!! 

Parent Renee Keller snapped this impromptu shot to champion our wonderful community!  She said, "Mr. King and one of our parishioners, Mr. Murphy, fixed our bleacher when it broke this morning! What an amazingly fast turnaround from the time it broke to the time it was fixed was about an hour!" What a blessing to be in a great Atonement community with people like Mr. King and Mr. Murphy!

Fifth grader Quinn Monaghan spent over 20 hours dancing with her crew at the Celebrity Dance Convention last weekend.

Mr. Sackett's class gathered to wish him a happy birthday last week!

Parker Fisher continues to be a Little League player with his team in Boerne, and his mom Stephanie sent this in to commend the fourth grader's efforts during a recent tournament, where they earned a second-place finish. Congratulations, Parker!

Dr. Armando Garza is coaching soccer again this year -- and posing for photos with son Armando Jr.

DON'T MISS A PHENOMENAL PERFORMANCE THIS WEEKEND!

Don’t forget to continue selling your raffle tickets! If your family sells a minimum of $100 by November 11, you will enter the King’s Fair raffle to win one of three gift certificates for $500/$250/$100. Remember that 100% of the proceeds from these tickets benefits our school, thanks to the donation from Catholic Life Insurance!

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS

We would love to add your stories and photos to the newsletter! The school publication is produced by former faculty and administrator Mary Havel. For those of you unfamiliar with the typical routine with the school newsletter, here are a few guidelines:

1. FREQUENCY: Our online newsletter on weeks during which there is a full week of school, and it is usually posted on Thursday late afternoon/evening.

2. DISTRIBUTION: The newsletter is sent out via an online platform, Constant Contact, and it is sent to faculty/staff as well as to our currently enrolled families. The newsletter is also posted on FaceBook, both on the Atonement Exchange (a private group designed for current families, upper school graduates, and faculty/staff) and The Atonement Academy page (a public-access page for general news about the school, news releases, and promotions/marketing to the public).

3. DEADLINES: Wednesday, 5 pm for inclusion in the next day's newsletter

4. MATERIAL TO SUBMIT: Notices about clubs, athletics, special visitors, field trips, experiments, and personal achievements on or off campus are excellent material! Send a longer story OR just bullet points and you will be contacted if more details are required.

5. HOW TO SEND: Send to mhavel@atonementonline.com. If you have more than a couple of photos, you may send a few at a time to the school email.

A word about privacy: our handbook indicates that unless parents submit a written directive to the contrary, their child's likeness may be used in school publications and videos. To date, we do not have requests from the parents or guardians of any current students asking to be left out of school promotional materials.