Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

"Let Go & Let God"

Educating the Mind, Body, and Soul

Pelican Express

September 27 - October 4, 2018

School Hours: 7:25 am - 2:45 pm with assembly beginning at

7:45 am and carpool ending at 3:10 pm  

Taken from the American Jesuit Review

Last week I passed a church with a sign that said “The most quoted one-liner in the Bible is ‘Be not afraid.’” Almost instantaneously, I started humming the hymn “Be not Afraid.”

Be Not Afraid was written by Father Bob Dufford.  In 1972, Dufford was on a Jesuit retreat, preparing for ordination and grappling with anxiety and fear about his future.  Where would he go? What sort of work would he do as a priest? Would he be any good at it?

His spiritual director suggested that he pray, with the Annunciation in mind, telling him that perhaps he could relate to Mary, who was greatly troubled when the angel appeared to her and said she would give birth to the Messiah. Dufford read the passage, and the angel’s words stuck with him: “Do not be afraid.” The line “Be Not Afraid” came to Father Dufford on that retreat, with the same melody it has today.

A few weeks later, a friend, Medical Mission Sister Therese Connolly, told Father Dufford she would be leaving to do missionary work in Ghana. Hoping to finish the song before she left, he started reflecting on the end of Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus says “I am with you always.” That inspired a second line, “I go before you always,” but he would not finish the song for another year.

Shortly, after the chorus was done, Father Dufford was ordained. In autumn 1973, the verses came to him, fully formed. The next spring Father Dufford played the song at a liturgical music workshop that his friend, fellow Jesuit songwriter John Foley (composer of “One Bread, One Body” and several other popular folk-inspired hymns), attended. They loved it.

The song was published and distributed in 1975, and Father Dufford doesn’t remember an immediate response, but eventually he started receiving letters. One woman wrote to him about her husband who was an alcoholic. The family would pray a Rosary for him every day and sing “Be Not Afraid,” and the man finally joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Another woman, an Anabaptist, heard the song at her husband’s funeral and said it carried her through her grief.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton chose “Be Not Afraid” to be played at the church service he attended on the morning of his inauguration. The former president wrote in his autobiography that the song was one of his favorite hymns and a good lesson for the day.

The most humbling moment came when he learned that Sister Helen Prejean, who often sang “Be Not Afraid” to inmates on death row and often it was the last words they would hear before their death.

It is undeniable that “Be Not Afraid” has comforted many over the years and will continue to do so in the years to come. Let us remember it is a song of transition, reminding us that God is before us in everything we do, beckoning us to follow him to peace.

Bake Sale, Bake Sale - come to our Bake Sale!

On Wednesday-Thursday, October 3-4, 2018, our 8 ^th Grade students will be having a Bake Sale during recess time to raise funds for their ministry project with St. Anthony Home , which will purchase gifts from their “wish list” with the monies raised.

We are asking our school students to help support this project! All the goodies will be

25 cents for each individually wrapped serving, on both days. Bring your quarters!

Donations of cash or checks (made payable to St. Anthony Home) will also be accepted. Thank you for your support!

Honoring Our Lady of the Rosary & Respect for Life in October

The Church sets aside the month of October to celebrate our Blessed Lady and her beautiful devotion, the Rosary .

Most Blessed Sacrament families are encouraged to pray the Rosary together not just in October but at all times during the year. Many families have a tradition of praying the Rosary in the car as they set out on a trip.  

As a school community, we too will pray the Rosary. We invite our families to join us for our annual Living Rosary on Thursday, October 4, 2018, at 8:15 am in MBS Church.  MBS is grateful to Mrs. Ashley Landry and our Seventh Graders for leading this beautiful prayer service for our school community.

The Church also dedicates the month of October to Respect for Life . As Catholics, we believe in the sacredness of ALL LIFE …from conception to natural death. Let us pray that everyone will come to support the dignity and sanctity of all human life.

Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Thursday, October 11, 2018 , MBS will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, which is October 4th. We will take this opportunity to celebrate the importance of pets in the lives of our families. Love for our pets and the joy they bring means that children often share in the care of their pets as members of the family. Oftentimes Schools and Churches have special “pet blessings.” While it would be fun to bring our pets to school, it simply would not be practical, or safe, to celebrate Mass with the children and pets.

MBS wants to invite our families to celebrate the next best way…by asking them to submit a framed photo of their family pet for Father to bless during the Mass. FRAMED photos (no larger than 8 by 10 inches) should be sent to school by Tuesday, October 8th, to allow us to prepare for setting the photos up in a display at Mass on October 11th. 

Please submit your photo in an easel type photo frame so it may STAND in our photo display. We do not want multiple photos of the same pet. To submit a family pet photo, please send it to school through your YOUNGEST child’s home room or send a different pet photo for other students.

All pictures must be clearly marked with the student’s name, grade and homeroom number on the back of the photo frame so they may be safely returned to their rightful owners. Please use a small card or tape to place on the back of your pet’s photo. Please call the Office of Christian Formation at 751-5867 if you have any questions.  

Middle School Halloween Dance

Friday, October 19

Last day to purchase a tickets online is Tuesday, October 16th!

We encourage online ticket purchase, however tickets may be purchased at the door via cash or check only.

 

Entry Fee $15.00 prepaid or $20.00 cash/check only at the door. Last day to prepay is October 16 ^th . The students who prepay will be entered into a drawing for a Halloween Goody Basket.

http://mbshomeandschool.weebly.com/middle-school-dance.html

Athletic Events this Week:

Sept. 28:

Girls' Basketball Home Games vs. Ascension Catholic. Tip off times are:

6th @ 5:45pm

7th @ 6:30pm

8th @ 7:30pm

Sept. 29:

-Swim Team will compete in Swim Meet #3 @ Crawfish Aquatics. Meet start time is 11:30am.

-Cross Country team will participate in the St. Joseph's Meet @ HRP. Run times are:

   Girls @ 9:30am

   Boys @ 10am

Sept. 30:

7th/8th Grade Football Team, the War Pelicans, will play St. George at Dutchtown High School. Kick off time: 6pm

Oct. 2:  

Girls' Basketball Home Games vs. St. John. Tip off times are: 

6th @ 5:45pm

7th @ 6:30pm

8th @ 7:30pm

Reminder: Girls' Soccer registration packet and fee is due back Monday, October 1st. Please include updated LHSAA physical.

Grades 4th-8th, don't forget to sign up for boys' basketball.

Parish basketball registration is now open for grades K -4th girls and K -3rd boys. Please CLICK HERE for the registration form for more information. Forms may be found online at  mbsbr.org , click athletics, school athletics, parish sports and basketball.

Lunch Volunteers Needed

If you are interested in volunteering to help serve in our school cafeteria, please sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044ca9af23a2f94-september

September Lunch Menu

CLICK HERE for the September Lunch Menu

October Lunch Menu

CLICK HERE for the October Lunch Menu

Shop with Scrip

Our next Shop With Scrip due day is Friday, October 5 ^th . All orders must be placed and paid for online, or turned in to the school office by 3pm on 10/5. For more information, visit the H&S Shop With Scrip page  http://mbshomeandschool.weebly.com/shop-with-scrip.html  or email Robyn Fox at  [email protected] .

 

SWS Fact of the Month:  

Do you get your groceries at Winn Dixie or Albertsons? Did you know that MBS receives a 4% rebate when you purchase a Win Dixie or Alberton’s card from  www.shopwithscrip.com ? If 1/2 of our MBS families used a $100 gift card to pay for groceries this month, MBS would receive $700 in rebates! And if these families did this every month, we would receive over $8,000 in a year!!! All this just by spending money you were going to spend anyway!!!! And, if you sign up for PrestoPay on the shop with scrip website, you’ll be able to pay for your order online and reload your gift cards or purchase e-cards at any time. 

If you or someone you know is suffering emotionally from the effects of a natural disaster, Catholic Charities can help.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Lego Robotics - Still Time to Sign Up!!

Students will build new and different projects each week from simple machines, to motorized mechanisms, to robotics with basic programming. They will learned about engineering principles such as gears, wheels, axles, levers and pulleys!

CLICK HERE for more information. To enroll, please go to www.parker-anderson.org

RCIA and RCIC

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and the Rite of Christian Initiation adapted for Children (RCIC) are programs for adults and their children who are interested in becoming members of the Catholic Church. The RCIC program is also for children of Catholic families, who are age 7 or older and have not yet received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Reconciliation).

The process is one of sharing, believing, praying and learning with other members of our parish community.

The 2018-19 RCIA and RCIC sessions will begin in September and end in the Easter season. If you are thinking about joining the Catholic Church or would like more information about the Catholic faith, please call Deacon Don Musso in the parish office at 225-752-6230.

You are invited to attend an informal meeting on Tuesday, September 25th at 7:00 pm in the St. John Room of the parish office.

We welcome and encourage all our non-Catholic School families, but please know that there is no obligation, commitment, or pressure to join.

Catholic High Band Night - Friday, Oct. 5

Catholic High School will host Band Night for 6th – 8th graders on Friday, October 5, 2018. This experience gives middle school students the unique opportunity to perform with the CHS/SJA Band and get a sense of what it means to be a part of a high school band. It also allows the student to experience the spirit of these two well-established high schools and their traditions.  

Please CLICK HERE for a parent letter with additional information.

Catholic High School Admissions

CLICK HERE for Admissions information and important dates.

Open House Link: https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/d760679d-a59e-4636-84a0-9161b2c805ac

Mass of Thanksgiving - October 21

A 150 ^th  Anniversary Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Sunday, October 21, at 2 p.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral. The mass will commemorate the coming of the Sisters of St. Joseph to Baton Rouge. A reception will follow. The public is invited to attend.

St. Michael's Middle School Night

Thursday, October 18

.

St. Michael’s Open House - Save the Date - Thursday, Oct. 25

We invite you to visit SMHS with your classmates at your school's designated time. If this time is not convenient for your family, or your school is not listed, feel free to join us any time between 4:30-7:00 p.m.

 

4:30 p.m. - St. Jean Vianney, Sacred Heart

5:00 p.m. - Our Lady of Mercy, St. Alphonsus

5:30 p.m. - Most Blessed Sacrament, St. Theresa

6:00 p.m. - St. Thomas More, St. Francis Xavier

6:30 p.m. - St. George, St. Jude, Holy Family, St. Aloysius

Save the Date: The 2018 SJA Sticker Stampede is on Saturday, November 10!

 

Registration is now open for the 8th annual St. Joseph's Academy Sticker Stampede. On Saturday, November 10, runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in the half-mile, one-mile, 5K, or newly added 10K runs, presented by Varsity Sports. After the races, we everyone is invited to the Finisher Festival and Marketplace featuring free food and beverages, live music, kids; crafts and games, and shopping with local vendors. 

WHEN:  Saturday, November 10, 2018

8:00 a.m.Fun Runs, 8:30 a.m. 5K and 10K

Marketplace open until 11:30 a.m.

 

WHERE:  St. Joseph's Academy, 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70808

 

REGISTRATION:  www.stickerstampede.org

 

CLICK HERE for more information.

Stephen Ministry Informational Workshop

On Saturday, October 6, 2018 MBS Stephen Ministry is hosting an Informational Workshop for other religious organizations state-wide who may be interested in starting a Stephen Ministry within their congregation. 

We are in need of volunteers for registration/check-in, replenishing refreshments and assisting with selling materials. These hours will go towards Time & Talent! 

Please use this Sign up Genius Link to volunteer:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094ba9a62babf85-stephen

Volunteer Help Needed - Computer Lab 

According to policy mandated by the Diocese of Baton Rouge, all school volunteers must complete a mandatory background check and child protection training.  Please note that MBS School child protection requirements are not the same as MBS Parish . Therefore if you are compliant for the Parish, you are not automatically compliant for the School . Many files have been archived due to inactivity, and/or files not being updated. Call Mrs. Landry at 225-753-5526 or email  [email protected]   for assistance.