Training the Mind to Form the Soul in 16 Cities Nationwide
Albany, NY • Atlanta, GA • Austin, TX • Baltimore, MD
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Baton Rouge, LA • Boston, MA
Dallas, TX
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Detroit, MI • Fairfield County, CT • Fort Worth, TX • Houston, TX
Omaha, NE • Portland, OR • Richmond, TX • Sacramento, CA
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San Antonio, TX
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Dear Families and Friends of Regina Caeli,
As we look forward together to the peace and joy of Christmas, I find myself increasingly grateful for the liturgical wisdom of the Holy Church. While the world celebrates winter holidays and so many Christians read the Nativity, we as Catholics prepare not only for the infant Christ but even more so for His Second Coming.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Father of the Church, wrote that Christians remember a first, hidden birth in poverty and patience. Christians look forward to a second coming of Christ that will be revealing, glorious, and final:
“At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels.
We look then beyond the first coming and await the second."
It is so important today to reclaim this time of waiting as a time of preparing for the Second Coming of Our Lord. If Christmas is merely left at the level of nostalgia, local traditions, or even “getting together with friends, Advent can become an acutely painful time for those who have lost loved ones, suffer from broken relationships, or simply don’t “feel the holiday spirit.”
At Regina Caeli Academy, we join with the entire Catholic Church, however, and await the second coming of Christ. We teach our children (and, even more often, remind each other as adults and parents!) that we await a new heaven and a new earth, when Christ shall “wipe every tear from every eye, and there shall be no more death.”
I am so grateful to look forward to the glory of His second coming with all of you. May the promise of the coming of Christ bring you the peace and joy that pass all understanding:
Then make straight what long was crooked;
make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord now on earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that God’s word is never broken.
In pace Christi,
Kari Beckman
Executive Director
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Welcome to Our New Centers
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The Regina Caeli Academy family grew by three new centers at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year with the addition of centers in Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, and Sacramento, CA. This growth epitomizes how the special mission of RCA is creating options for families nationwide. These three new centers represent the deep roots, and wide branches, of the mighty oak that grows from the mustard seed.
Our expansion is mission-driven. RCA expands to serve communities of parents who have asked for the support of RCA. They are seeking a way to homeschool their children in community, in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Our families are attracted to the classical method, which respects the natural development of a child, and classical content, in which knowledge is ordered to wisdom, and beauty is ordered to the sublime.
Likewise, the entire RCA community benefits from growth in myriad ways seen and unseen. Simply, these children, coast to coast, are fellow travelers. Hopefully, they will find each other in the world doing good and beautiful things, and will someday find each other in heaven.
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Detroit student, Sophia Baltrinic, won 1st Prize, the "Sue Scarchilli Award," for Pro-Life Poster Contest sponsored by the Knights of Columbus in her parish. The award ceremony was in November 2019.
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Sacramento student, Kristian Santana, won an essay contest sponsored by the The Sacramento Life Center, in conjunction with the Diocesan Respect Life Office. His essay responded to the question: “Should religion be part of the pro-life/abortion debate discussion?”
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Congratulations to our families welcoming new babies to their first Christmases!
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Three Religious Vocations
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Deacon Carl Maes
RCA- Atlanta grad. Class of 2005
He has recently been ordained as a transitional deacon in Rome, Italy on Oct. 26th.
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Sister Marie Christine
RCA- Austin grad. Class of 2016
She made her first vows in November with the Norbertine
Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph.
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Sister Faustina Therese
RCA- Atlanta grad. Class of 2016
She made her first vows in August 10 at Nashville's Cathedral of the Incarnation with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia.
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In November, the Catholic Church meditates in a special way on the Communion of the Saints, which is a relationship of love between the Church Triumphant in Heaven, the Church Suffering in Purgatory, and the Church Militant here on Earth! The Eve of the Solemnity of All Saints (All Hallows Eve), All Saints Day, and All Souls Day together form a triduum for a major feast in our liturgical year. At RCA, we want to encourage our kids to have FUN living the liturgical year. All Saints Day is a highlight for the children - the littlest members of the Church Militant! Thanks to all volunteers who work to make this day so enjoyable!
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Regina Caeli Academy also celebrates Thanksgiving with performances that include poetry recitations and musical selections. A potluck feast is enjoyed by all!
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Every year, Regina Caeli Academy's 7th-12th grade students attend an Ignatian-style retreat that is the focal moment of our students' spiritual formation. The silence, direction, and work of the day draws the students into deeper self-knowledge, the crucial first step to holiness and perfect trust in God.
“Knowing ourselves is something so important that I wouldn’t want any relaxation ever in this regard, however high you may have climbed to the heavens… In my opinion we shall never completely know ourselves if we don’t strive to know God. By gazing at His grandeur, we get in touch with our own lowliness...” ~St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle
During the silent retreat, the students are asked to reflect upon who God created them to be, through exploration of the four temperaments. They also pray and identify the root sin that most often leads them to fall. The priest explains the temperaments and root sins, as well as what the opposite virtues are in overcoming those sins. The purpose is to gain the strength and courage to, in the words of St. Pope John Paul II, “become who we were created to be.”
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Above: Baton Rouge
Right: Austin/San Antonio
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In addition to providing community in the classroom, RCA provides a myriad of opportunities for our students, our parents, and our families to build authentic relationships that serve our spiritual and intellectual formation. From service and fundraising projects to field trips to parents' nights, we have so much fun outside of the classroom, supporting one another and building community!
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Centers to Hold Touring Events in January
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Are you or someone you know looking for classical education and Catholic formation for your children? Does the opportunity to homeschool while also allowing your children to experience a structured classroom environment appeal to you?
Prospective families are invited to attend RCA's "in-house" touring events on Monday, January 27 (RCA-Albany's will be held Monday, January 20). This event will include a tour of our facilities, view classes while in session, a short presentation, and time for questions. Refreshments will be served and children are welcome.
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Regina Caeli Academy held 8 of its Priest Talent Shows this fall! Each center holds these annual major fundraising events, which contribute significantly to RCA's operational budget in each city, provides financial aid, and allows for expansion into others. The show includes local priests performing talents for an audience comprised of RCA supporters and provides an opportunity for all to celebrate the gift of the priesthood.
Our families always work so hard to make it a beautiful night for a great cause. There are still 8 events to come, and we hope to see you there! If you cannot attend, you can remotely bid on our auction items by accessing them through
Handbid
. There are fantastic items, including those made by our students, that make perfect gifts for everyone on your shopping list. Simply type in Regina Caeli to search open RCA auctions.
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Our spring shows include:
Richmond - February 1, 2020
Baton Rouge - February 8, 2020
San Antonio - February 15, 2020
Fort Worth - February 21, 2020
Albany - April 24, 2020
Boston - April 25, 2020
Sacramento - April 25, 2020
Baltimore -May 2, 2020
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Atlanta Priest Talent Show
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Dallas Priest Talent Show
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Milestones and memories, capstones and goodbyes. May is the month of Mary, our blessed patroness, and it is also the month that culminates in RCA's sending forth of the graduated seniors! This RCA Class of 2019 has began next chapters in life at such universities as Thomas Aquinas, Christendom, Franciscan, Ave Maria, University of North Georgia, Mississippi State, Oakland University, and University of Louisiana- Lafayette, among others. Soon, the Class of 2020 will join them!
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Above: Atlanta graduating class
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Left: Baton Rouge graduate, middle and right: Austin graduates
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Thank You to
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
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Left: The beautiful campus of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH.
"Philosophy begins in wonder." -Plato
SCHEDULE A VISIT: THOMASMORECOLLEGE.EDU
(603) 880-8308
ADMISSIONS@THOMASMORECOLLEGE.EDU
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Support Regina Caeli Academy!
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To purchase, click on the book cover
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100% proceeds
donated to RCA from
Jacob's Wood
purchases
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Jacob’s Wood takes place in ancient Palestine during the time of Jesus. It is the story about a farmer named Jacob, his fondness for a certain tree that grew on his land, and how, because of an act of kindness on Jacob’s part, that tree was graced by God to follow Jesus throughout his earthly life and beyond.
Rev. Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R., has dedicated the book and is graciously donating 100% of the proceeds to Regina Caeli Academy. The book is illustrated by Eileen Cunis, mother of RCA Director of Education, Erika Ahern.
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For Christmas, consider buying beautiful books and gifts from Usborne Books and More. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit RCA. Choose "Regina Caeli Fundraiser" as the event code at check-out. These high quality, innovative, and lavishly illustrated books and gifts can be purchased at
Usborne Books and More
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Right: A beautiful Usborne compilation, the stories of which are used in RCA's lower school curriculum. Below: With almost 500 families and hundreds of supporters, Amazon Smile donations add up.
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As always, please be sure to use
Amazon Smile
for your Amazon purchases and select Regina Caeli, Inc., as your charity.
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