WOLFHOUND WEDNESDAY
February 17, 2021
Our final total raised for Feed the Kids Columbus was $3,241.65! Thank you for all your contributions!
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The O'Reilly Minute
Dear Parents,

Lent begins today with Ash Wednesday. Our students virtually attended the 9:00 am Mass and later today Deacon Paul will come to school and lead a short prayer service before we distribute the ashes. Each teacher will be distributing ashes in his/her pod according to the guidance from Pope Francis.

As a family, it is important to engage our children not only in conversations, rites and rituals, but to demonstrate how the Lenten season can help families focus on spiritual growth together. Often we focus on what to "give up" for Lent, which is a great practice to teach the habit of sacrifice, but also think about what spiritual goals you can set as a family during this time. It can be something simple like praying together on the way to school or cleaning out your closets and donating all of the things you don't need to charity or using the Catholic Relief Services rice bowls. 

This year our parish will continue our weekly soup suppers as a way to highlight the work of Catholic Relief Services and encourage donations to the rice bowls. The twist this year is that the soup suppers will be virtual! Each week a guest chef (whom you might know!) will demo a soup recipe that your family might enjoy during the week and then make a donation to the rice bowl representing the money saved by having a simple supper. The Rice Bowls will be going home this Friday. 

See more details in the story below.  

Lenten Blessings,
Kathy O'Reilly
Congrats Spelling Bee Champs & Participants!
The 2021 St.Brigid School Spelling Bee had truly outstanding spellers this year! Spellers went round after round spelling challenging words like iniquity and amorphous. After running out of time at the end of the school day, the Final Round of the Bee was completed over the long weekend via Google Meet.

Elizabeth McLaughlin (8th grade) is the school champion, and Charlie Malerich (5th grade) is the runner-up. Congratulations to both of these excellent spellers!
CRS Rice Bowl During Lent
Each Lent, Catholic families across the country unite to put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through CRS Rice Bowl, families learn about how our sisters and brothers across the globe overcome hardships like hunger and malnutrition, and how through Lenten alms, we have the power to make the world a better place for all. Your supports helps local hunger programs as well.

For Lenten activities for families, including CRS Rice Bowl prayers, stories, activities, and recipes, click below.
Planning to Travel?
As we have learned more about the transmission of Coronavirus, the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) have both recently updated their travel guidelines. This seems to be a good time to share the updates that we will be following for travel going forward:


All travel guidance is subject to change as the pandemic progresses. Consult these ODH and CDC websites for current requirements if travel is anticipated.

Please continue to notify Peggy Iannarino, RN, School Nurse of your travel plans or if any concerns arise regarding COVID-19.
Corks for a Cause is Going Virtual!
We are excited to announce Corks for a Cause, our primary fundraiser for the SPiCE program at St. Brigid of Kildare, will be returning this year in a new weeklong virtual format!

Our website and silent auction bidding will open on Sunday, April 18 and close Saturday, April 24.

Silent Auction Items & Wine Bottle Donations Needed
We are looking for donations of silent auction items (e.g. golf packages, gift cards, vacation homes, items and experiences that are COVID-safe), and bottles of wine valued at $20 and higher for our wine grab! To donate or get more information, contact Sarah Moore at sarahmoore00@hotmail.com or (614) 761-3734.
Reservations Open March 1 for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday
Reservations will be required to attend all Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday Masses and services. To accommodate as many as possible, we will also be livestreaming some of these Masses in Hendricks Hall and in the Robert D. Walter Family Gymnasium. These locations also require reservations.

Mass reservations will be live on our website beginning Monday, March 1 at 10 AM. Reservations will close on March 22. To make a reservation, visit www.stbrigidofkildare.org and click the “Lent 2021” link in the top black bar. You will be able to select the location (church, Hendricks Hall or gymnasium) for each Mass. Once the capacity for each location is full, that option will be closed out.

All Masses will be livestreamed at youtube.com/stbrigidofkildarechurch. Please consider this option for celebrating the Holy Week and Easter safely at home.

For Mass times and details, visit www.stbrigidofkildare.org/Lent.
U.S. Bishops’ Education Chairman Applauds Bipartisan Legislation Honoring Contributions of Catholic Schools
Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ of Oakland, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education applauded Representative Darin LaHood (IL-18) and Senator Pat Toomey (PA) for introducing H. Res. 66 and S. Res. 33, “Supporting the Contributions of Catholic Schools.”

Bishop Barber stated:

“Catholic schools are a unique gift to the nation. We honor the dignity of every child through an integral formation that includes academic excellence, but with an equal focus on heart, mind, and soul. This is a preparation not only for college and career, but for heaven itself. This commitment was on full display in the past year as Catholic schools excelled during the COVID pandemic. Amidst this national crisis, Catholic schools rapidly transitioned to online learning in the spring of 2020, and our Catholic school leaders worked all summer to prepare buildings for in-person learning. In the fall of 2020, eighty percent of Catholic schools offered some degree of in-person learning.”

Click the link below to read the rest of the article.
Virtual Family Conferences
Virtual Family Conferences will be offered during the month of February.

These virtual family conferences are optional due to the fact that many parents and teachers have been communicating already this year. However, we want to make sure that the lines of communication are always open, and we offer this as a chance for families and teachers to discuss both academic progress and emotional well-being during these challenging times. 

Click the link below to find the link to sign up for a conference with your child's homeroom/pod teacher.
8th Grade Parents: BWHS News
Parents of eighth-grade students who are interested in attending Bishop Watterson High School should be aware of these upcoming dates:
Mom to Mom Lenten Study Starts February 18
Join Mom to Mom on Thursday afternoons for a Lenten book study with reflections on Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe. All Moms are welcome to attend! The group will discuss questions such as… What area of life do you struggle with the most to maintain peace? How can I let Jesus act in me? What are the stumbling blocks that hinder Him from acting in me? God speaks in quiet places. What are the places where you can get quiet enough to hear God?

Click here for more details including the links to the podcasts and group Zoom meetings.
KofC Family Rosary
The St. Brigid Knights of Columbus would like to invite all families of the parish to join us for a virtual Rosary on Monday, March 1st from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM.   This event will provide us an opportunity to celebrate the Lenten season as a community while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Don’t worry if you are new to or unfamiliar with the Rosary, all prayers will be screen shared electronically for convenience and ease of following along. 
 
Please use the link below and credentials to sign in:
 
Meeting ID: 815 2208 9287
Passcode: rosary
 
For additional questions please email family@stbrigidkofc.org.