Welcome Back from Spring Break

Welcome back, SFX families! We hope everyone enjoyed a restful spring break and that Easter was a time of renewal and blessing with loved ones. As we return to school, we continue to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection and the mercy of Christ.

The Feast of Divine Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday) — April 12

Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated this Sunday - April 12th. This day was promoted by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun. In her diary, written during the 1930s, St. Faustina recorded Christ’s revelations to her about His message of mercy. On February 22, 1931, she experienced a vision of Jesus with rays of mercy pouring out from His heart. Christ instructed her to have an image painted to represent this vision, with the words below it: “Jesus, I trust in You!”

St. Faustina devoted her life to spreading the message of Divine Mercy until her death from tuberculosis in 1938 at the age of 33. In the year 2000, St. John Paul II canonized St. Faustina and declared Divine Mercy Sunday a feast for the entire Church. Two years later, he granted a plenary indulgence to those who participate in the devotion. To receive the graces of the Divine Mercy indulgence, we are called to:

1. Go to Confession
2. Receive Holy Communion
3. Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father

As we continue through the Easter season, may the message of Divine Mercy fill our hearts with peace, forgiveness, and trust in Jesus. “Jesus, I trust in You!”

Would you like to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet? Click here for a step-by-step guide!

Upcoming Events

Parish Mission — April 19–22

The Parish Mission will take place from April 19–22. School families are invited to attend. Attendance is flexible—come for one evening or all four, as schedules allow. Each night offers an opportunity for spiritual growth and community connection. Childcare is provided (5 and under will be in CDC / 6-9 year olds will go with Faith Formation crew for fun activities / 10+ can join you in the pews!). Please email the Mission Chair, Danielle Fry, if you'd like to reserve spots in the CDC at no cost. We want to make sure we have enough volunteers!

BBQ Bingo — Friday, April 24

To close out the week, join us for BBQ Bingo in the cafeteria, sponsored by the PTO. Enjoy an evening of fun and friendly competition—win Bingo and win meat for the grill! It’s a great way to celebrate the end of the Parish Mission and the joy of the Easter season together.

SFX School Golf Outing - Sunday, May 17

As part of our continued efforts to support the mission of St. Francis Xavier School, we are excited to announce our First Annual Golf Outing, which will take place on May 17th at Chestnut Valley Golf Course in Harbor Springs. If you own a business, we invite you to prayerfully consider sponsoring a hole or participating at another sponsorship level. We are also looking for individual entries and foursomes to join us for what promises to be a fun and meaningful day of fellowship and community. All proceeds from this event will go directly toward supporting St. Francis Xavier School and its mission.

SFX Church is excited to invite greater participation from our children at the 10:00 AM Mass on Sunday, April 19th. This special Children’s Mass is a wonderful way to kick off our Parish Mission Week! All parish families with children are encouraged to sign up. Please feel free to invite friends from other schools who are also part of our parish community—we would love to include as many children as possible. Children of all ages, from kindergarten through high school, are welcome to participate. Our youngest children, along with their families, make wonderful greeters, while older children can serve as ushers, altar servers, choir members, and readers. To sign up for the April 19th Youth Mass, please click here. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Caroline Paulus via email - click here.

Substitute Teachers Needed -If you know a retired parent or grandparent who would enjoy working with our SFX students as a substitute teacher, please ask them to notify Melissa Nathan in the front office.

Our 1st graders have been learning about goods, services, and jobs, and they’re excited to host their “Market Day” on Monday, April 13!

Classes will be able to shop at the first-grade market, and parents are welcome to browse as well. The market will be open 10:30–11:30 a.m. and 12:30–2:30 p.m. on Monday. Check out the shop names below to see all the items they’ll be offering!

Our school PTO is looking for nominations to fill some officer positions for the 2026-27 school year. These are one-year positions. The commitment is for monthly meetings and organizing volunteers for PTO events that occur throughout the school year.

As these are one-year positions, our current president and vice-president will be running again, but our current secretary and treasurer will not be running again for next year. These are vacant positions that need to be filled!

If you are interested in serving on the PTO next year and being on the ballot, or would like to nominate someone, please click here to complete the nomination form. Nominations close on Friday, April 24th. Thank you for considering serving our school!

If you have any questions, please contact any of the current officers listed below.



President, Katie Flynn flynn.kathryn1@gmail.com 

Vice President, Eden Haven Edenhaven@outlook.com

Treasurer, Tisha Cone tishacone@gmail.com

Secretary, Jessica Stone jessicastraka@gmail.com 

The Parish Mission is a week and a half away! Father Peter has asked SFX PTO to support the mission by providing refreshments for Monday evening, April 20. We are tasked with bringing finger foods, veggies, fruit, appetizers, little sandwiches and kid foods for approximately 300 people. We ask that families who are able to contribute please sign up and deliver your item(s) to school next week (details below). Please sign up for items based on your child's grade by clicking here.

Pre-K- kid snacks like pouches, goldfish, etc.

DK & Kindergarten - Fruit

1st & 2nd Grades- Veggies with dip

3rd Grade- Meat, cheese, and crackers

4th & 5th Grades- beverages like mini sodas, juice boxes, sparkling waters

Middle School- warm appetizers like meatballs, little smokies, dips

PTO- Finger sandwiches and pinwheels

All non-perishable items can come to the school at any time. Most items are perishable, and we will gladly accept them at pick-up time on Monday, April 20, and can make special arrangements for anyone who has something to offer. The refreshment committee along with PTO and anyone who volunteers will help arrange the food on platters and get it organized; we just need the food. 

Participation by many lessens the burden of a few. If you can offer a box of crackers or a platter of appetizers, we understand every family’s participation is different and we appreciate everything.We know life is busy and we are incredibly grateful for everything you can offer. 

And we are excited to close out the parish mission week with BBQ Bingo! We all love TURKEY BINGO......so PTO is turning up the heat with BBQ Bingo! Win Bingo - Win Meat for the grill. Sonsorship levels start at $30 and go up to $200. Every level helps pay for bingo prizes! We hope to see you on Friday, April 24th from 5-9p in the church cafeteria.

A HUGE shout-out to the Bliss family and Northern Periodontics for being our FIRST BBQ Bingo Sponsors - will you join them???

Two St. Francis Xavier School teachers recently attended the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Convention and Expo in Minneapolis. As the largest Catholic education conference in the U.S., NCEA offers a wide variety of expert speakers and meaningful opportunities for professional growth. We are grateful that Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Paulus were able to attend the NCEA conference from April 7th-9th. They will bring back fresh inspiration and new strategies to support student learning and strengthen our school community.

Our 2nd graders took a visit to the youth arts show!

Our 5th graders were able to try out musical instruments today! The Petoskey band instructor came to SFX with a few band students for demonstrations. Once they enter into 6th grade at SFX, the students must choose between Petoskey Middle School band or the Dorothy Gerber Strings program. Band continues through 8th grade, while the strings program is only for 6th graders. Different electives are offered for our 7th and 8th "non-band" students.

St. Francis Xavier Parish will host a special Parish Mission, “Together We Grow~A Parish Mission of Renewal,” April 19–22nd. The Mission will be led by Father Jewell, a missionary priest.

Evening Mission services will begin at 6:00 p.m. each night, followed by fellowship and refreshments. Daily Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Wednesday during Mission week, with hospitality afterward. The Parish Mission offers an opportunity for spiritual renewal, reflection, and encouragement in faith within a welcoming community. Students (age 10+), parents, alumni, and friends of the school are warmly invited to attend. All are Welcome. 

Childcare for children ages 5 and under will be available in the CDC area. Please “reserve” your child’s spot(s) in advance so we can ensure we have enough volunteers. Children ages 6–9 will participate in an activity during the presentations Sunday–Tuesday so parents can listen more fully. Our Faith Formation team will supervise, and children will be released at the start of the presentation and return at the end.

We hope you can join us! Each night will feature a different topic, so feel free to attend one session or come to them all—you’ll hear something new each evening. If you'd like to reserve childcare or if you'd like more information, please email the Mission Chair, Danielle Fry.

Please consider visiting Culver's in Petoskey on Tuesday, April 14th to support the 8th grade class trip!

St. Francis Xavier School Golf Outing will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at Chestnut Valley Golf Course (1875 Clubhouse Drive, Harbor Springs, MI 49740). Check-in begins at 12:00 PM (noon). A boxed lunch will be provided upon arrival, with a buffet dinner to follow.

All proceeds from the golf outing support St. Francis Xavier School and help fund programs and resources for our students. Please join us for the day and consider a sponsorship! Click here to register online.

Camp Sancta Maria (located in Gaylord, MI) has spent 90 years helping young people grow closer to Jesus Christ through daily sacraments, authentic discipleship, adventure activities, and the beauty of God’s creation. We continue to offer:

●     Daily Mass, Confession, and weekly Adoration

●     High ropes, archery tag, canoe trips, waterfront activities, and much more

●     Equestrian program with horseback riding and horse care

●     A technology-free environment on nearly 100 acres

●     Faith-filled fun and meaningful friendships

●     Financial aid for families in need

Would you like more information? Watch a short video by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHHgXLt5U8&t=14s