March 22, 2019

St. Mary's Sophomore and Robotics team member, Dominic Amore, at a robotics competition this past weekend.

 LENTEN REFLECTION: THIRD WEEK OF LENT

 

At St. Mary's one of our four Pillars is Catholic. Each Lent, we feature Lenten Reflections in order to focus on the Catholic Identity that is the thread to all facets of our school. 

 

Please take a moment to read this week's Lenten Reflection by St. Mary's theology teacher, Mr. Sean Cobb.

"Act as if you have faith, and faith shall be given to you."   

-Anonymous

It's a quote I've heard numerous times. Though it's not a verse from scripture, with only a loose relation to Mathew 7:7 ("ask and it shall be given,") it's one I find myself musing over this Lenten season. Because at the heart of this saying, exists the importance and usefulness of ritual. 
 
Lent is a relatively new experience for me. As a convert to Catholicism, 2019 marks only the fourth Lent I've actively participated in. Growing up an Evangelical Protestant, Lent wasn't something to which I was meaningfully exposed. The Evangelical faith prioritizes "authentic experience," over tradition and form, which means that rituals such as the Lenten Fast, traditional prayers, even some Sacraments like the Eucharist is eschewed. But for me the issue ended up becoming, what happens when those "authentic experiences" stop happening?
 
It was in the Marine Corps that I came to appreciate the usefulness of rituals. Traditions and rituals have the effect of instilling identity and values into the practitioner, providing consistency to fall back on when there's uncertainty.  And it's for this reason that I find the Lenten Season so important. The aim of the Lenten Season is to reorient us towards Christ. Not just through a single experiential moment of revelation, that may or may not occur, but through the constant reinforcement brought about by the daily abstention.   The first week is the hardest, especially as the caffeine headaches, or sugar cravings hit. But the more we persevere, the more we are sustained in our abstentions until the headaches fade, and the cravings cease, disappearing from our attention all together. 
 
So if you've broken your fast here or there, or even if you're hanging on by a thread I pray that you redouble your efforts.  For the discipline gained through this consistent act, will benefit you and your faith with stability far beyond Easter Sunday.

 

Peace and God bless,

Sean Cobb
Campus Ministry

 Read on below for more Spartan news.

ST. MARY'S WELCOMED REGIS COLLEGE PRESIDENT DR. ANTOINETTE HAYS

On Wednesday, March 20, St. Mary's welcomed Regis College President, Dr. Antoinette Hays to campus. St. Mary's Senior Class enjoyed a presentation where Dr. Hays shared her experience in the health care profession and her current role as President of Regis College. She encouraged St. Mary's Class of 2019 to "think out of the box" and to "look at where there's need, not what everybody else is doing" and that will open doors and create opportunities. She closed her presentation reminding students to "Always think about how you can." and to ask the question "Why not?."

President Hays stayed for a luncheon with some St. Mary's seniors who have been accepted to and/or will be attending Regis this Fall.

ST. MARY'S ROBOTICS TEAM

St. Mary's Robotics Team competed last weekend in their FIRST robotics North Shore district competition. They will move on this weekend to the FIRST robotics Greater Boston district competition. Please swing by and support the team!

 

FIRST Robotics Greater Boston District Competition

Revere High School

Saturday, March 23, 2019

11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

and

Sunday, March 24, 2019

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 

The event is free, open to the public and attendees can join at anytime during the day.

ST. MARY'S MATH TEAM

 

Congratulations to St. Mary's Math Team who had their final meet of the season this week and tied for first place in their division!

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE OF THE WEEK

At St. Mary's, our college-preparatory curriculum yields amazing results for our students as they prepare for their next step. This week, we call attention to

Christian Emmerich:

St. Mary's senior Christian Emmerich '19 had already shared the exciting news about his early decision to Holy Cross. This week, he was able to announce his commitment to become a member of the Holy Cross Crusaders golf team. Christian has been a staple on our Spartans golf team as a two year captain and won two championships during his high school career. We are happy to see Christian take his talent to Holy Cross this fall 2019.

 

Congratulations!

We will continue to share more success stories every week about our seniors and all of our students.

ALL NEW EVENT: ST. MARY'S SPARTAN SPECTACULAR $10,000 RAFFLE

 

You could have a chance at $10,000!

 

Buy your ticket today to St. Mary's Spartan Spectacular reverse raffle.

 

The odds are amazing with a max tickets sold at 300.

 

So, what is a reverse raffle?

 

Think of it as the first ticket pulled is the night's biggest loser and we keep drawing all the purchased tickets until the last 10 tickets remain.

 

Those 10 tickets have the option to either split the prize or keep drawing tickets. It is a fun and exciting way to have a raffle!

 

Each single ticket bought includes dinner for two, wine and one chance to win the raffle. One ticket costs, $100. The grand prize is $10,000. There will also be small prize winnings throughout the event.

 

The drawing and dinner will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2019 in the St. Mary's Connell Library. Check in is at 6:00 p.m. Dinner and drawing begins at 6:30 p.m.

 

HOW TO ENTER:

 

Purchase tickets online by clicking here.

 

P.S. The Spartan Spectacular is replacing the Lucky Spartan tuition raffle!

 

Don't miss out on a fun night and your chance to win!

Class of 1969 50th Reunion

 

Save the Date and Spread the Word!

Friday, September 20, 2019 at Spinelli's in Lynnfield

 

Stay tuned for more info.

Mr. Whelan's Sophomore English classes filmed their infomercials for Oberon's "Love-in-Idleness" flower from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream on Friday. The finished products will be presented in class.