Smart Gen Society Presentation - October 13th
Parents/guardians are invited to join us for a presentation by Smart Gen Society on Oct. 13th at 6:30 PM in the Parish Center. Smart Gen Society is an Omaha-based company specializing in digital wellness, safety and privacy. This presentation will discuss how to protect your family’s well-being, safety, and privacy in our fast-paced and ever-changing digital world. From early access to technology and increasing digital-based anxieties, the presentation will inform parents/guardians on the long-term impacts of our digital choices and guidance on how to set healthy boundaries towards screen time limitations and account restrictions.
Adult Night Out: October 21st
Our Be the Light Committee is excited to collaborate with the SSM Council of Catholic Women, SSM Respect Life Ministry, and SSM Religious Education to help local moms and families in need through a diaper drive service project.
There will be a special guest speaker before all-school Mass on Friday, October 14th who discuss why your donations are important to our community! We invite parents to attend this Mass.
Ways to Support the Diaper Drive:
- Students can bring in wipes and/or diapers in sizes: NB, 4, 5, & 6 and drop them in the crib in the school commons.
- Give a monetary donation via the container in the school commons or give online here: osvhub.com/stephen/giving/funds/diaper-drive.
- Drop diapers before or after school to the Big Red Husker bus that will be parked in front of the Parish Center on two Fridays this month: October 14th & 21st. This bus will be transporting the diapers to our beneficiaries: EPS, Bethlehem House, Mater Filius, and Catholic Charities.
- Pray for women, babies and their families! All families will also receive A Respect life prayer card this month and we encourage you to pray together as a family throughout October.
Be sure to watch the large thermometer in the Dining Room as we track our goal to collect 10,000 diapers! If we reach this goal, all students will earn a Dress Down Day! Thank you for performing both spiritual and corporal works of mercy this month.
Faith At Home
October is Respect Life Month
This month we remember that God lovingly created each of us as his son or daughter. Every single one of us! That means even people we have to take care of - people who depend on others for survival. This includes babies before and after they’re born, elderly people, people with disabilities and people who for whatever reason are vulnerable. As Catholics, we acknowledge that unique gift that each human person is no matter how much work from us they require. This month, spiritually adopt a person in need of care such as a mother/baby in danger of abortion, an elderly person who might be lonely or a person experiencing poverty. Pray that they receive the respect and dignity they deserve and they receive the love of Christ.
Our Lady of the Rosary
Tomorrow (October 7) is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary! Mary, our mother, is rooting for us! Today, pray a rosary - a prayer Catholics have been using for over 1,000 years. A full rosary takes about 15 minutes, a single decade takes about 4. Where can you find a quiet place?
Five ideas to pray the rosary with kids:
- Listen to the rosary in the car on the way to school. Captive audiences are the best audiences!
- Use candy/chocolate chips or popcorn to make the shape of a cross followed by 10 items. As you say each Hail Mary, invite the child to eat one. Our Lady is not above chocolate bribery.
- Create a special Our Lady of the Rosary dessert to celebrate. Arrange mini cupcakes in the shape of a rosary and say a rosary after dinner as a family. Then, dig in!
- Create your own rosary out of pipe cleaners and beads.
- Invite each child to choose the intention and lead each decade.