HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

"Dreams take shape" as our Senior Campus Ministers help build a home for Habitat for Humanity. Our Campus Ministers know they serve the Lord by serving others. As they learned how to cut sheetrock, operate a drill, and build ceilings, walls, and closets, they prayed that the new homeowners would enjoy their home. "Habitat for Humanity puts an end to poverty housing." Together, we can and will make a difference. Benedictine Academy has recently been authorized as a Presidential Volunteer Service Organization. Our students are striving to achieve 100 service hours in order to receive the Presidential Bronze Service Pin. Their inspiration is the Lord. Jesus told his apostles at the Last Supper, " If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do." (John 13: 15,16)

Salve Regina

At Benedictine Academy, we believe in the power of prayer as one sacred community, a family. This past Friday, our entire school community concluded the week by coming together at the St. Walburga Monastery to pray for peace and healing in our world, in our communities, and in our families. Over 50 Campus Ministry Students joined our Gospel Choir to form a Living Rosary in the Benedictine Sisters Chapel. As our Campus Ministers prayed the first half of the Our Fathers in languages from around the globe, the rest of the school community joined their voices in English to ask our Lord to "Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Deliver us from evil. Amen". May the peace and joy of our Lord be with each of our readers. Amen.

Abstinence Program

The New Jersey Coalition for Abstinence spoke with our Freshmen Students today on the dangers of sex before marriage, the lies that society promotes, and the dignity of every young lady. Our young girls are beautiful stars in God's eyes! As human beings, we have many facets - intellect, spirit, physical, and emotional. All of these facets must be safe-guarded and recognized. This is part one of a two part series to protect the well-being of our students.

PEER MENTORING PROGRAM

Our Peer Mentoring Program for our incoming freshmen students is well underway. The Senior Student Leaders have been meeting, guiding, and inspiring our young students. Study hard, work to your potential, and be an active participant in the myriad of sports and clubs that Benedictine Academy has to offer. It is not all work, however, and no play. In preparing for their visit to the Benedictine Sisters at St. Walburga Monastery, the Peer Mentors took some fun time and decorated pumpkins for the Sisters. All of the proceeds for the pumpkins went to Habitat for Humanity.

The Benedictine SIsters - Our Sacred Community!

Today, our Freshmen Students visited our dear Benedictine Sisters at St. Walburga Monastery to have a peak inside of the life of a Benedictine Sister. It was truly a morning full of blessings. Sister Donna Jo, our Campus Minister, accompanied the students as Sister Mariett shared the insights, the joys and the legends of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. The highlight of the experience was the meeting of the elderly Sisters, Sister Patrick, Sister Giles, Sister Aloyisa, and Sister Ruth in the Infirmary. The students had come bearing gifts of decorated pumpkins for all the Sisters. They left with the gift of thei Sisters' delightful stories and prayers. The last stop was a visit to the little children in the Sister's pre-school. Touched by the preciousness of God's little acres, several of our students will be volunteering after school. It is the Benedictine Sisters that makes Benedictine Academy one sacred community, our extended family for life!

Guardian Angel Day

Our Campus Minister Group known as the Blue Angels were spreading God's messages of love throughout the day, as our Gospel Choir joined the angels in singing praises to the Lord.

"Angel of God, my guardian dear,

to whom God's love commits me here.

Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen."

Feast of St. Therese'

On October 1, we celebrated the Feast of St. Therese' of Lisieux , also known as the Little Flower. St. Therese' would said "she would spend her heaven doing good on earth". Inspired by her little way to do small acts of kindness with great love, our Senior Campus Ministers blessed each of their teachers with

a beautiful rose. May the Lord bless our faculty and staff for all their dedication and hard work.