Feast of St. Therese'

St. Therese' of Lisieux is "spending her heaven doing good on earth showering blessings of roses upon us". In celebration of her Feast Day, it is a tradition at Benedictine Academy to honor a special group of people with a beautiful rose. This year our Senior Student Leaders, along with the entire school community, honored our three new teachers to welcome them into our Benedictine family.

Doing "small things with great love" can deliver happiness to the giver, the receiver, the observer and to God! How beautiful and powerful one small act of kindness can be on transforming our world into a better place. Such power... such grace!

WOW Experience!

This year, our Campus Ministers are excited to be Delivering Happiness through "WOW" experiences.

You may be thinking, "What exactly is a WOW experience?".  It is a secret. We can't tell you because we do not want to spoil the SURPRISE.

Come by to say "hello" and see all the remarkable teaching filling our classrooms... and don't forget to stop in Classroom 5 for your WOW experience by our Student Campus Ministry Leaders!

Mr. Jennings, our beloved principal, was knighted as a very special person by our freshmen students.

Celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit

It is always a celebration when our dear friend, Benedictine Monk and Headmaster of St. Benedict's Prep, Father Edwin Leahy, is the Presider of our Liturgy. He was on fire with the Spirit as he shared God's unconditional love for each of us and the gift of new beginnings.

Our Gospel Choir joined their voices with Sister Germaine Fritz, President, in beautiful thanks and praise to our loving God for their families, Benedictine Academy, and the multitude of blessings in their lives. We are especially thankful to the Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburga Monastery for welcoming our entire school community in their sacred chapel for the celebration of Mass.

Mass concluded with Father Edwin calling forth a special blessing on the precious bibles that each freshmen and transfer student received as a welcoming gift. The Senior Class presented the bibles in memory of alumnae, Cathy Donnelly Ferruggia. We are grateful to her family for remembering our students each year and continuing this lovely tradition. May God Bless You as you have blessed us.

 

BE A GLOBE CHANGER!

This past year, Benedictine Academy won the Jefferson Awards Regional Gold Medal and the Best New Jefferson Awards School in the Nation! Leading the Way to Success, we are now part of an exciting new program called Jefferson Globe Changers!

"Since 2006, the Jefferson Awards began using its history and prestige to become one of the nation's largest activators, and inspiring volunteering with a special emphasis on young Americans. With GlobeChangers we want any student age 25 and under to THINK BIG. We want to work with their passion and create a national or global service project. The opportunity: Become a significant leader for tomorrow." Sam Beard, co-founder with Jacqueline Onassis and Robert Taft, Jr., of the Nobel Prize for Public Service.

Sam Beard from Kyle Schember on Vimeo.

For more information and to hear Ariana, one of Benedictine Academy's Lead Globe Changers, share her thoughts with viewers, check out this link: http://globechangers.org/index.php .

Remembrance of September 11

(Photo: Courtesy of Makeba, Class of 2012)

This past Monday, as one sacred community, we remembered the lives that our nation lost ten years ago. It was also a time to honor and pay tribute to our dear friends and civil protectors, Sergent Michael Jones and the Elizabeth Police Squad, our brave Firefighters, and dedicated Emergency Medical Technicians.

We gathered around the flagpole pledging allegiance to our One Nation Under God and giving praise in song as we asked God to Bless America.

Our Senior Student Leaders felt called to do more to overcome the suffering of so many lives. Believing that love can conquer evil, they invited every student and staff member to pledge to perform at least 5 good deeds within the next two weeks, 911 Acts of Compassionate Action. With every act of kindness, they will give Father Mychal Judge's prayer card. Father Mychal Judge was the Franciscan Chaplain to the New York City Firefighters. He laid down his life in an effort to save another life at the Twin Towers ten years ago. At the end of the two weeks, our students will build a Memorial Tower of Kindness.

Several of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburga Monastery joined us for prayer and breakfast as we celebrated the courage and dedication of our policemen and firefighters.

AED: Saving Lives

Andrea, President of JTB Club

Last year, the Students In Action Leadership Team advocated for the installation of a defibrillator to help save a potential life from sudden cardiac arrest.

Chisom, a 2011 graduate, had loss her brother on a high school basketball court four short years ago. She arranged for a CPR training program for staff and students which has become part of her legacy to Benedictine Academy. Over a dozen students and staff members, including Principal Ken Jennings who Led the Way, became certified in CPR and AED.

This year, Andrea, a Students In Action Leader, is continuing this legacy as President of the newly instituted John Talbot Babbit (JTB) Heart Club. Friday, our new defibrillator was installed in the center hallway in thanksgiving to the John Taylor Babbitt Foundation.
Their club's mission will be AED advocacy, education, and also heart nutrition. If you are a Benedictine Academy family member and are interested in becoming certified in CPR, a training workshop is being planned for the second quarter of this school year. Stay tuned for further details or call Mrs. Michalski, Campus Ministry, ext. 125 .

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Ariana, President of BA Globe Changers
Tell Your Senators to protect victims of Human trafficking !

"What’s the issue? Trafficking of people is a modern day scourge that afflicts millions of people, particularly women and children, around the world resulting in extreme forms of sexual exploitation and forced labor.

The TraffickingVictims Protection Act (TVPA) established the United States’ efforts and leadership to combat the multi‐billion dollar industry. Since then, the U.S.government has worked to prevent trafficking in persons; prosecute those who profit from it; and protect victims.

The Human Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act expired on September 30, 2011 and Congress must act to reauthorize it. If the bill does not pass, U.S. pressure on countries across the globe to combat modern‐day slavery will suffer.

What can you do? Contact your Senators and ask them to support
S. 1301, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.


Write a letter to your Senator (Sample letters can be found on Globe Changers Blog
  http://globechangers.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-need-your-support.html
or Call your Senators:
Dial 702‐577‐2339 for talking points and to be connected to their DC office. NEED YOUR SENATOR’S NAME?

http://actioncenter.crs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ac_find_repEnglish&autologin=true&AddInterest=1101

*The above information was providedcourtesy of CRS (Catholic Relief Services) & USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).

WATER SAVES LIVES!

As we are experiencing the catastrophic flood damage from Hurricane Irene, our sisters and brothers across the globe are suffering from severe drought and famine. They are dying and are in need of our help. Our Students In Action Leadership Team has joined forces with 325 Jefferson Awards High Schools across the country to raise money to build water wells in Eastern and Central Africa. If each school donated $100, they could build five water wells saving over a thousand lives.

Wasting no time, our Senior Campus Ministry Leaders put out a plea for help and began selling bottled water to the school community. Their goal was to raise $100. as their contribution to making a difference. All their BA Sisters joined their efforts and together they raised $ 247. They were also promised two matching donations of $100 each, which brings us to a grand total of $447.00.

With Africa facing its worst drought in 60 years, affecting more than 11 million people, the United Nations has declared a famine in the region for the first time in a generation. It cost an average of $20 to provide clean drinking water to one person. The next time you reach for that drink of water, join us and say a small prayer for our brothers and sisters across the globe.

Together we can and will make a difference. BA Globe Changers are Leading the Way!

Delivering Happiness

(Zappos Philosophy: Tony Hsieh, CEO & Harvard Grad)

Msgr. George Hundt, the pastor of St. Vincent's Parish in Madison, delivered an abundance of happiness to our Staff at the Opening School Staff Retreat.

As we gathered as one sacred community to listen with the ear of our hearts, Msgr. George shared his wisdom and humor as he spoke of the importance of humility in our daily work. "Jesus is the first teacher of our school and leads our way to greatness!"

Msgr. George's warm welcoming hospitality illuminated our spirits with God's love. It was a WOW EXPERIENCE which we plan on passing on to every student and guest that walks the Benedictine Academy Hallways.

Come and See! We are ready to Deliver a WOW experience to YOU!

Welcome Back

Welcome back. It is destined to be an amazing new school year. Former Olympics Silver Medalist, Ms. Juliene Brazinski, a Benedictine Alumna, was our guest speaker inspiring our students with her story of how she became a Success. Commitment, Leadership, and her Faith in God gave her the tools necessary to work hard and achieve her dream. Julie credited her Catholic Education from Benedictine Academy and the Benedictine Sisters with much of her success.

As Global Leaders, our students are already planning on how they can lead the way to making our world a better place. It is our vision to provide each student with the opportunity to be the very best that they can be and discover the deeper meaning to their life. Whether this means Princeton, New York Institute of Technology or Fordham University, "God has a plan for each of us, a future full of hope..." (Jeremiah 29).