BA Seniors go to Washington D.C.

The gift of a Senior Class Graduation Trip
to Washington D.C.

was the highlight of their educational experience at

Benedictine Academy. 

"Perhaps the best sight my eyes had seen was the Martin Luther King Jr. monument.  My grandmother had always told me stories about watching him on tv when she was a little girl.  He was such a prominent person in history. When I saw the monument, I cried.  I know that if my great grandmother was alive, she would be so happy to know that I was there."

"I was looking at a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln - the man whose interests weren't necessarily to stop slavery, but to save the union. He believed in the rights of all people, but he also believed in the bigger picture. A country could not properly function if it was going to be divided by those who honored the dignity of the human person and those who did not."

"My trip to Washington D.C. allowed me to see a new side of our world through memorials and museums, but it also helped me understand who I am and where I belonged..."

"Washington D.C. with my senior class was a lovely surprise. The time spent with friends, the conversations that would not have otherwise occurred, and the massive amount of history was a brilliant trifecta from the Washington Memorial to the Holocaust Museum, two of my favorites... I would have loved to go into the Library of Congress and spent days in the Newseum. It was awesome." 

"Thank you MR. DONOR.  It was definitely the most memorable and amazing experience that we will treasure always!  Our only hope is that the other classes will get the same opportunity as we did." Graduating Class of 2012

NEW FREEDOM PARTNERS!

We are proud to announce that Benedictine Academy had been selected by the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation to receive the first Douglass Freedom Partner Award.  The Award was presented by Ken Morris, Jr., the great great great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great great grandson of Booker T. Washington, to the BA Advisory Board of Trustees via Skype this past Monday evening. 

Ms. Cindy Readlinger, the Chair of the Advisory Board of Trustees, briefly introduced the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation.
http://www.fdff.org/

"Established to preserve the legacy of Frederick Douglass and to newly create an awareness about modern day slavery, their mission is to end human trafficking and all forms of servitude with a clear effort to restore the dignity and well-being of its victims... 


We are so proud of our students and their achievements and thank you (Mr. Morris) for the opportunity they have had to participate in your mission by raising consciousness about the evil of human trafficking."

Mr. Ken Morris announced that they had met with Mayor Bloomberg and were bringing their Human Trafficking Service Learning Curriculum to the New York City Public Schools. Frederick Douglass Family Foundation would use Benedictine Academy as their Model School.  "Everything the students, teachers and Administrators have done is incredible.  Thank you all very much for the hard work you have done and for being such a great inspiration to us at the Foundation."

The Honorable Mayor J. Christian Bollwage

presented the Freedom Partner Award plaque to Ken Jennings, our Principal and Honorable Assemblyman Joseph Cryan presented the letter from Nettie Washington Douglass to Sister Germaine Fritz, OSB, President of Benedictine Academy.  Also present for this momentous occasion was Ms. Rowena Madden, the Executive Director of Governor Christie's Volunteer Service Department. 

Crowning of Mary

In the month of May, we honor and celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary with the crowning and praying of the rosary in classes.  This special devotion can be attributed to the Jesuits in the late 1700's, while the praying of the rosary  can be traced back to St. Dominic in the 12th century.

Today, we gathered as one sacred community to crown Mary with a beautiful wreath of roses and pray a Litany asking for her intercession

Scott P. Richard explains, "... during the Marian month of May, we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for her protection and for the grace to imitate her in her love of Christ, and Christ in His love of her.  As the Mother of Christ, she is our mother, too, and we look to her for guidance." 

Mary gives us little stones to help us experience a conversion of heart and help us grow closer to God through prayer:

                                             1. Prayer with the heart: Rosary

2. Eucharist

3. Holy Bible

4. Fasting

5. Monthly Confession

When the Blessed Mother appeared in Medjugorje, she said:

"If you knew how much I love you, you'd cry of joy!"

NEW JERSEY YOUTH SERVICE AWARDS

It was an amazing afternoon at the Newark Museum for Benedictine Academy who was awarded with three (3) New Jersey Governor's Jefferson Awards for outstanding community service leadership.  Celebrating New Jersey's next generation of community leaders and volunteer service organizers,

Benedictine Academy, along with twenty-five other schools, groups and individuals, were recognized by the Community Foundation of New Jersey (in partnership with the Star Ledger, Governor's Office on Volunteerism, and the Jefferson Awards Students In Action) for their leadership in volunteerism in the categories of Citizenship, Peace & Justice, and Community Improvement.  

Our accomplished young ladies, proudly stood among other well-known schools such as Peck, Governor Livingston High School, and St. Joseph's Regional High School. 

Benedictine Academy's Globe Changers won an award for their dedicated work as Modern Day Abolitionists in fighting to eradicate human trafficking;

the JTB Club was recognized for their successful advocacy in changing the outdated Good Samaritan Law regarding the use of defibrillators;

and the entire Benedictine Academy Service Clubs were honored for their volunteer leadership efforts in Delivering Happiness to the local and global communities by helping those in need.

 "Did you ever wonder who signed these awards?", asked Rowena Madden of the Governor's Office on Volunteerism.  Take a peak :) :

 A special thanks to Ms. Karen Hatcher, NJ Regional Director of Volunteer Service Leadership of the Community Foundation and Jefferson Awards Students In Action.  Her boundless energy and guidance are both an inspiration and support in empowering our students to be instruments of change in our world.

PRO-LIFE RALLY

Sister Lauren recently attended the Pro-Life Rally at Seton Hall University with our Pro-Life Club.  It was an informative, motivational event that gives the youth a chance to speak up for the unborn.

 Filled with prayer, music, visual aid, and personal stories, the rally created an atmosphere filled with only reality and truth. It was an amazing event that the BA girls enjoyed and will surely not forget.  



Martha Devia, a Junior student, won an Award for her outstanding work in protecting the dignity and life of the unborn child.  At Benedictine Academy, we believe that every person, including the unborn child, has human dignity and inherent value.

GOVERNOR CHRISTIE SIGNS THE BILL!

News Releases: NJ SENATE DEMOCRATS

For Release: Immediate
Friday, May 04, 2012

Contact: Alise Roderer
(609) 847-3700

VITALE-GORDON BILL TO CREATE LIABILITY SHIELD FOR ORGANIZATIONS, INDIVIDUALS WHO USE DEFIBRILLATORS BECOMES LAW

Legislation Removes Civil Liability for Using Automated External Defibrillators

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Bob Gordon that protects from civil liability good Samaritans who use an automated external defibrillator while attempting to save someone’s life was signed into law yesterday.

“The moments after a sudden cardiac arrest can make the difference between life and death,” said Senator Vitale, (D-Middlesex) Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “If defibrillation is administered via an AED, a person’s likelihood of surviving a cardiac episode increases dramatically. We need to make sure that the law recognizes the life-saving potential of these devices and shield good Samaritans from lawsuits should they malfunction or if, even with the good faith efforts to revive someone, the person dies.”

The law, S-852, eliminates language in state statute that requires a person using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to have received training in both CPR and the usage of the AED. The law reduces requirements that entities require CPR and AED training for all people who might use the AED to just the people most likely to use the device.

This law is in direct response to feedback from the John Taylor Babbitt Foundation whose mission is make sure that an AED is available near all public assemblies."

A SPECIAL THANKS TO ASSEMBLYMAN JOE CRYAN, HIS ASSISTANT DAVE JENKINS,  JOANNE AND DAVE BABBITT, AND MARIAN JOYCE .  We are grateful for the privilege and honor to walk along side all of you, to learn from you, and to experience the power of voices who care to make our world a better place.  Campus Ministry JTB CLUB.  

GRADUATING CLASS OF 2012 RETREAT

The Senior Class of 2012 retreated to Stella Maris Retreat Center in Long Branch this week.  It was a day full of blessings and surprises as they enjoyed the gift of friendship, the love of God, and the beauty of the ocean breeze on the beach.  

 

They prayed together, played together, ate together, cried together, laughed together, and experienced Jesus in their midst.  It was the culmination of four years from whence they entered the hallways at Benedictine Academy as strangers and now were leaving as sisters.  

FIRST FRIDAY MASS

Today's psalm touches our hearts deeply, "You are my son (daughter); this day I have begotten you."  Psalm 2:6-11 

This is an awesome thought.  Today.  At this very moment, we know in no uncertain terms that God declares that we belong totally to Him.  He is our loving Father.  And there is a place for us, our own room, in His mansion of a home in heaven.

We were blessed to welcome Father Edwin Leahy, Headmaster of St. Benedict's Prep, preside at our Celebration of Liturgy at the St. Walburga Monastery Chapel.  


At Benedictine Academy, we believe Prayer and Eucharist lead to spiritual fulfillment.  A senior student explains, "When we take time out of our busy schedules to go to church to pray, I feel so much better...  To come before the real body and blood of Jesus Christ Himself in the Eucharist, I can only bow down and pray."   AMEN.