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Monthly Virtues in SJS Guidance Classes
Year of Faith
This year our counseling team will be introducing a new guidance curriculum for grades K-8 that blends the richness of our Catholic faith with well-established social-emotional skills lessons. Each month our students will learn about a new virtue and explore the ways in which these faith-filled actions can be practiced every day. In addition, we will also look at the lives of different saints who have modeled these virtues. We hope that this will help our St. Joseph Catholic School students to see that through these good actions they can express their faith and promote a school climate that is caring and welcoming.This progam combines the different training that Mrs. Farrell and I bring to St. Joseph School, that of traditional school counseling and pastoral counseling respectively.
We began the school year by introducing the theological virtue of faith. In learning about this virtue, we reflected on our belief in God and all that He has revealed to us. We talked about the opportunities we have to live our faith each day through the way we treat each other. We challenged our students to look for opportunities to put their faith into action as students who show respect to fellow students, teachers, staff and family members. We asked them to be aware of the times when they can live their faith through kindness, patience and responsibility, and to support their classmates in living our faith.
Our September Saints are: St. Martha, St. Jerome and St. Augustine who inspire us to look for ways to grow in our faith and to share it with others through our unique gifts and talents. St. Martha showed us that sometimes our desire to be heard and recognized for our work gets in the way of really listening to Jesus and living in the present moment. St. Jerome used his talents to translate the Bible from ancient Hebrew to Latin, so that many people could read about God's love and learn more about their faith. This task took many years of dedicated work. The life of St. Augustine reminds us of the power of prayer to lead us back to our faith when we turn from God. He gave us a wonderful example of how deep dedication to our Faith can touch thos earound us and even those in years to come.
Each month this Virtues in Guidance Class page will introduce you to the monthly virtue and three saints who model that virtue for us. Our Home and School Connection page will provide some ideas for you in practicing these virtues with your children at home.
God Bless,
Mrs. Beth Henry
“Be a Catholic: When you kneel before an altar, do it in such a way that others may be able to recognize that you know before whom you kneel.” ~~Saint Maximilian KolbeReverence
This month we learn about the virtue of reverence, showing our deepest respect for God and all that God has created. We are called to think about the ways in which we can show this deep love for God at Mass, in prayer and in the ways that we respect all that God has made.This virtue reverence calls us to see the face of God in all those around us and we practice it by remembering that God made us all to be special and to be loved.
St. Hyacinth, St. Tarcisius and St. Margaret Clitherow all lived in very different times in history, and yet they all share a deep devotion to our faith. St. Hyacinth, a Domican priest who was born in a castle, fled 12th century marauders with the Eucharist and a heavy statue of the Blessed Mother to keep them from being desecrated. St. Tarcisius was a young boy who was martyred in the early days of the Roman Empire when he was caught on his way to take the Eucharist to Christian prisoners who were awaiting martyrdom. St. Margaret Clitherow was a noble woman in Elizabethan England who converted to Catholicism and raised her three children as Catholics. She refused to renounce her faith and was arrested and martyred for having Mass celebrated in her home.
At home this month ask your children how they can practice this deep respect and love for God in the way that they treat their siblings, parents, and classmates. Spend some time in quiet prayer as a family.
God Bless,
Mrs. Henry
Stewardship
"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace." 1 Peter 4:8-10
November is a month that brings thoughts of gratitude for all that God has given us--the joy of our families, the bounty of our Thanksgiving feasts and the time away from our busy schedules to relax. For our St. Joseph’s students it’s also a time to learn about the virtue of stewardship and to reflect on the lives of three saints who clearly lived that virtue.
This virtue of stewardship is lived when we give the best of our lives---our time, talents and treasure---to God. We do this in simple small acts of kindness each day; in using caring words to support others rather than tear them down; and in being mindful of how our actions impact those around us. We practice this virtue when we recognize the gifts that God has given us and try to develop these talents as best we can.
Our saintly examples this month include the actions of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a girl born into riches and royalty who left the palace and all it held to dedicate her life to helping the poor and hungry. Blessed Fra Angelico, the famous Renaissance artist and Dominican Friar, used his artistic talent to spotlight the greatness of God. He was humble in spite of his great talent and reminds us that our gifts can inspire others. Finally, we are learning about the example of St. Guiseppe Moscati, an Italian medical doctor known for pioneering work in biochemistry. St. Giuseppe used his skills and his compassion to treat patients who were considered “incurables.” He reminded the young doctors he taught to care for the whole person--body and soul.At home this month help your child to think about their gifts and talents. Ask to talk to you about something they are proud of and how they can share this gift with others. As a family, come up with something you can do to share your talents and interests with others in your neighborhood, parish or community. It can be as simple as raking leaves for an elderly neighbor, picking up trash or speaking kindly to our siblings.
May your Thanksgiving be blessed!
Mrs. Henry
Generosity
“For it is in giving that we receive." ~~St. Francis of Assisi
During this season of Advent we are focusing on the Virtue of Generosity and three saints who lived clear examples of this virtue. For our K-2 students, this has meant learning about St. Nicholas whose feast day we just celebrated. We read about his desire to follow Jesus in giving to those in need and how he shared his riches with the poor. St. Nicholas became a priest as a way of helping others to experience God’s love and to grow closer to God. When St. Nicholas’ secret generosity was discovered, he humbly told those he had helped to thank God for the goodness in their lives.
In grades 3-5, we are learning about the ways in which we can be generous through showing kindness to those who may be alone or lonely; and in being quick to look for ways to help others each day. Our second saintly example of generosity comes from Saint Mary Magdalene, who supported Jesus ministry and was present at His Crucifixion and Resurrection.
In the 6th-8th grades, we are exploring the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan Friar, who published anti-Nazi writings and hid 2,000 Jews from the Nazis at the Niepokalanow Monastery in Teresin, Poland where he lived. After he was arrested by the Gestapo, St. Maximilian Kolbe offered to take the place of a fellow prisoner in Auschwitz who was chosen for death. He is a martyr and the Patron Saint of Prisoners
In our guidance classes, we also reflected on the ways in which we are called to be generous, to “give without counting the cost.” Our St. Joseph students were challenged to look for ways in which they can share the gift of God’s love each day to family and classmates by being kind and inclusive.
Those classes who were able to take part in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on first Friday reflected on how the experience of sitting quietly and listening for God can help them to grow in faith. Finally, we asked ourselves if there is a “yes” that we can say to God this Advent season? A “yes” to being more generous with ourselves and our many gifts and talents to those who need that kindness and help in our daily lives.
We hope you have a very Blessed Advent & Christmas. Thank you for sharing the gift of your children with us!~~Mrs. Henry
Gratitude
"Gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy."
~~Saint Teresa of Calcutta
The Virtue of Gratitude calls us to look for the good, the many gifts of God in our lives. We began 2020 learning about this virtue and about the lives of three saints who embodied this virtue. In guidance classes our students wrote about the gifts of friendship and love that they shared with family during Christmas break. We created Gratitude Books and journals, and played gratitude bingo. Our middle school students reflected on challenges or struggles that they have overcome and they wrote about those people in their lives who helped them during these rough times. They also reflected on the ways we can grow through the tough times in our lives and how we can see God in all of our days--the victorious ones as well as the challenging ones.
In Kindergarten through 2nd grade, we learned about St. Francis of Assisi's love and appreciation for all of God's creation, even to the smallest insect. St. Julie Billiart's story of faith and her desire to teach about God's love despite being paralyzed by a mysterious illness gave an example of gratitude for grades 3-5. St. Julie founded the Congregation of Notre Dame de Namur whose sisters have been dedicated to teaching since the 1800s. St. Josemaria Escriva, a Spanish priest who founded the Opus Dei organization provided the saintly example for the 6-8 classes. His work with the poor and sick led St. Josemaria to seek ways to help others live their faith. Opus Dei became his way of helping both laypeople and priests to see that everyone is called to holiness.
God Bless,
Mrs. Henry“The more difficult the times are the more we must expect and hope everything from the goodness of the good God.” – St. Julie
Honesty
"It’s your obligation to speak the truth, and everyone can either take it or leave it. But truth must be in us."~~~Mother Angelica
Our virtue for February---Honesty---seems easy to understand. Yet as we look into what it means to be honest and trustworthy, our students see that honesty is not just simply a matter of not lying. It is a virtue that calls us to have integrity and to use our truth-telling in ways that are kind and life-giving. We live this virtue when our words match our actions, and our lives reflect God's love for us. In the younger grades we talked about how we are honest when we keep our promises and try our best each day. In grades 3-5, we looked at the ways in which some of the words we say to others can be true, but they are hurtful, unkind or unnecessary. In our middle school, students learned that we grow in our relationships with others when we can be trusted. However, we are also called to use charity and to respect each other's privacy when we share personal information. The truth we share should be good for others to know and it should not be someone else's truth.
This month we see examples of honesty in the face of persecution in the lives of Saints Jacinta and Francesco Marto, of Fatima; St. Kateri Tekawitha and St. Athanasius. The Marto children, along with their cousin Lucia dos Santos, were jailed and accused of being liars when others learned that the Blessed Mother had appeared to the children at Fatima in 1917. Despite being afraid and alone, they prayed the rosary in jail and soon all of the other prisoners prayed with them. The children refused to deny what they had seen and after they were released from jail they had other visions of the Blessed Mother asking them to pray the rosary for world peace and for sinners.
St. Kateri Tekawitha, the patron saint for the environment, is the first Native American saint. Her face was scarred from the smallpox that she had as a young child and was often seen with a blanket wrapped around her face to hide the scars. Both of her parents died from the disease, so she was raised by an uncle. St. Kateri converted to Catholicism when she was 19 and refused to marry. Her tribe didn’t like her conversion or her decision to devote her life to her faith, so she had to move away.
St. Athanasius, was a Greek Bishop, who lived more than 1,600 years ago. As a defender of the faith, he taught that Jesus was God and fought for this statement of our faith to be included in the Creed that we say at Mass. At the time, St. Athanasius was persecuted for fighting for this belief and he was sent into exile for 17 years.
God Bless,
Mrs. Henry
Third and fourth grade students created beautiful prayer stones from river rocks to remind them that Jesus walks beside them through the challenging times and the joyous times of their lives. St. Kateri created small crosses from twigs and branches that she left in the wilderness to remind her of God's love as she went about her daily chores.
Mercy
"We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way."~~Saint Francis of Assisi
As we move into the first full week of Lent, our St. Joseph’s students will be learning about the virtue of Mercy and about the ways in which we care for those who suffer. In practicing this virtue we look beyond our needs to the needs of those around us in our families, our school and our world. We help those who suffer through our prayers and our sacrifices.
Our actions can include prayer for those who suffer far from us, as well as for ourselves and our loved ones. Lent provides us with the perfect opportunities to help others in big and little ways, from giving up activities we enjoy to abstaining from habits that hurt others, such as selfishness and unkind words.
Our kindergarten students made single-decade rosaries last week as they learned about Mercy. They practiced this virtue both through prayer and sacrifice---they each prayed silently for those who might need their prayers that day and also waited patiently for their turn.Our saints this month include, St. John Vianney, St. Faustina, and St. Teresa of Calcutta. As a young man growing up during the French Revolution, St. John Vianney witnessed priests risking their lives to practice the faith. St. John Vianney became a priest himself after battling illness and challenging studies. At his parish in Ars, France he saw many people who were indifferent to practicing their faith or had turned from their faith during the war and he fought to bring them back to their faith. St. John Vianney often spent 11-12 hours a day hearing confessions in the winter months and closer to 16 hours a day hearing confessions in summer.
In grades 3-5, we learn about St. Faustina, a young Polish nun, who had always prayed for the sufferings of those around her and for those in need of God’s mercy. She spread the message of God’s mercy to the world after Jesus appeared to her in a vision and asked her to paint his Divine Mercy image and include the simple, yet powerful prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
St. Teresa of Calcutta provides our final example of a life focused on the suffering of others. She was an Albanian nun and missionary who dedicated her life to the poorest and most neglected people in India. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious order whose sisters lived in the slums and opened schools for girls and homes for the dying.
God Bless,
Mrs. Henry
Justice
"If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you want life, embrace the truth – the truth revealed by God." ~~Saint John Paul the Great
In our guidance classes this month we talked about the Virtue of Justice and God's call to us to be fair and just toward each other not just in our actions but also in our thoughts. When we looked at the cartoon above we saw that having the exact same box didn't give each person the same chance to enjoy the game because they had different needs and different strengths. In the second half of the photo, the three people have what they need to enjoy the game. When we share our time, our talents and our resources with others we become the family that God created us to be--sharing in the many gifts in our lives.
This month our lessons on Justice and the examples of our saints--Saint Anthony of Padua, St. Katharine Drexel and St. Thomas More--happened in recorded lessons and virtual meetings as we learned together from our homes during the global pandemic. We looked at the concept of fairness and how we sometimes forget Jesus' lessons about justice in the parable about the vineyard workers in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16). When we look at what others seem to have with envy and use those comparisons to tell ourselves "it's not fair" we miss the opportunity to look insttead at the unique and special gifts in our daily lives.
In the story of St. Katharine, we learned how a rich young woman saw the faithfulness of her parents and in turn devoted her life to providing for the education of minorities whose needs were not a part of the education landscape at that time. We hear of St. Anthony and St. Thomas More, who also were born into rich and powerful lives, but devoted themselves to teaching others about God and bringing others to God by their examples."We who have a voice must speak for the voiceless." ~~Saint Óscar Romero
God Bless,
Mrs. Henry
Zeal
Be not afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ! ~~Saint John Paul the Great
Our last full month of school brought us the Virtue Zeal. In our Zoom and recorded lessons we learned that this virtue is about being so filled with God's love for us that we want to share that love through our words and actions. We talked about how our excitement about our faith can be shared each day in the little ways we try to live like Jesus lived---through kindness, caring and generous actions.
Our saints this month included St. Paul, who transformed from one of the early Church's biggest persecutors to one of her strongest leaders. His willingness to change, to learn about Jesus and to support other disciples shows us that with God's help we become new people. St. Dominic, who founded an order of priests devoted to preaching, was known for his gentleness and leadership. St. Francis Xavier, a missionary priest sent to India by Paul Paul III, provides another great example of Zeal. While working in Portugal, India and Asia, he learned to adapt to the needs as customs of the people so that God's message would reach them.
As we end our school year, we are reminded that God has plans for each of us. When we turn to God, we come away with so much more than we are seeking.
We hope that you and your families have a restful summer and that you stay healthy and safe!
God Bless,
Mrs. Henry
"To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone."~~~Pope Francis
