Rudy Saves Christmas

Jordan Wright - 4th Grade (This story received a "first place" recognition as an entry for a writing contest coordinated by Ms. Mary Lou O'Brien, our school counselor.)

It was two weeks until Christmas Eve,and Santa wasn’t feeling so well.

“What are we going to do?” asked Santa as he was sipping hot cocoa.

Rudy the elf said, “Maybe we should make flyers for a substitute Santa.”

“Excellent idea, Rudy,” said Mrs. Claus.

“Wait a second! Wait everybody!” said Santa. “What if a child wakes up and expects to see Santa and sees you, Rudy?”

“Good point,” said Rudy and Mrs.Claus at the same time.

“You could wear his outfit and a fake beard,” said Mrs.Claus.

“What about the ol’ bowl full of jelly?” asked Santa.

“I could add a stitch of velvet to the inside of your coat and make a pillow to velcro to it,” said Mrs.Claus.

“Well let’s see what the results of the flyers is,” said Santa.

A week passed, and the result of the flyers were that everybody thought it would be too big of a job to do, especially on Christmas Eve.

“I just don’t see why people won’t sacrifice on Christmas for Santa,” said Rudy to Mrs.Claus.

“I can’t do it because my bones are too old,” said Mrs.Claus.

“I’ll do it!” exclaimed Rudy. “I can spare one Christmas for Santa. It’ll be lots of fun”

“That’s the spirit Rudy,” said Santa. “I’ll even let you use Rudolph.”

“Thank you Santa. I really appreciate it,” said Rudy.

Three days later a doctor came to see Santa. “I checked his temperature, and Santa has a fever of 103.5 F,” said Dr. Snowcare.

“Oh, dear,” said Mrs.Claus.

“Can somebody please get me some water?” said Santa.

“I will,” said Mrs.Claus.

“Santa, you’re going to be out of work for another week or so. What are you going to do about Christmas?” asked Dr. Snowcare.

“My best helper elf, Rudy, is going to be my substitute,” said Santa.

“Good for you Rudy.” said Dr. Snowcare.

“It’s Christmas Eve, it’s Christmas Eve!” Rudy told his mom when he went to her house for breakfast.

“Rudy, I’m so proud of you!” exclaimed his mom, Ruby the elf.

“I’m going to go to Santa’s Workshop now. I don’t want to be late,” said Rudy. Rudy rode his favorite way to Santa’s Workshop, which was by Reindeer. Santa let Rudy take Dasher home with him the night before so Rudy could have fun coming back to work.

“Hi, Rudy, did you have fun coming back?” asked Mrs.Claus.

“It was so much fun!” said Rudy as he dismounted.

“Why don’t you help me and Emily Elf fill the sleigh?” said Mrs.Claus.

“Sure.” answered Rudy.

After about four hours, Mrs.Claus suggested, “Rudy, why don’t you go ahead and change into your Santa outfit and hitch up the reindeer, okay?”

“Okay. Where is Rudolph kept?” asked Rudy. “Over there in the red stable,” said Mrs.Claus.

“Thanks.” said Rudy. After an hour, Rudy had everything ready.

“Rudy, it’s ten minutes from midnight. I think you should start leaving,” said Mrs.Claus.

“Okay, thank you Mrs.Claus.” said Rudy.

With that Rudy took off into the night. “This is the best night of my life,” said Rudy as he passed over Greece. After 5 hours of flying over the world putting gifts in stockings, Rudy returned to Santa’s Workshop with the biggest smile on his face, and said, “This has been the best Christmas ever!”

Kindergarten Puppet Show

The afternoon kindergarten class is in the process of making a full-scale puppet show about Jonah. This file is a compressed version of the opening number (because it is compressed, the quality won't be perfect). Enjoy this product of some fun, but hard work from our kindergarteners, Mrs. Braddock, and Mrs. Jurgovan!

Emotions

Poem by an anonymous St. Joseph Student:

Love and hate, two in one, my feelings are but brief.
When I feel emotions, I never feel relief.
Emotions aren’t just feelings, but how we feel inside.
Everyone has emotions, but most of them we hide.
People do not like to talk about how they feel;
But if you hide emotions you will never heal.

What's Cookin'

Wendy Gladbach - Cafeteria Manager:

As we come to the close of the first 8 weeks of school, I wanted to reach out to the parents of our St Joseph kids. When Mr. Allen asked me to finish the end of the school year last year, I thought okay it is just for a couple of weeks, I can do that easily. Then I got into the kitchen and had a great time cooking for your children. When Mr. Allen asked me back for this year I didn’t have to think too long and hard about it. This position is so much more satisfying than an office job could ever be, to watch the kids screw their face at some new dish and then clean their trays after actually tasting it is almost comical.

My staff and I are having so much fun cooking for your children, and yes, we are cooking almost every day. Anyone can take boxes out of the freezer and heat a meal for the children (I will admit we do this once or twice a week), but to take the time and cook from scratch is so satisfying for all of us. We are constantly coming up with new lunch ideas and are limited only by the number of hours in the morning and the space we have to cook in.

As we work up a sweat making homemade cookies, dinner rolls, and cinnamon rolls, we realize that this is for the kids. You can’t beat having a job you enjoy and a staff that is great to work with. I don’t think I ever had a job that I haven’t enjoyed the work, the working environment and my staff all at the same time, and I thank them every day for being flexible enough to work with me and your children. One that note, a lot of what we do couldn’t be done without the help of our volunteers, both the parents/grandparents and the kids that come down to help for the intermediate and Jr. high lunch periods. Having their assistance gives us more time to either get started on the dishes or in some cases start lunch for the next day (cinnamon rolls are a two day process). So I want to personally thank the volunteers we have had already this year.

One last note, I want to thank the parents and their patience with my food deliveries. I know there have been times during the day that it is difficult to get around due to a semi truck or milk truck parked in the front drive. Keep in mind that it is only for this year.

As I look out my kitchen window at the construction progressing more every day (it won’t be long before I will no longer have a view), I think about the possibilities for lunch options in the future and think “ just wait until next year”.

Walking by Faith; Showers of Blessings

Flo Minor - junior high teacher:

"Walking by Faith; Showers of Blessings"

These Biblical sayings have always been personal favorites, but the past week, they have become words to live by.

On Wednesday, September 24th I entered the hospital to have a large ovarian cyst removed. By all indications, this was to be a routine procedure in which I was to spend a few days in the hospital and 6 weeks recuperating at home. After removing the cyst and beginning to examine it, the doctor determined the inside of the cyst was in fact cancerous.

The pathologists at St. Mary's Hospital were unable to make a determination as to the kind of cancer present, so samples were sent to the Mayo Clinic for further review and diagnosis.

This past Monday, September 29, the pathology report from Mayo was returned and it has been determined that I have a form of ovarian cancer known as grade 1, mucinous cancer. When speaking of ovarian cancer, most people are referring to a very serious, very aggressive cancer; this is not the case with me. Although an uncommon form of ovarian cancer, at this point my prognosis looks very good. My local doctor believes that we have caught this in the very early stages and that with treatment, I should be fine. I will be meeting with a gynecology onocologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis early next week. After that meeting, I hope to know more about the treatment and time-frame I am facing.

Although this diagnosis came as quite a shock to my family and I; I am determined to fight and to do whatever is necessary to allow me to return to St. Joseph Cathedral School and to my kids. I would love for my doctors to be able to give me a guarantee that I will be fine, but I realize that this is where faith comes into play. I must let go, and walk in faith that I will be healed and given all that I need to face this journey.

I want to also thank you for the many, many cards, flowers, gifts and of course, prayers that I have received so far. I know how I feel about all of you, but it isn't often that we are given the opportunity to know what we mean to others. I have been given that gift and I am truly blessed. I am simply overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion you have shown me. There are simply no words to express the blessings by which I have been showered. I ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers, and I will continue to keep you in mine.

My Catholic Faith

Lauren Highfill - 6th grade:

I was born on July 28,1997, and I’m in 6th grade at St. Joseph Cathedral School. I like having different teachers in junior high this year. My favorite subject is science, and I also like math. I play volleyball, and my team is very good. I like our team because we all have a different talent in volleyball, which God gave us. I also love to read books in my free time because when you start to read them, you just want to keep going on to find out what will happen!

I love going to a Catholic school so you can learn about Jesus Christ. I go to church twice a week and always try to go on holy days of obligation. Our Catholic faith teaches us there are three people in the Holy Trinity. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to free us from our sins. I love religion class because you get to learn about the Holy Bible and spread the Good News to everyone around the world. I will always remember our school mission statement: “We will be disciples of Christ and fishers of men.” The Catholic faith is a important part of my life, and I’m glad to be a part of St.Joseph Cathedral School.

The Survivor!

Ally Burkemper - 7th grade student:

It was a stormy night, and we could not find my cat, Toby, anywhere. Before I went to bed that night, I bowed my head and prayed for God to protect him. The next morning a lady from up the street called and told us that she found Toby, but that he had been hit by a car. He was unconscious; he was bleeding from his nose and around his eyes and had some scrapes. I was mad at God. I thought he was supposed to watch over us. I had prayed to him, and he had let me down. When I finally made it to school, I told Mrs. Busby what had happened. Before math class Ms. Minor had us pray to St. Francis to protect Toby. I was still really upset that God did not help him.

After school that day I was scared to get in the car. I thought my mom was going to say that Toby had died. Instead she told me that the vet thought that he was going to make it. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, but he didn’t have any broken bones and was responding to the medication they were giving him. Every night Toby was gone, I prayed to St. Francis. Every day the doctor called and told us how he was doing, and we even went to visit him. We finally got to pick him up five days later. He has to take it real easy for two weeks, and he limps and has some cuts and scrapes. He lays around most of the time and is definitely calmer than he used to be.

The reason I wanted to tell you my story was because I almost lost faith in God. I was so angry with him. How could he let this happen? Then Ms. Minor had us pray, and I prayed every night. Toby began to get better, and I realized the power of prayer. He had no broken bones, so God must have been watching over us. What I’m trying to say is that just because something happens that you don’t want to - don’t let go of your faith. Believe me, it almost happened to me. They say everything happens for a reason, and maybe this happened to teach me something - the power of prayer!

Monsignor's Story

Monsignor Kurwicki - pastor

As a young boy growing up in central Illinois during the early 1960s, I had three special graces. Number one, I was raised in a completely Catholic family and atmosphere, which emphasized love of the Lord Jesus Christ and service to the Holy Church He founded. We had no one losing the faith and leaving the Church, and divorce was completely unknown. Secondly, I was lucky to attend a Catholic grade school which had dedicated teachers, both nuns and laity, who considered it their great accomplishment if one of their students would one day become a priest – my third grade teacher later attended my First Mass. They talked about and fostered vocations. And finally, I had excellent grandparents who overly indulged me with kindness and treats; in a particular way my grandmother, Martha Sherman, who maintained a large library containing books on foreign travel.

It was with this firm foundation that my studies for the Holy Priesthood began in 1973, culminating with my ordination as a priest in the Cathedral in Jefferson City by the late Bishop Michael F. McAuliffe in 1985. Since that time, I have been blessed to work and live in Catholic communities in Marshall and Sweet Springs for two years; St. Peters, Jefferson City and Helias High School for three years; Kahoka, Wayland, St. Patrick – the only town in the world dedicated to this Saint, for two years; Marceline – the boyhood town of Walt Disney – Hurricane Branch for five years; and since 1997, Westphalia – the Pearl of Osage County for seven years, and in 2001, Folk. Since 2004, I have been Pastor of Saint Joseph Cathedral in Jefferson City, a full circle of ministry.

A priest lives a life filled with opportunities and happiness which are discovered in oneself or presented as gifts by one’s parishioners or friends. As a priest, I have had many special blessings, such as being able to meet and speak personally and individually with both Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. My travels have allowed me to be a pilgrim to many churches and cathedrals that contain the tombs of the great saints in Europe, Mexico and Peru. I have been able to visit the Shrines of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Lourdes, Knock LaSalette and Guadalupe.

I also have had the privilege of working with the late Bishop Michael F. McAuliffe and Bishop John R. Gaydos traveling through the 38 counties for the administration of Confirmation and at the Chancery for ten years. I have a great love of travel and have been able to visit the Holy Land and to celebrate the Eucharist at sites which witnessed Christ’s physical presence. I am particularly indebted to the priests who I have known and lived with over the years, Monsignor Maurice Driscoll, my hometown pastor in Illinois, still living in retirement in Alabama, some of my seminary professors, and the late Father Edward Owens, who I first met in Marceline, an individual I truly considered to be a saint. I was also fortunate, during the last years of his life, to work with Monsignor Ralph Kutz who always taught the lesson of doing good deeds in secret. He would always say, “You want your reward in heaven and not on earth”. Today I am happy to minister at the Great Cathedral with Father Shetler, our four wonderful deacons plus dedicated and devoted parish staff.

Down, across, down once more ...

Charlotte Braddock - kindergarten teacher:

Recently at our school, we were asked to think about our Catholic identity, and how we could build this up even more. While reflecting on this vast goal, I was reminded of a particularly amusing, yet profoundly amazing, story dealing with one of my five year old students. This young student was having some difficulty forming her numbers. Despite my efforts to describe the process of writing a four using a catchy phrase, her numbers continued to appear quite odd during our whole group instruction.

One day I went to After School Care to work with her one-on-one on these peculiar looking fours. I sat down beside her and began describing the process by saying, “Down, across, down once more, that’s the way to make a four.” Only to be puzzled once again by her interpretation of my instructions. However, I did not give up. I slowed the process down even more saying, “Down, across.” At this point, the light bulb went off inside my head! Her Catholic identity was shining through her writing. She was drawing a line down and then turning it into a CROSS!

My Biggest Reward

Shannon Cassmeyer - junior high teacher:

The biggest reward I have received as a teacher is the satisfaction of knowing I have reached a student and provided him with the helping hand or guidance he was in need of at a certain time.

As a teacher, every day I am here reaching out to the students in my various classes through the material, subject matter, and lessons of the day, but I also reach out to them on a personal level. I want to help and get to know these students on a personal basis, as we all are God’s children. As a Catholic school teacher, I want to be a Christian model for the students whether it is at school in the classroom or playing football at recess, but I also want them to see me as that model when out in the community, on a field trip, or at a sporting event.

Around four or five years ago, I had a few young ladies who were struggling with some of the abstract concepts in a literature set we were reading in literature class. I gave them the opportunity to spend some extra time with me to understand the concepts since they had a test approaching soon. A few of these girls were also on the soccer team I was coaching – which these girls asked me to do. I was able to give them help on the field and get to know them on a personal level as well as help them in the classroom. The week we had the test we also had a game on the following Saturday. The test went very well and the girls were very proud of themselves. The game also went well as we won by two goals.

I was very proud and happy knowing that these students “got it” in the classroom and that I was able to guide them on the field to use their skills to obtain a victory.

My biggest reward is the satisfaction of knowing I reached a student and he was successful and proud of it.

Kindergarten Favorites

Braddock - Kindergarten Teacher:

Recently, the afternoon kindergarten students drew pictures of their favorite Bible stories that we learned about this year. Next, they wrote about their pictures and talked about the stories. Here are the results of this short-term assignment. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as Mrs. Jurgovan and I did.

When Jesus rose from the dead. Then an angel watched him come back to life. The angel told Mary that Jesus rose from the dead. She went to find Jesus alive. By: Peyton

Jesus was asleep at the head of the boat. By: Marcy

When Jesus told Thomas to touch his marks, and when Jesus stopped the water and the wind, and when Jesus died on the cross. By: Sophey

I learned about when Jesus was asleep at the head of the boat, when Jesus rose from the dead, and whenever Jesus turned water into wine. By: Ben

Pope Benedict came. Jesus had many miracles. By: Andrew

I love Jesus. I love my friends. Two fish and five loaves of bread were enough for all the people. Jesus was put on a cross. Jesus rose from the dead. They went out to the ocean to catch fish. By: Trevor

I learned about Jesus. By Emily Noel

I liked when Jesus calmed down the wind and the rain. When Jesus walked on the water. Then Peter tried to walk on the water. He fell. By: Carley

I learned about when Moses lifted up the water. He led the people across the water. Jesus rose from the dead. He came back to life. They touched Jesus’ holes in his hands and feet. He told them go tell the disciples. By: Malachi

I learned about when Jesus was asleep at the head of the boat. The storm was a wailing; the crew was a praying. Then Jesus said “Calm down.” And all of the wind and lightening calmed down. Don’t be afraid. By: Owen

Jesus hung on the cross. By: Anna

I learned about Noah’s boat and the rainbow. Jesus rose from the dead. Then he broke bread with two people. By: Evan

When Jesus died on the cross. Then came back alive. He arose from the deadness. They pushed the stone so no one could take the body. She looked around. Go tell my people. When Jesus broke the bread, they believed it was Jesus. By: Sage

I learned how Jesus lifted the net. Then the fish came in! By: Grace

I learned about when Thomas touched Jesus’ nail marks. By: Sam

I learned about Jesus walking on water. I liked when Peter and Jesus walked on the water. Peter didn’t believe he could walk on water. Peter was sinking. Jesus stopped Peter. Jesus got Peter, and they got in the boat.
By: Garrett

Jesus died on the cross. By: Tanner

Jesus walked on the water. When Jesus prayed on the mountain. By: Bo

I learned about Jesus dying on the cross and being placed in the tomb. I liked the story about Jesus walking on water. By: Gavin

I learned about Jesus dying on the cross. By: Will

When the Angel came with a bright light and she told the lady to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen. Peter and Andrew came back to the tomb and the saw the empty tomb. I also remember a big storm, and they thought Jesus was a ghost walking on the water. Then another disciple walked on the water. By: Ally

I learned about when Jesus died. Then he came back to life. By: Emmie

I learned about when Jesus was walking on water no one else could, but he could. When he was asleep at the head of the boat. The apostles said, “Why don’t you care!” It was windy. He stopped it. God died on the cross. He was placed in the tomb. By: Emily Rose

The Holy Spirit is in My Heart

Sarah Luebbert - fourth grade:

The Holy Spirit is in my heart
Helping me to do my part
A small flame like a fire
Raising me up higher and higher
Teaching me how to be nice and kind
Always, forever, in my mind
Holy Spirit help me each day
Help me to love in every way.

The Biggest Reward

Debbie Buschjost - 3rd grade teacher:

The biggest reward I have with being a teacher has always been the excitement in my students. There are endless ways that students show excitement almost everyday; however, there are two specific areas that are most rewarding for me.

The first one would be the excitement my students show in the "at home" projects we do. With these projects, students are given an assignment usually to create a model, poster, or 3-D image of something to do with the topic we are learning. Every time I assign these projects I really stress to the students to keep their ideas to themselves and have the project be a total surprise to the other students and myself. I love when students bring these to school on presentation day. They are so excited to present their own actual work of art and it is at those times that their creativity really shines. It is then that I feel rewarded in being a teacher. To have my students so excited about what they have learned and so eager to share it with everyone else.

The second area that is rewarding to me is the excitement my students have when I, their teacher, show interest in their lives outside of the classroom. Something as small as attending their basketball games or sitting by them during the weekend Mass makes them feel so important. It has always been very rewarding to me when my students have asked me to attend an extracurricular activity. For them to want you to be a part of that has always shown that they respect you more than just the teacher they are "stuck" with during the day - five days a week. In closing, then I would say that my biggest reward of being a teacher - is not only the times when my students really shine and show off their creativity, excitement, and ability, but when they ask me to be there to witness them achieve their goals.

The Finish Line

Tom Kusick (Jr. High Teacher), writing in the voice of the 8th grade class:

Mr. Kusick and the 8th graders can see this school year coming to an end. We know the end is near when Mr. Kusick starts talking about finals and we 8th graders get that worried look on our faces ... especially when He says that in his classes finals will count for 20% of our final grade. He tells us not to worry because finals are good preparation for what we will be required to do in high school, and if we have kept our notebooks in good condition and contain inclusive material, we will do well on his final tests.

The major subjects Mr. Kusick teaches are religion, social studies, and math. Looking back, it is incredible all the material we have covered. In our religion book we have covered the Catholic Church from inception to Vatican II. And interspersed throughout the religion book, have been season material which Mr. Kusick supplied. Examples are from Advent, Lent, Easter season, human sexuality, and Theology of the Body. Incidentally,” Theology of the Body” was written by the late Pope John Paul II, and we have really enjoyed reading and studying this book. In addition to the seasonal lessons, we have had to endure memorizing all types of Catholic prayers.

Social Studies will include from chapter 15, Pre Civil War, to chapter 29, and the war in Vietnam. Lots of material, we have several notebooks crammed with vocabulary and main ideas. Mr. Kusick told us in August to save our notebooks and keep them neat so we can use them on the final. I am glad I followed his instructions now.

Math will include almost the entire Pre-Algebra book, plus at least four chapters in the Algebra I book. All this, we realize, will help us in high school, but sometimes it has been difficult for us to concentrate and stay focused. But Mr.Kusick just keeps pushing us. He tells us the school year is like a race where we run four laps around the track. Each lap represents a quarter. We have the choice to start the race hard and finish hard or stop some where along the way. I think most of us sometimes slowed down in parts of the race and some ran hard and still are running hard. I think in the end we’ll all finish strong.

In conclusion, I do believe that Mr. Kusick is happy to see the year coming to an end, and he feels good about what we have accomplished. But I tell you I don’t think he is as happy as we are to see this year end. I am really looking forward to our last final days May 14th, 15th and 16th.

Prayers Answered

Margaret Jurgovan - Kindergarten Aide:

I was recently asked what I thought brought me to St. Joseph Cathedral School. To keep the answer somewhat short, I went back only 10 years. I was a preschool teacher by day and waitress by night, fighting my way though life, thinking I absolutely knew what God wanted for me, I was sure he wanted me to find a husband and start a family of my own.

After many struggles of my own, I finally realized how selfish I was in all of my choices and how casual my relationship with God had become. I decided to make a change. I opened my heart and prayed God would open my mind to him alone. It seemed to me that I was going to remain single, so I prayed that I would find happiness in my circumstances no matter what they may be and that I might be a blessing to any and all families in my life. I felt a peace I had never known, though nothing had changed in my life except an open heart to God's will.

Two months later I met my husband. We married one year later.

Soon after our marriage, my husband accepted a job here in Jefferson City. We were happy to start our life together, and we wanted children right away. Again, falling back on my selfishness in my relationship with God, I became very frustrated that we were not being blessed with children as fast as I wanted. Again, I fell to my knees and prayed that I would open my heart to God alone. I prayed that I would be a blessing to any and every child in my life. I walked away feeling completely blessed. Not long after, we were blessed with a successful pregnancy and our son was born 9 months later; a year and 10 days after that we were blessed with our daughter. I was overwhelmed with the goodness of God. I was a stay at home mother for 5 years, continually praying that God would show me his way.

My son was going to start school my husband, and I wanted to send him to Catholic School but we did not know how we were going to afford even the nominal fees at St. Joseph Cathedral School. This time I kept my heart open. After Mass one Sunday morning I was talking to a friend and previous employer - I taught with her before I became a parent. She asked if I could help out during the summer. Needless to say, this gave us the extra money we needed to start our son at St. Joseph Cathedral School. Our son started his education in Mrs. Braddock's kindergarten class, and my daughter and I were able to help out in class quite often. I was looking forward to my daughter starting school and trying to think of ways I could offer my time to St. Joseph Cathedral School.

Near the end of the year, Mrs. Braddock called me. She sounded hesitant, so I immediately assumed she was trying to tell me she was leaving St. Joseph. I convinced myself that was the reason for her call, and I was so distraught that I didn't realize she was asking if I would be interested in being a kindergarten aide this school year. Finally, God calmed my fear and I heard and answered YES!

I felt my faith was getting stronger, but my knowledge of my religion was not so strong; I prayed I would find a way to better my understand Catholicism so that I might pass the knowledge on to my children and in steps have found help with Mr. Allen with his newsletters and audio of Adult Catechesis. What a blessing! I suppose I could have simply said I am at St. Joseph Cathedral School by the Grace of God!

Catholic Schools Rule

Natalie Landwehr - 1st Grade:

I like Catholic schools because I can love God and believe in Jesus's miracles. I like to go to Mass in the morning. Catholic schools rule!

Food Fast

Cole Baumgartner - 8th grade:

What was the purpose of the fast and how did it affect you? This is the question that I got from many of my friends and kids from other schools who didn’t participate in the fast. When they asked me this question, I knew exactly what to say. There is many ways in which this fast has helped me and many things that I have come to realize about others.

One of the main things and the idea I think is the most important of what I got out of the fast is that there are people in third world countries who will go years without having much to eat. In religion we watched a movie showing how others were starving and getting less to eat and drink than others. This made me realize that we need to help these people out. All of us have enough food and drinks and we need to try not to waste these things, or complain about what we have to eat because some people are getting nothing. We also need to help donate food or clothes and raise money for these people in need.

The second way in which this fast helped is the money we did raise for the people in need. We raised about 2,000 dollars during our fast by getting sponsors to donate money. This money is for people who are in need of food and hunger. It made me feel really good that, not only did our grade raise all that money for these people, but we also got to feel how they feel just about every day.

This fast was a very special experience for all of us and I feel that it was definitely worthwhile. We all improve our spiritual lives, and we helped others out. This is the reason that I did the fast and what affects is had on me. This is exactly what I tell anyone who has not participated in a fast and does not know what this experience is like. I would definitely recommend everyone to try this fast out.

Three Minutes

Suzy Weber - art teacher:

It was in the spring of 2003 and the war had started in Iraq. It seemed as though the students needed a lot of reassurance and, to be honest, so did their teachers.

A friend suggested that the students all work on small art projects that could be mailed to Iraq for the soldiers to see and hang up in their quarters. So, one grade after another, we covered my window sill with cards, paintings, drawings and happy messages.

When Mrs. Cockerham brought her students to art class, they were one of the last groups to create something to be mailed to soldiers. I had described the focus of the project over a dozen times and felt I could have done it in my sleep.

I woke up when one student raised his hand with a question: "Do the people in Brooklyn hate us?"

"No...." I answered.

"That's what I heard too," another student offered.

"Do you mean Britain?" I asked.

"Yeah, okay, that was it. Do the people in Britain hate us? You know, because of the war and everything. They think it's wrong, don't they?" There was some second grade confusion and it seemed that they were wanting to know if we were the good guys or the bad guys. At that age, the problems all seemed to clump together, and I knew I could not sort them all out during out 60 minute art period.

"You all are asking some very good questions, and I am impressed with your interest, but I think these are questions for your mom and dad."

"But why do the people in Britain hate us?" another student persisted.

I hoped a little story would clear this up so that we could begin our project. "Do you guys remember that day when the planes went into the twin towers in New York? It was a very sad time for Americans. We felt as though something had been taken away that couldn't be given back. For a long time, people just acted like it was hard to have fun.

"Then, a few days after the attack, the people of Britain were told of a way they could help us without having to leave their country. They loved us so much and felt so bad for our losses, so they decided to pray for us. So one day, for three minutes, they prayed for us. No phones rang, no one talked on the radio, no teacher taught a class, nothing for three minutes. Only prayer. That is how much love they felt for us. No, the people of Britain do not hate us."

The room was silent, and I was ready to start the project. Then, one more comment: "Can we pray for the soldiers? We should do that, we should pray for three minutes to let the soldiers know how much we appreciate them."

In spite of my very reasonable protests (we only have an hour for class, they would really love to see your artwork, maybe you can do this in Mrs. Cockerham's class...) they persisted. Finally, I said they could put their heads down. And they were silent, really silent. I could actually feel the power of their prayer in the room, and it brought me very close to tears as the seconds ticked away. When two minutes and forty-five seconds had passed, I began with "Our Father, who art in heaven...". Heads lifted, and they joined in as we finished out our three minutes of prayer for the soldiers in Iraq.

I have had many beautiful moments teaching at St. Joseph, and a lot of them could have happened in a public school just as easily. That is one that stands on its own and made me very proud to be a teacher in a Catholic school. It also made me see my students in an unforgettable light.

The Greatest Honor

Laurie Harding - 5th grade teacher:

One often hears the expression that teachers touch a life forever. I wonder though if students realize that the expression goes both ways. There is a statement that an eighth grader made last year that will always stay with me. It reminds me that God has placed me in this profession.

It was the very end of May and I was beginning to feel very tired and worn out from all the countless hours at my job, especially all the evening and weekend hours. I was finishing my eighth year of teaching, and I found myself questioning the worth of it all. I wondered if I was, more often than not, just forgotten as a nameless teacher that some St. Joseph student had some year. After all, it wasn’t often that I received any positive feedback. Then Matt Rundle gave me a very special gift.

It was the last day of school for the graduating eighth graders. Matt had written a reflection on his years at St. Joseph and was selected to read his essay after our all-school Mass. Starting with kindergarten, Matt went through his memories of each school year and of each of his teachers. Now Matt was always a very bright student and, as he read through his elementary memories, he repeatedly referenced his desire to be challenged throughout the years. As I waited for him to get to his fifth grade memories, I reflected on all the ways I had worked to offer him academic challenges: small group work, challenging math lessons, independent research, and a special book club. Still, somehow I felt I was sure to be forgotten.

That’s when Matt stated what he remembered most about fifth grade. He said I had taught him how to pray. What an unexpected statement! That was never a lesson plan objective or a unit goal. I came to realize that God was working through me to inspire my students. To date, Matt’s statement is the single greatest honor that I have ever received as a teacher. It will always be a special memory for me, and it inspires me to continue my work as a religious educator.

Starvation

Brianna Smith - 8th Grade Student:

It seemed like a good idea at the moment, fun actually. I know , I know ... one might think of starving yourself for 24-hours undesirable, but I thought of it as an opportunity to show how committed and “to your word” someone could be.

Surprisingly enough, I was nervous about the whole agenda, yet I still thought that I could power through it easily. The day of the event came like a bomb, fast and without warning, but I knew I was ready for it. With shaking hands I packed my snack for the next day, a sandwich, crackers, water, and chocolate, of course.

I arrived at school the next day ready to repeat my daily routine and prepare for the last meal that I would have for the next 24 hours. My heart raced with excitement and passion, but like everyone else in my class, I did not yet understand the meaning of the word “fasting” or “starving” and what they symbolized. While trying to come up with a decent definition of the two in my brain, I saw no words, but pictures.

As I tried harder and harder, I stumbled on a thought, or a vision you might say, that maybe these important but miss-understood meanings cannot be put into words. Maybe they had to be experienced or seen with the tenderness of your heart. The vision I portrayed in my head was not that of friends or of family wanting to eat after a long day, but of people that I do not know. These people looked starving or impoverished; they looked dirty and wet. There was a woman standing and two children beside her who looked to be about two or three years of age. The woman was looking straight at me, but where was I? I looked at the woman who had been, what seemed like, staring at me. She looked scared, hungry, and betrayed. Betrayed by the people that God himself said were her brothers and sisters.

The woman and her children were turned down by people that pass by them everyday and knowingly ignore them . But at the end of everyday the woman will pray for all her brothers and sisters, even the ones that pass her by everyday and don’t even turn to smile. She will pray for others who are sick and suffering because she knows that someone out there has it harder than she does. Someone out there is waiting for food just like her and is praying for their brothers and sisters as well.

There are millions of people that starve for days or weeks at a time. The words “fasting” and “starvation” don’t have a word definition, but can be defined by images of hungry faces, bodies, souls. One might not think of starving themselves for 24 hours as desirable but neither is living on the street, having a disease because of mal-nutrition, or even living in a shelter with no family or friends.

Fasting or famine means a lack of something, everyone can say that they are lacking respect or lack of talent. But some children who are born on the streets do not acquire respect, they do not acquire talent. The average person sees over 50 100 ads about helping the homeless, needy, or starving everyday. How many of us act on them, no one knows. We can change that we can start a new and better era that helps their brothers and sisters in times of suffering. We cannot change our world if we do not show that we want to change our world. It all starts with a little donation of time, prayer, and the gift of giving. So what does starvation mean and what does fasting mean? Each means people who have a lack of respect from their people and are spiritually, mentally, and physically starving. I will power through this; I will support my brothers and sisters. No matter what race what religion what country what cost I will be proud to no eat and witness slightly what it is like to live where and in the state that our distant family does.

Every time I stopped and thought about going to the fridge or the pantry to grab something to eat I stopped. I saw, in my head the faces of starving children and finally I knew where I was, I was among them I was with my family I was with my friends, and just for a moment I felt their pain I heard their cries.

At the end of our experience we were flourished with food of all sorts. For a moment I was ready to scarf down every ounce of food on the clean tables, but I stopped and looked at the food as if it disgusted me to highest extent, but what really made my stomach curl was the thought of knowing that I was given this for free. We, the students, did nothing to deserve it. Nothing. Of course we gave up food for a day, but how does that compare to someone who lives in huts with no clean water and not even a roof over their heads. We did nothing, but they, our brothers and sisters did everything. By fasting we lived a a day in their lives, but I could never imagine having that experience stretched over a lifetime.

“Pain doesn’t hurt if it’s all you’ve ever felt.”
-Jim Pathetine

A Doubt Shattered By Grace

Gary Dey - parishioner:

As a convert this former Baptist, now Catholic had an experience with our Lord that sent chills down my spine. It was 3:00 a.m. in the morning when I felt compelled to go directly to the adoration chapel at St. Joseph Cathedral. Why I was to do this, only our Lord knew.

As is customary, our Lord asks that some always be present with Him in the blessed sacrament, but to my disbelief, the room was empty. Upon entering and kneeling, I thought, Okay, so what? Even though I was newly Catholic and entering the church, I had challenged, as Paul had suggested, every position of our faith … Paul had nothing on me! I couldn't see how our faith could really have all the mysteries or how Christ could be alive and present 24/7 in the chapel? I thought to myself, this must be a place where old people go to get away from other members of the family.

WRONG!!

As I mentioned, I was alone and kneeling, thinking that surely our Lord had time to hear all of my pressing issues. So I began to pray for many things: family, friends, health, finances, youth, our priests, the Pope, my sins …. you see, I said there were many things I had to pray for.

I asked myself how this monstrance with the wheat cracker or bread thing in it could be getting the full picture of my life? How stupid it woud seem to an outsider that I was praying to this golden circle, which the Church claimed to contain the Lord.

Time went faster than I thought, and after about twenty minutes of prayer, I began to open my eyes and gaze directly at the monstrance. At first I thought I must be tired because, looking directly into the presence of our Lord, everything seemed real blurry. The best way to say it is that everything was out of focus. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THIS CONVERT’S LAST DOUBT OF THE PRESENCE OF OUR LORD.

It happened suddenly - the out of focus monstrance began to take shape … not fast but just gradual. Then it happened, our Lord’s face appeared with the crown of thorns. WOW, I nearly fell off the kneeler, and my eyes could not believe the image which was before me. You see, I left one important part out until now. In my struggles with doubt, I was asking the Lord to show me something so I might even believe just a little.

Our Lord stayed present for as long as I looked upon his face. This must have been at least 15 minutes. I did not want to leave, and all I could think about was to tell my wife what had taken place. "Do I stay or do I go home and share this?" I asked myself.

I finally went home, not even realizing how fast I was driving. I went into the bedroom and told my wife this special grace with which our Lord had blessed me. Upon waking, she just smiled and said, “I’m not surprised.” She knew all along that our Lord was going to make all of his mysteries known to me in His time. YES HE HAS, and I have other graces to share sometime in the future!

God Bless.

Food Fast

Monica Miller - 8th grade student:

This year the whole eighth grade participated in the Foodfast. We better learned what temptation was. This foodfast was an extreme awakening for most of us. We learned how many people in the world suffer as we did. Many of these people live their lives like this from day to day. I learned how fortunate I am, and how I should better appreciate what I have, rather than realize what I don’t have.

Temptation settled in as soon as I got in the car on my way home. My younger brother and my neighbor were hungry, so we bought food. The many aromas of the flavors and seasonings filled the car. This hadn’t made me hungry yet.

Later, my family ate dinner, my stomach grumbled, but I ignored it and tried to do as many things as I could to keep my mind off of eating. The next morning, we had church. This was hard, not only for me, but also for my peers. Our stomachs grumbled loudly as we had sudden cravings of any food. The juice and water we had that day was substantial and made us less hungry. Our bodies fought against us when we fasted, but we continued, knowing the end was near.

During the day, we naturally could feel ourselves getting weaker and more tired. It was harder to concentrate in classes, but the harder it was, the more we tried to focus. At lunchtime, we watched the other kids go down for lunch as we sat in class and talked. We could smell the heavenly aroma of the cheese pizza being made earlier, then eaten by the others. We counted down the hours until we would finally have food. After the day grew shorter, we realized that, by the time we were finally allowed to eat, we weren’t as hungry as we were earlier, or thought we would have been.

I think this was a great experience and I recommend this awakening to the people that are doing it next, or are debating on it. This fast was about me, about learning to listen and follow Christ and his wills.

A Perfect Fit

Kristin Morris - junior high teacher:

For me, the best part about teaching in a Catholic school is being open about my faith and being able to incorporate religion into any subject I teach. Following my student teaching semester in public schools, I spent two years teaching 4th grade at a public school.

When I would come to school wearing my crucifix necklace or with ashes on my forehead after an Ash Wednesday Mass, I always got questions from the kids (and some faculty) about what I believed. I enjoy discussing my faith and am usually very open about my beliefs, but I was always a bit hesitant to answer the students' questions regarding faith because I worried my principal would come in as I was answering a question about Jesus or an angry parent would hear that I had answered a question and be unhappy with me.

I understand the separation of church and state and understand why I couldn't openly teach religion in a public school. Other teachers had told me that, if I was answering questions that the students had initiated, it was probably OK, even if those questions were about my faith. However, I always felt guilty and as though I might "get in trouble" when the subject came up.

All that being said, it is probably easy to see why I feel so comfortable teaching in the Catholic schools. I truly enjoy not only answering questions about faith, but being able to challenge students with questions about faith, morality, and religion. I can wear my crucifix and have ashes on my forehead and still be in the norm here at a Catholic school. It's been a very special experience for me to be open about my faith, and I am glad to have that opportunity to share that with students.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Charlotte Braddock - kindergarten teacher:

Last year I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. I was questioning everything, even if I should continue to teach. Then I received an answer from God in the form of a poem. It was written by the parent of one of my students and based on the word of God (Scripture). I am so thankful. This act of kindness meant more to me than this mother will ever know.

“Out of the Mouths of Babes” - based on Psalms 8:2

(A true story from Megan Barnes, as told by her mother)

Out of the mouths of babes we often hear,
The truth adults don’t always speak so clear.

So it came one day from my daughter, the “babe,”
The truth of Mrs. Braddock, from her mouth it came.

While searching ideas for a good teacher present,
I came up empty, so to my daughter I went.

“What’s Mrs. Braddock like?” I asked her to tell,
For I thought she knew her teacher quite well.

“I know what she likes, ‘ Megan said with a grin,
And she proudly announced, “She likes children!”

Amused as I was, my problem remained unsolved,
So I got specific with my question and resolve.

“Does she collect items or like certain things,
Like coffee, or chocolate or horse figurines?”

She appeared to be thinking, so I let her be,
Until finally she came with an answer for me.

“I know what she likes, out loud she thought,
“When we understand a new thing she’s taught.”

She mimics the motions and Mrs. Braddock’s face,
Of the times she discovers learning has taken place.

She smiles real big, mouth and eyes open wide,
Her hands fly up to show her joy inside.

That’s when my search for a gift idea ended,
And realized instead a thank you was needed.

I never got the gift idea I needed that day,
But I noticed the “gifts” Mrs. Braddock gave.

From the mouths of babes, this mom learned a lot,
Like what a “gifted” teacher the Cathedral has got.

You know you're a teacher when ...

Jenny Busby, junior high English teacher:

You Know You're a Teacher When ...

You look at people’s socks in public and feel the need to write out a uniform violation if you spot a logo.

Your 2 favorite days are the first and last day of school.

You can eat your lunch in under 5 minutes.

4 day work weeks suddenly seem longer than 5.

You can predict the weather according to the behavior of your class.

Amazing Grace

Leslie Verslues, parent:

I would like to share a story about my daughter, Grace Verslues. Many do not know that Grace was born 3 months premature. Weighing only 2 pounds, 2 ounces, Grace fought every day for many weeks just to breathe and stay alive. God was truly watching over her and gave her the will and strength to survive.

An article about her journey will be published in the upcoming March issue of CITY magazine. The recent "cool thing" about Grace is that she has been asked to be this year's March of Dimes Ambassador for the March for Babies Walk in Jefferson City. Yet, Grace is somewhat shy. In the past, Grace did not even want to show her classmates what her baby pictures looked like because hers were so different. She had tubes and a ventilator hooked up to her, and she was so tiny. And although Sam and I were the proudest parents in the world of her accomplishments of overcoming such obstacles at birth, she did not want to share her story.

Finally, Grace agreed to be the Ambassador. And within the past few months, she has had tea with the Governor and Mrs. Blunt at their mansion, was a public speaker at the March of Dimes Kick-Off luncheon, and recorded her own radio commercial promoting March of Dimes. She will also be featured in a KRCG television commercial. I think that is a pretty cool accomplishment! :)

My Cool Kid!

Patti Kempker, parent:

The coolest thing my son has done recently is explain parts of the Mass. Recently, my niece and her children came over to play on a Sunday – they do not go to church, at least not regularly. Her two girls were wondering why we were not home earlier in the morning, when they first wanted to come over. I explained that we had been to Mass and then we go out for breakfast. They expressed how much they would have loved to join us for breakfast, at which point I told them they would have to come to church first.

We went about our day and the children went into the basement “playroom” and I overheard them asking Nick why he had to go to Mass, what do you do at Mass, and what is so important about church. He proceeded to tell them about Mass and the different parts of Mass – singing, when to sit, when to stand, what the homily is all about and communion.

Because he will be making his First Communion very soon, he was especially elaborate about it. He explained about the Body and Blood of Christ and how we get to share God’s love through our receiving communion; what an honor it is to receive. He went on to comment about why they should really start coming to our church and how much they would like to receive communion.

He is really looking forward to it! As am I, although, it is another milestone he will be passing on his way to adulthood. I was, and am, impressed and immensely proud of my “cool kid”!

Sweet Pickles

Flo Minor - Junior High Religion and Mathematics:

One night, in my seventh year of teaching, I prayed to God, asking for a sign of guidance in my career.

A few days later, I was in the conference room speaking to Debbie Buersmeyer. Somehow, our conversation turned towards book orders, such as those sponsored by Scholastic and Troll. I explained to her, that my parents had divorced when I was in the first grade, and that my mother worked very hard to support us on her very limited income. Despite the financial limits, each month, when we would bring book order forms home, my mother would allow us to choose one book. At one time, I brought home an order form for a series of books known as Sweet Pickles. These books were part of a mail order program, where two books from the series would arrive each month. I explained how I had truly loved these books and would spend hours pouring over them, reading and re-reading them.

Debbie looked at me and exclaimed that she had my books. I told her that, that was impossible, as we had lived in Nevada, MO, at the time, and I had not seen those books since we moved to Columbia when I was in the 7th grade. She again, excitedly exclaimed that they were my books and even had my name in them. Again, I explained they couldn’t possibly be my books. But, she insisted and stated that she would bring one in to show me.

A few days later, she brought in one of the books. As I opened to the front cover, I was stunned to see my own name, in my own childish handwriting staring back at me. Debbie explained that these books had been in the kindergarten classroom 18 years ago, when the kindergarten program was started, long before I ever completed high school, college or began my teaching career.

In holding that book, my book, I realized that I had been given a very special sign and gift. That not only was my teaching a calling from God, but that my teaching at St. Joseph Cathedral was part of God's bigger plan for my life.