A Message from Our Principal

Dear Families,

Thank you to those who have sent in shoe donations for our collection drive, and to those who have sent in food donations for our annual Saint Vincent de Paul food drive. We have another week for both!

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I have been out of the building a twice in the last two weeks for meetings. One of these meetings was held at Xavier University. Topic: The growth in lay ministry within the Catholic Church over the 60 years since Vatican II (1962-1965). A very prominent example of this reality is the fact that our teaching staff at Queen of Peace School is comprised entirely of laypeople. There was a time when Catholic schools were staffed almost entirely by priests, deacons, and nuns. 

This change has coincided with the way we do catechesis within our schools. 

Catechesis is defined as the "totality of the Church's efforts to make disciples." While this mission has not changed, the message has evolved from one of "assignment" to one of "discernment." In the olden days of the Latin Mass, one's role in the Church, and as a disciple, was determined by age, gender, and whether you were on the path to holy orders or marriage. 

Today's catechetical model is more encompassing. It places distinct emphasis on using the instruments of prayer and the sacraments to ascertain the plan that God has for each of us in this earthly life. The emphasis is on missionary discipleship within marriage, the single life, career, family, sports, etc.

None of this is to say that the "old" way of catechesis has been summarily declared "wrong." It is to say, rather, that the Church comes to us now with the same unyielding message as always: Be disciples of Jesus. The difference is in the dialect. The accent marks have been shifted to different places within the same eternal and unchanging edict.

My unsanctioned and highly amateur review of the boxed lunch from McAlister's deli: 

turkey sandwich- runaway 10/10

barbecue chips 8/10

chocolate chip cookie 8/10

My other meeting was at Miami University. It was a gathering of Catholic school principals within the Archdiocese. We had the opportunity to attend different sessions on varied topics relating to Catholic education. There were sessions on praying with students, the science of reading, state and federal grant programs, artificial intelligence, and more. (Shout-out to Badin principal Patrick Keating for an excellent presentation on generative AI and what the Badin experience has been so far with this transformative technology.)

Lunch was provided by the Marcum Center at Miami. 

pulled pork- 8/10

jalapeno cornbread- 10/10 (I was initially skeptical of the jalapenos.) 

shortbread dessert 8/10. 

My caveat here is that they had so much more variety than what this juvenile eater sampled. It was a lovely spread.

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One of the highlights of every Friday afternoon is Mr. Boyd's "It's Friiiiiiiiiiiidayyyyyyyy!" exclamation, followed by rapid-fire fun facts that students have submitted throughout the week. In this same spirit, I offer you a few fun facts of my own:

• About 77% of the American K-12 teaching force is female. At the elementary level, it is 89%. -Pew Research Center

• Turns out there are probably not more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on earth (as the adage goes), but there are enough of each (septillions!) to boggle the mind and humble the soul. -Scientific American

• One of the big ways that grocers make money is through slotting fees, which product manufacturers pay in exchange for prime placement on shelves, endcaps, and other spots around the store where people are most likely to look and grab. -Journal of Law and Economics

Have a good fun fact? Send it my way! 

Christ in Self. Christ in Other. 

Sincerely,

Josh

This Week at QP

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