This month, we join Catholics around the world in celebrating Black Catholic History Month, a special time dedicated to honoring the contributions of Black Catholics throughout the Church’s rich history. Established in 1990 by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, Black Catholic History Month shines a light on the unique heritage, struggles, and achievements of Black Catholics, inspiring us all to appreciate the diversity and unity within our faith.

November 3 marked the feast day of St. Martin de Porres, the first Black saint of the Americas. St. Martin de Porres is a remarkable figure in the Catholic Church: a true model of compassion, humility, and service. Born in Lima, Peru, in 1579 to a Black mother and a Spanish father, Martin faced discrimination and hardship because of his mixed-race heritage. Despite these challenges, he dedicated his life to helping others, especially the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.

During November, in a special way, we ask for the intercession of St. Martin de Porres -- a model of humility and service to others. 

Thank you to everyone who made donations and placed orders for Ms. Lindner's class. She is happy to report she has everything she needs and is very appreciative of all the donations and orders!  What an amazing Irish community we have!  🙏

This week our Health and Wellness department hosted a school-wide assembly on bullying.   Jennifer Jones, Marvin Campbell, and Rob Singleton from Minority Behavioral Health Group came to St. Vincent - St. Mary on Thursday, November 7, 2024 to talk with our students about bullying prevention. They covered topics such as; what is bullying and what it is not, what to do if you or someone else is being bullied, and the effect of bullying. Students also learned about UJima. UJima means to build and maintain our community together and make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together. Students were engaged in the presentation and learned a lot of useful information.

If you haven’t received an award letter from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, there might be an issue with your student’s scholarship. Scholarships that go unawarded will be billed back to your tuition account, so don’t miss out on this financial opportunity!

EdChoice Expansion Scholarships: Ensure your income verification is complete.

EdChoice Traditional Scholarships: If you qualify based on income (200% below the Federal Poverty Limit) and expect to receive EdChoice Financial Aid to bridge the gap between your tuition and the scholarship amount, you must complete the Income Verification and submit it along with a copy of your 2023 IRS Form 1040.

JPSN and Autism Scholarships: Remember, scholarships must be accepted within thirty days; otherwise, they will lose eligibility.

Additionally, if you haven’t submitted an application for any of these scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year, time is running out! Please send in your application and supporting documents as soon as possible. There will be a State Scholarship table at the conferences on October 30. We encourage you to stop by with any questions and to drop off any paperwork.

Check out the flyer for more information.  Click here. 

Kindergarten through 8th grade students are invited to join Club Irish! This fun club is FREE and grants special offers and privileges to our young members. Simply sign up your child by filling out this form.  JOIN HERE

Benefits of being a Club Irish member include:

• Personalized voucher for free admission to non-playoff, on-campus STVM sporting events with an accompanying adult

• Special mail sent to your child's home

• Updates and exciting announcements via our quarterly "Club Irish" e-newsletter

• Early registration for the STVM summer enrichment programs and camps

• Special discounts for online purchases at our STVM Spirit Store 

• Personalized voucher for a free “Club Irish” t-shirt from the on-campus STVM spirit store 

• Exclusive access to contests to win STVM swag