Girl Genius Endow Retreat

On the weekend of October 11 -12, a group of girls gathered at the Powell Butte retreat center for a special retreat organized by Endow, entitled "Girl Genius." These are some photos of the event, as girls are seen creating a collage and presenting it to others attending.

SAC Committee photo

The members of the School Advisory Committee are seen here in a recent photo taken during one of their meetings. Standing left to right are: James Strelchun, Annie Fleck, Father Julian, Mike Morgen, Rich Zebrowski. Sitting left to right are: Lauren Houslet, Kevin Link, Carrie Cohen and Colleen Peterson. Missing are David O'Neil and Phyllis Abbot.

Oscar the Pumpkin

In anticipation of the fall season and Halloween and especially Thanksgiving, pumpkins have been showing up around the school. But no one expected the huge pumpkin that showed up by the office. It was harvested in Spokane and made the long trip one way or another, certainly not on a skateboard or any small conventional car. 

School Principal Lauren Houslet and daughter Gabriella next to Oscar

The children named the pumpkin Oscar and you can see for yourself the huge monster of a pumpkin over the next few weeks. The children were asked to guess its weight. My guess is that it must be at least 750 lbs!

Blessing of animals

October 4th is the feast of our patron saint, Francis of Assisi. To commemorate this event, being the patron saint of nature, ecology and animals, the Blessing of Animals was held just before school ended on October 3rd. All the children gathered in the back of the school, most of them with their pets, brought over by their parents. There were lizards, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish and a menagerie of dogs, from pugs to labradoodles, from cocker spaniels to labradors, from pomeranians to german shepherds, and a few mixes. 

 

Father Julian started the ceremony by playing on the flute the hymn "The Prayer of Saint Francis", accompanied by the school choir, then recited the prayer of blessing and went around blessing each individual pet, some of whom were surprised by the holy water, but all in all, they were well-behaved, even quieting down during the prayer of blessing, and barking only out of joy on seeing so many other furry friends. Many children also brought their stuffed animals to be blessed.

International Food Fest

Feeling Hungry? Join us Saturday—October 4th 5:00pm to 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy food from:
Malta, India, East Africa, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Mexico,
The Philippines, and America—and a Dessert Table, too!
Sample one item from each country or many.
Tastings are $1, $2, or $3 each—Buy as few or as many tickets as you wish.
Each ticket costs $1 and can be used alone or with more tickets!
Tickets are $1 each at the door on the night of the event.
(Cash or check only—no credit or debit cards)
All proceeds from this event go to Father Joseph’s Diocese in India and our Sisters of Mary.