Fr. Todd 3/15/26

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,

                 Many blessings on Sacred Heart School this weekend as we have our Open House following the 11am Mass.  (Our original Open House was rescheduled due to a snowstorm.)  Please come by the school for a visit and a walk through.  The Czeiszperger family will be making fresh crepes in the school basement and who doesn’t like fresh crepes! 

                 I am so proud of our school, our teachers, our staff, and our students.  Being a Catholic School, we have the freedom to help them learn in a truly integrated way.  Not just learning particular subjects but all couched in knowing who God is and who they are.  In that knowledge they are being equipped to face life’s challenges from the proper foundation.  Knowing they are loved, knowing they have a purpose, and knowing they are never alone.  In the midst of their maturing, they are helped to grow in reference to the Virtues and the grace God gives.  It is such a joy to watch them grow from their time in pre-school and as they move up through the grades.

 If you missed it there was an article released in late January: Why are Diocese of Lansing schools so popular? The Stats w/ Tom Maloney.  Tom Maloney is superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Lansing and this article shares some important stats that mark our schools.  These range from the different ways our schools help instill the faith in our students to how much our students outperform the national averages in Math and Reading.  It is such a privilege to partner with our families in the formation and education of their children and I truly believe we are laying a great foundation on which they will build their lives. https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/news/read-why-are-diocese-lansing-schools-so-popular-stats-w-tom-maloney 

 If you will permit me a little more bragging, I want to highlight our 5^th and 6^th grade class in a particular way.  Their formation is not simply their education but also in leadership.  In these grades we ask them to step into a variety of roles and I marvel at how well they respond to truly be leaders in the school.  You see it in the work they produce through a variety of presentations and productions, helping with safety patrol in the morning and afternoon, serving for funeral Masses, watching out for our younger students, etc.  I think back to my 5^th and 6^th grade years and can tell you they are far ahead of where I was!

Because of their maturity, we can take our 5^th and 6^th graders on field trips exposing them to the beauty of the Church, the world, and different paths of service.  Here is a partial list of the places we like to rotate through: Sacred Heart Major Seminary, the Michigan State Capital, Fr. Solanus Casey Center, Share the Warmth Homeless Shelter, St. Louis Center, Helping Hands Pregnancy Center, Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and Notre Dame.  This coming week we are taking them to Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo.  Next month we will be going to St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor to visit an exhibit on the Shroud of Turin.  All ways and places to encounter the Lord and to encounter ways He may be asking them to give their lives to Him.  When they find that, they will also find the joy He promises. 

 I thank you all for your generous support of our school and our students!  Our 9am Friday morning Masses are a great way to experience Sacred Heart School.

God Bless,  Fr. Todd