One Month in the Books
Dear Mater Dei Community,
One grace-filled month in the books, praise God! It has been a joy to witness our Catholic faith being lived out daily and integrated into the curriculum by our instructors. Among our twelve registered students, the beginnings of life long friendships are being made, rooted in faith. This opportunity we are being given at Mater Dei Apostolate is truly a gift.
During his homily at our first Mass, Bishop Sirba compared our endeavor to a “Bethlehem model” as he gestured towards the stain glass window depicting the Holy Family at the birth of Christ. From our humble beginning, we are going forward into the unknown just as the Holy Family did when they took flight into Egypt. Though the road is uncertain, the journey is joyful because Christ is with us. We’re looking forward to the months ahead! May God bless you.
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Ad Jesum Per Mariam
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Service
Mater Dei students served Holy Family Parish by assisting with food preparation for their Fall Festival. We were impressed by their cooking skills! They also got their hands dirty outside helping the Handmaids with landscaping at the convent. Upcoming projects include cleaning headstones while praying for All Souls, volunteering at Bentlyville, and visiting and ministering to the elderly. Incorporating service into our curriculum gives students the opportunity to serve Christ through serving their neighbor while at the same time cultivating positive relationships with peers.
Life skills
In addition to the classical core curriculum at Mater Dei Apostolate, we offer a variety of elective courses. This semester our elective offering is Life Skills, a course designed to give students knowledge of basic, everyday skills through hands-on instruction. Last month they had the opportunity to cook a meal, help with boat maintenance and build cornhole boards. They will have instruction on sewing tomorrow as they sew and fill the bean bags. The cornhole project will be a nice addition to the student lounge once it's complete. Elective courses at Mater Dei are meant to prepare students to become confident, successful, well rounded adults.
Daily Mass
At Mater Dei Apostolate, the day begins with Mass. This allows students to be nourished and strengthened daily by the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. In addition, attending daily Mass cultivates the habit of giving the first moments of the day to the Lord in silence and true worship. When Mass is not offered at Holy Family Church, parent volunteers shuttle the students to another parish where it's available. We hope to eventually have Mass on-site each day, but will continue to shuttle the students in the meantime.
Formation Advisors
Each Mater Dei student is assigned a personal formation advisor with whom they meet regularly to receive support and guidance as they grow in faith throughout their high school years. Mater Dei Apostolate formation advisors are faithful diocesan priests, religious sisters and laity who are committed to the spiritual formation of our students. Learn more about our formation advisory program here and then get to know our formation advisors by reading their bios below.
“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” -Proverbs 11:14