New Beginnings
Dear Mater Dei Community,
After a summer of intense prayer and preparation, we are so grateful to open our doors for year three. We look forward to new blessings and new beginnings as we continue on this grace-filled journey, guided by the Holy Spirit. In our first newsletter of the school year we share what the students have been up to the past month and we invite you to participate in two upcoming events. It is such a blessing to come together and cultivate relationships as our Mater Dei community grows. May God bless you.
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Ad Jesum Per Mariam
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Year Three
We were blessed to begin the new school year with the celebration of Holy Mass, offered by Bishop Daniel Felton. His words of affirmation and encouragement during the homily were a source of inspiration for our Mater Dei students, instructors, and families. We are so grateful to have a shepherd to guide us once again.
We recall the launch of our program three years ago with 11 freshman and a handful of passionate instructors. With our beloved, late Bishop Paul Sirba, we celebrated Holy Mass to mark the beginning of this journey. Three years later we now welcome 26 full-time students, 4 part-time students, and 18 adjunct instructors with the blessing of our new Bishop. Praise God for the fruit He is bringing forth from the efforts of this apostolate.
Day-to-day at Mater Dei
It is a joy to see the students and staff back on campus. With three grades now and lots of new faces, the first month has been a time for getting to know one another and settling into a daily routine. New students have been adapting to the workload and learning style of our hybrid education program, which is designed to instill discipline in their individual study habits and prepare them for college and life in general. We are continually impressed with their progress.
Students in Biology had their first lab experimenting with acids and bases. They determined the relative pH of household solutions using the colorimetric change of cabbage juice and compared results by testing with litmus paper. It was a fun, interactive lab to break the ice. Eyeballs and pig hearts to come.
Service Project
For our first monthly service project of the year, the students served right at Mater Dei. They painted one classroom, the library, and the study hall room at the Mater Dei education center. We were so grateful to have extra help getting everything finished. The clean-up may have taken longer than the painting itself, but it was an overall success and the walls look great. Room by room, the students are taking ownership and making the space their own.
Adult Book Study
We are excited to host our first adult book study course, open to the entire community. We meet one Wednesday evening per month throughout the school year. Mater Dei Apostolate instructor Mr. John Niemann is our guide as we read and study Dante’s Inferno, the first part of the epic poem The Divine Comedy, one of the greatest works of Western Literature. We had our first meeting in September but you can still join- it's easy to catch up. Come on adults, let’s do this. We can’t let the kids get smarter than us.
Rosary Walk & Marian Procession
Our second annual Rosary Walk & Marian Procession will take place on Saturday, October 30th at 10:00 am. Please join us. The procession will begin in the parking lot of Holy Family Church in Duluth, follow a one-mile route through the neighborhood, and end back at Holy Family Church with benediction. We will be walking and praying for unity within the Church. As the Church goes, so goes the world. Mater Dei, pray for us!