Growth and Transition
Dear Mater Dei Community,
Three grace-filled years in the books! We praise God for leading us once again through a successful school year. In our final issue of Mater Dei Annunciations, we recap events from the past month and share about an opportunity being explored for the future growth of Mater Dei.
Also, our one-day fundraising drive last month brought in $21,000—nearly double our goal! Thank you! We are so inspired by the generosity of our community and look forward to the journey ahead. Wishing you happiness and joy in these summer months. May God bless you.
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Ad Jesum Per Mariam
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Pilgrimage to Saint Paul
For our field trip this year, we traveled to the Saint Paul Cathedral. We started with lunch at the Red Cow Restaurant in St. Paul and then walked to the Cathedral, observing the beautiful neighborhood and historical mansions along the way, including the James J. Hill House. One of our Mater Dei instructors, Mr. John Niemann, who lives in this neighborhood, was our tour guide for the day. We ended with a tour through the Cathedral itself, where we prayed in unison for the holy intentions of the Pope. The students were informed that the Church grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful who make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral and have the proper conditions fulfilled.
Mater Dei in the Night
The students attended their second annual Mater Dei in the Night at Greysolon Ballroom. The dinner party was like a live-action version of the game Clue!, with a mysterious murder at the center of the story. Each student was assigned a fictitious character and instructed to remain “in the personality of their character” throughout the evening, which consisted of guided activities and clues to potential motives of various guests. Partway through the evening, the murder victim was revealed and the sleuthing commenced to figure out “who done it”. The mystery was solved and criminal was handcuffed! It was a fun event to build community among the students and end the school year.
Service Project
For our final service project of the year we assembled memory boxes for the local organization, Blessed With More. This organization provides memory boxes, teddy bears, gift bags, blankets, hats and books to area hospitals to bless families who have experienced the devastating loss of a baby. Before getting to work on the project, the students learned about the organization from the program director. They also heard from a mother who was blessed by this organization during the traumatic loss of her own baby daughter. It was a powerful witness and a reminder of the intrinsic value of human life from conception to natural death.
Growth and Transition
As we make plans for the growth of our program, we want to inform you about the opportunities being explored for the future of Mater Dei. In cooperation with Bishop Daniel Felton, we have been discerning how Mater Dei can best serve the needs of the Diocese of Duluth going forward.
Our apostolate was founded in response to a need for Catholic high school education for families in our community. It has always been our goal to serve the local Church in whatever way we can, in order to ensure this need is being met most effectively.
Given that the city of Duluth will now have Stella Maris Academy High School as an option, we are considering a potential strategic move to relocate Mater Dei further south. The Cloquet Deanery and southern portion of the Diocese is an area that is currently underserved and there has been growing interest in the Mater Dei model for Catholic high school in that region.
We will remain in our current facility at Holy Family Church for the 2022-2023 school year.
We are just in preliminary discussions and exploring our options for the fall of 2023. In the event of a relocation, transportation options will be assured for our current Mater Dei families.
These developments are being led by the Holy Spirit and we are hopeful and excited for the future, as we place our trust firmly in the Lord. We ask for your continued prayers and support in this time of growth and transition for our Mater Dei community.