cathedral - Weekly Memo June 18th

Weekly Memo June 18th

“Brother please take care of our kids.”

Grief-stricken parents would lean in to hug me and whisper it into my ear at Carlos Enrique’s rosary and funeral. They would straighten up and stare at me with puffy red eyes searching for some reassurance in my face. I pray that they found it.

Never has the weight of the founder’s statements felt more burdensome. These are the students “entrusted to your care. It is God himself who sends them to you.”

I watched with genuine awe, pride, and pain as sixty students in Irish Standard mourned the loss of their brother. They did so with faith, dignity, and a true fraternal care for one another. My friends - this is evidence that we as a community are doing many things right.

But obviously more is needed. Delasalle’s reflection on the youth of his day rings true for ours. The young men before us have “walked the way of sin, sought to satisfy their passions in the world and found there nothing but vice and vanity, misery and disappointment, turn to you in distress, persuaded that you have the grace to support the weak, teach the ignorant, and correct the wayward.”

We cannot allow another generation of men to be lost. God has brought us together at Cathedral to do battle against the values of the world. The God who trusts us with this great charge promises grace and strength. He promises us victory if we are faithful.

Together let us lift this community in prayer asking God for a holy imagination to address the many needs of the young men before us.

PRAYERS REQUESTED for:

For those in mourning; especially for the Contreras, Stowe, Palacios, and Talamantes families;
For those in need of healing; especially for Mrs. Skinner (Irene Pistella’s mom), Kathyrn Walker, Mr. Haggerty, and Mr. Stowe;
For our students, families, and staff as they cope with loss of their brother, Carlos Enrique;
In thanksgiving for the prayers and support of others for CHS during this most recent loss;
For the safety of all of our students; especially those traveling;
God’s blessings on our admissions and development efforts;
Blessings on the marriage and honeymoon of Amanda and Jake Estrada.

THANKS and CONGRATULATIONS:

Deep thanks to the faculty who were able to attend Carlos Contreras’ rosary and/or funeral to show support to the family and our students. An incomplete list includes Mrs. Horcasitas, Mrs. West, Ms. Garibay, Mrs. Peevy, Mr. Woznicki, Coach Garibay, Mr. Rimkus, and Mr. Saucedo.

Congratulations to our 7 on 7 football team for qualifying this weekend to participate in the state playoffs.

Congratulations to Mason Zuniga ’12 for making representing CHS at the TAPPS All-Star Game this summer.

NEWS and INFORMATION

Grief counseling sessions will be available to interested students (only)on Tuesday, 19 June, at 1:00 PM. A session for parents (only) will begin at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, 20 June. Both sessions will be in the Guereca Auditorium.

Mrs. Duarte, a parent, is a certified grief counselor. Mr. Woznicki will also be in attendance.

Alumni Annex Update: The trenches finally passed inspection and rebar was put in to create the footings. A foot deep of concrete was poured all around the trenches. Carpenters moved in to create the forms for another concrete pour and masons began to build the base of the center wall.

The John Harper Basketball Camp will be held in our MPB during this week. The Explode program will be going on outside and in the old gym.

Transitions: Mr. Dallas Puente has taken an opportunity to return to the public school system and has been hired at Burges HS. He will teach Biology and coach basketball there. We’re grateful to his for his professionalism and generosity during his tenure with us. His teaching load will be divided up.

Mr. Puertas will take the three Biology courses.
Mr. Forti will be teaching three additional PE courses.
We are currently interviewing for a part-time PE instructor.

Vacations for the week: Mrs. Lujan and Mrs. Meraz are out this week.

Principal Travels: I will be out of the office all week as I will be attending a gathering of the administrators from the New Orleans – Santa Fe district and the District of San Francisco. This meeting will be in Santa Fe. I’ll move north to Denver for Mullen Board meeting retreat/training. God willing, I’ll arrive back next Monday afternoon.

I will remain available via email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and cell phone (915-345-4680).