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SCHOOL YEAR 2011-2012" MARCH 2012

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Christmas. Every year we ask

ourselves what it is all about. Is it just

a Happy Holiday? Do people forget

the profound essence?

The play performed this year at

our annual Christmas Open House sought to

answer these questions.

The story goes that a group of Frenchrevolutionaries had forgotten the meaning of

Christmas. Accompanied by bells ringing for

Midnight Mass, a Catholic prisoner's words

reminded these soldiers how Christ came to

die for us, and how we should be ready to die for Him.

Memories of old came back to some: Will you think

only of the gifts? Or will you see, in them, a symbol of

that greatest of all possible gifts that God gave to us,

Jesus? Ultimately, the nostalgia aroused in them the

desire to abandon the heaviness of the revolutionaryideals and to join their one-time prisoner in fighting for

Altar, Throne, and Christmas, an embodiment of the

spirit of all that is good: of faith, and hope, and

kindness, and of above all a love of God and

willingness to die for Him and for others.

Comparatively,

preparations for the skit

did not happen overnight

as did the conversion of

the revolutionaries. For

weeks, students had

labored shaping the play, not just practicing it, but

writing it, preparing lights and sound effects, and

obtaining props and costumes. These duties occupied

many free hours.

Our hope is that these efforts culminated in our

visitors cherishing the play's defining words:

Whenever the cares of life seem interminable, whenyou seem to be wandering here for no purpose,

remember this day (Christmas). Remember that we liv

for God, as He lived and died for us.

Watch the Christmas Play at:

www.MontfortAcademy.edu/ChristmasVideo

Mass with Bishop Waltersheid

at the Carmel in ElysburgVisit from Prince Bertrand Old Rag Mountain Hike

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE

Recent Events

Nov 2011 Epiphany 2012 Jan 2012
http://www.montfortacademy/http://www.montfortacademy/


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St. John Bosco St. Louis de Montfort St. John Baptist de la Salle

Students visit the relics of St. John Bosco in New York

For more information aboutour Patrons please visit our

website at :www.MontfortAcademy.edu/

Our Patrons

On the first weekend in October, our monthlyouting took us on a trip to upstate New York. We

went for a paddleboat ride on Lake George, a

camp-out, and finally a visit to the hallowed North

American Martyrs Shrine.

En route, a succulent lunch was made by theCurrys, grandparents to one of the students. Our first adventure in the area of ourdestination was an old-fashioned paddleboat ride

on Lake George, originally named the Lake of the

Blessed Sacrament by St. Isaac Jogues. English

Protestants, who hated the name Blessed

Sacrament, renamed it Lake George in honor of

their king. Although it was quite cold

and rainy, as the mist blew in our faces

we admired the beautiful scenery and the mansions

which dotted the shore of the lake. After the boat ride, we headed to the nearbycampsite. While some of the students set up tents,

others started charcoal fires for cooking dinner. Asthe fires grew hotter and the students hungrier, the

cooks grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Jubilantly,

everyone partook in the second wonderful meal

that day. A short walk from the campsite was a largebronze statue depicting St. Isaac Jogues giving a

blessing with his right hand, yet his forefinger and

middle-finger were mangled from the knuckle up.

by Marc Gagni

AINT JOHN BOSCO

PATRONS OF THE ACADEMY

ON PILGRIMAGE: NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS SHRINE
http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/


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These had been chewed off by his Iroquoiscaptors. The realism of this statue, especially St.

Isaac's seriousness and the obvious marks of his

suffering, impressed us. Before resting, we lined up

in front of this statue to pray and reflect on the

weight of the sufferings St. Isaac had to endure.The next day, we packed up and boarded the bus

for an hour-long drive to Auriesville, where the

North American Martyrs Shrine is located. At the

information center, we learned about the

missionaries who were martyred by the Iroquois

and of the fruits their sacrifices eventually bore,

exemplified in Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. After a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in thechapel, we went to the ravine where St. Isaac Jogues

buried St. Rene Goupil martyred by the Indians.

All of the students lined up behind the TFP

standard and recited a Rosary beseeching the

intercession of St. Rene Gupil, St. Isaac Jogues and

their companions. Before leaving, we took a short walk around theproperty and saw the hill where St. Isaac and his

companions had to run the gauntlet. This was abrutal form of torture which required one to run

through a line of furious, blaspheming Indians

wielding knives, tomahawks, clubs and sticks, which

they would use to torment the heroically

courageous missionaries. We tried to imagine what

it was like to have to endure this torture, one of

many the missionaries had to bear. The gravity of their sufferings was quitesobering, and everyone realized the supernatural

dedication and courage it took

to found the Faith we too often by James Donlon


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by Evan Olwell

TFP FALL CAMP IN ARKANSAS

St. Louis de Montfort Academy868 Herndon Road Herndon, Pa. 17830

www.MontfortAcademy.edu

The Academy is committed to providing a Marian formation with a solid academic foundation where Catholic culture and civilization areemphasized, regardless of the parents ability to pay full tuition. Scholarships will be evaluated and ruled upon by the AcademysScholarship Committee. Contact us to donate or to obtain information on scholarships.

-St. Louis de Montfort Academy admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin.-
http://www.montfortacademy.edu/http://www.montfortacademy.edu/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/

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