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February 14 - Ash Wednesday & Valentine's Day @ CAT
Published on Feb 6, 2018 11:06
Good Morning Everyone....
A few things to share:
* Many of you may have noticed all of the extra activity here this morning. JOA had a suspected gas leak so we were asked to provide shelter for JOA bus students and staff. From approximately 8:00 am until 10:00 am we had over 400 students and staff from JOA here while the authorities inspected JOA to ensure its' safety. I was very proud of the way our staff/students responded to this circumstance....we had to change routines to accommodate JOA students and staff....all done without complaint. JOA has since been approved for occupancy. An exciting morning here at St. Catherine of Siena!
* Some questions have been raised this year about the fact that Ash Wednesday coincides with Valentine’s Day
(February 14th) … what does this mean in terms of school observances?
Because of its' central importance in the Church calendar (as the beginning of the Lenten season), Ash
Wednesday takes precedence over Valentine’s Day this year, meaning that we won’t be celebrating
Valentine’s Day as we normally might at least not on February 14th! However, since the day before is Shrove
Tuesday/Mardi Gras, it is an ideal date to transfer some of the Valentine’s Day festivities that would
normally occur the following day. I think that this is a creative way to make sure that we can observe both
days, while also keeping Ash Wednesday clear of conflicting celebrations especially those involving candy or
food, since it is a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.
As a school staff, we have decided that school activities associated with Valentine's Day will be done on Feb. 13. Individual classes - particularly of our younger students - will share details with you regarding those activities.
Thanks and have a good day.
Rich
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