SMA School Update 3/30/2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,
   Greetings!  Please remember we as a Saint Mike’s family will continue to pray for you and your families during this trying time.
 
Latest SMA School update points:
 

• Governor Wolf made a statement today about school closures. As soon as I receive word from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia I will send that information to you.
• We are hoping to have news soon on a possible BLOCS emergency tuition assistance program. Stay tuned.
• We had a great start to our Zoom lessons today. More coming!  
• We are in the process of establishing a google calendar to post all Zoom sessions.
• Super news! Our Title I and Catapult online services from the BCIU Bucks County Intermediate Unit started today.  Our school counselor, Jena Hercus will also be reestablishing services this week.
• We set up a “SMA Special Intention” section on our school website at www.sma-pa.org. Go to our school website (www.sma-pa.org) home page and click on “About’.   “SMA Special Intentions” will be posted there.  If you wish to send a special intention to be posted for us to pray for, email me at sdicicco@sma-pa.org.  In the email include: your special intention as you want it posted.  You may keep it anonymous if you wish.
• If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me email 24/7.
• In school we normally pray the prayer to Saint Michael every day during morning prayers. We want to continue that now. We are asking everyone to pray the “Prayer to Saint Michael” each day.  See below for the prayer. 

 
TY! God bless, Mr. “D”.
 
Prayer to Saint Michael the
Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the
Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..
 
The Saint Michael’s Story
There are times in all of our lives when we need the support of our spiritual guides. One of the strongest and most protective of these guides is  St. Michael. Saint Michael is not actually a saint. He is an archangel. Archangel Michael is considered the leader of all angels and the head of the army of God. A healer of the sick and the guardian of the Catholic Church, Michael is the champion of courage, protection, integrity, strength, and truth.
When you find yourself struggling with any of these attributes, Michael is the angel to summon. He is an extremely powerful angel, He is usually pictured carrying a spiritual (sometimes flaming) sword with beautiful white or silver wings and a stunning blue aura. He is one of a few angels mentioned by name in the Bible and other religious texts and is a defender of Christ, as well as humanity.
 
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Dear Parents/Guardians,
     Greetings! I contacted the Superintendent of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools yesterday seeking additional IPads and Chromebooks for our students and families of SMA School. If you do not presently have a functional IPad, laptop, or chromebook (PreK – 8 Grades) and are in need of one for our flexible online learning program, please email me ASAP (sdicicco@sma-pa.org).  In the email include: Parent/ Guardian Name - Phone Number – Child/Children Name(s)  - Grade(s).  Also, if anyone knows of any agency or organization donating Ipads, laptops, or Chromebooks please let me know.
 
Thank you!
 
    I attached today’s Sunday’s Gospel for you and your family. In this particular powerful Gospel, we see Jesus showing His power by bringing Lazarus back to life from the dead. That is an important message for all of us today that God’s power of life will untimely conquer all darkness and death and restore us to the light.
 
God bless, Mr. “D”. 
 

Gospel, John 11:1-45

¹ There was a  man named  Lazarus of Bethany, the village of  Mary and her sister, Martha, and he was ill.
² It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick  man Lazarus, who anointed the  Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.
³ The sisters sent this message to Jesus, 'Lord, the  man you love is ill.'
⁴ On receiving the message,  Jesus said, 'This sickness  will not end in death, but it is for God's  glory so that through it the Son of  God may be glorified.'
⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,
⁶ yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days
⁷ before saying to the disciples, 'Let us go back to Judaea.'
⁸ The disciples said, 'Rabbi, it is not long since the  Jews were trying to stone you; are you going back there again?'
⁹ Jesus replied: Are there not twelve hours in the day? No one who walks in the daytime stumbles, having the light of this world to see by;
¹⁰ anyone who walks around at night stumbles, having no light as a guide.
¹¹ He said that and then added, 'Our friend  Lazarus is at rest; I am going to wake him.'
¹² The disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he is at rest he  will be saved.'
¹³ Jesus was speaking of the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by 'rest' he meant 'sleep';
¹⁴ so  Jesus put it plainly, 'Lazarus is dead;
¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you  will believe. But let us go to him.'
¹⁶ Then Thomas -- known as the Twin -- said to the other disciples, 'Let us also go to die with him.'
¹⁷ On arriving,  Jesus found that  Lazarus had been in the  tomb for four days already.
¹⁸ Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem,
¹⁹ and many  Jews had come to Martha and  Mary to comfort them about their brother.
²⁰ When Martha heard that  Jesus was coming she went to meet him.  Mary remained sitting in the house.
²¹ Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,
²² but even now I know that  God  will grant whatever you ask of him.'
²³ Jesus said to her, 'Your brother  will rise again.'
²⁴ Martha said, 'I know he  will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.'
²⁵ Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that  person dies,  will live,
²⁶ and whoever lives and believes in me  will never die. Do you believe this?
²⁷ 'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.'
²⁸ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, 'The Master is here and wants to see you.'
²⁹ Hearing this,  Mary got up quickly and went to him.
³⁰ Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him.
³¹ When the  Jews who were in the house comforting  Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the  tomb to weep there.
³² Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'
³³ At the sight of her tears, and those of the  Jews who had come with her,  Jesus was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said,
³⁴ 'Where have you put him?' They said, 'Lord, come and see.'
³⁵ Jesus wept;
³⁶ and the  Jews said, 'See how much he loved him!'
³⁷ But there were some who remarked, 'He opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented this man's death?'
³⁸ Sighing again,  Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening.
³⁹ Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, 'Lord, by now he  will smell; this is the fourth day since he died.'
⁴⁰ Jesus replied, 'Have I not told you that if you believe you  will see the  glory of God?'
⁴¹ So they took the stone away. Then  Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.
⁴² I myself knew that you hear me always, but I speak for the sake of all these who are standing around me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.
⁴³ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!'
⁴⁴ The dead  man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face.  Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, let him go free.'
⁴⁵ Many of the  Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in Him.
Amen
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