Want to know what happens to all that pizza money on Tuesdays? All the profits from pizza sales on Tuesdays in the first quarter were donated to Rays of Light, a charity serving children with special needs and their families. On November 16, several Cistercian students from Forms V, VI and VII went with Fr. John to serve at Rays of Light. While they were there, they ran into the Saliga family, whose son attends the program as a guest! The evening began at 5:30 with a raffle and dinner for the volunteers, and then the games kicked off at 6:00pm as the guests began to arrive. Throughout the night the students and their new friends enjoyed basketball and board games, ate birthday cake, watched a movie, played with therapy dogs and – best of all – warred with special light sabers created by a balloon artist. Everyone had a great time serving on the evening before Thanksgiving break. Before leaving, they delivered the check for over $600 to Robin Wilson, Executive Director. Students interested in joining the fun next time can check MobileServe for further details!
Cistercian and Rays of Light
November 28, 2018 | Community Service, Media
Hawk Happenings
Preston Hollow Mulchachos
Lettuce show you how our ag elective has a good thyme harvesting arugula and spreading mulch thanks to a generous donation from the student-run @prestonhollowmulchachos
Form I Field Study
Form I visited the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center and got the full experience with a rainy day on the wetlands. They got to see how these ecosystems work in real time, while learning about water conservation, ecology, and local wildlife.
Congratulations!
Huge congratulations to Cistercian Team 1 for being named a Semifinalist in the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, placing them among the top teams out of more than 2,300 worldwide.
Announcing next year’s Form Master
A highlight of spring is always the announcement of the Form Master for the incoming Form I class. We are pleased to announce that Fr. Augustine Hoelke will serve as Form Master to the Class of 2034, the incoming Form I.
Colleges on Campus
37 colleges and universities joined us on campus, giving our Upper School students the opportunity to connect with admissions representatives from across the country.
Experience Cistercian
Publications
What is happening in the liturgy?
Every morning, monks and nuns — and many lay people — arise early for morning prayer. The Latin name for this prayer, “laudes,” means “praises.” Often the psalms that make up morning prayer are indeed full of expressions of praise. One has inspired in me a reflection on the liturgy.
‘Blessed are you among women…’
Elizabeth’s words to Mary form the bridge from the Annunciation to the Visitation in the Hail Mary prayer: “Blessed are you among women, and blest is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42). After Mary’s hasty journey to her kinswoman, she, carrying Jesus in her womb-ark, receives an exuberant welcome from Elizabeth and John the Baptist. The unborn babies, Jesus and John, meet for the first time as their mothers embrace.
The challenge of truth for Catholics navigating today’s world
We have all surely experienced how difficult it can be to engage socially and politically as Catholics. Our faith pushes us into the uncomfortable position of prophetically challenging all political parties and calling everyone to conversion. Today, it can be especially difficult to exercise this prophetic mission, simply because the situations we should critique — the basic facts of the matter and their context — can be so difficult to ascertain (and contemporary media sadly makes our task even more difficult). This is a serious difficulty, since Jesus commands us not to judge by appearances (cf. Jn 7:24).
‘The Lord is with you’
Gabriel is not the first messenger of the LORD to greet someone with the phrase “The LORD is with you” (Lk 1:28). An anonymous angel hails Gideon, a young man from a poor and insignificant family, as the lad desperately hides his family’s wheat harvest from the marauding Midianites: “The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior!” (Jgs 6:12). Gideon then receives his commission to save Israel from the hand of its enemy and to be a judge over the 12 tribes.
Discerning Communion calls for truth in charity
Discerning whether to offer or receive Communion can be a challenge, spiritually and pastorally; but such discernment can always also be fruitful.