Using Our Talents to Help the Community
January 20, 2022
Principal Desk, Service
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Listening to the Homily this weekend, I was struck with the concept of using our talents, given by God, to the benefit of our community. I needed to take inventory, and I encourage you to do the same. Our parishes and school are in need of volunteers. Please think about the talents you have and what a wonderful gift they are for our whole community. There are a number of ways in which you can volunteer at school – even from home.

Are you interested in sharing your time and talent with Holy Family? Click here to complete a form with your contact information and areas of interest and we’ll be in touch!

Severe Weather Alerts Information
January 5, 2022
Current Families, Principal Desk
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Dear Families,

Now that we are beginning to see some winter weather, we want to provide this overview of how we communicate with you when severe weather or dangerous road conditions prompt the CDA School District and HFCS to close school or delay the start of the school day. I just got off the phone with Scott Maben, CDA Public Schools Director of Communications. He was very helpful providing guidance and information for HFCS.

With regards to weather related school closures, we abide by the decisions made by CDA Public Schools. Information regarding closures will be posted on their Twitter & Facebook pages by 5:30 am, if the schools will be closed. Their Closure Hotline is 208-667-0784. If CDA Public Schools are closed due to weather, we will be closed as well. At times, they may ask for a 2 hour delay. That delay will never be on a Monday. If the weather is severe on a Monday, they will immediately go to closure – no delay will be invoked.

The safety of students and employees is our top priority in our decision-making process and that of CDA Public Schools. On days when we expect severe weather such as freezing rain, especially heavy snowfall or high winds, CDA will evaluate road conditions and forecasts early in the morning (between 3 and 4 am). CDA considers the ability of school buses to operate safely, as well as general driving conditions for students, parents/guardians and school staff. Other safety considerations include students who may walk to school or wait at bus stops in frigid or hazardous weather.

CDA balances these factors with other safety considerations. For example, a school closure may leave some students at home with no adult supervision. For others, school may be the warmest and safest place to be. We understand the impact a school closure or delayed start can have on families. Please know that each potential closure decision is weighed thoughtfully with careful consideration for the safety of our entire school community, and based on the best information we have available.

When we experience severe weather or hazardous road conditions, a CDA District team will assess current conditions and immediate weather forecasts early in the morning. Any change in normal operations will be announced before 6 a.m. CDA will only announce when we have a closure or a delayed start; we will not announce that we are open as scheduled.

How to learn of a school closure or a 2-hour delayed start:

  1. You may receive an email and/or text message from us. We use contact information listed for parents and guardians in our Rediker Portal – please ensure your information is up to date..
  2. If you’ve downloaded the mobile app for Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, you will find their announcement under Notifications.
  3. CDA will also post announcements of closures and delayed starts on the District and school websites. HFCS will text families.
  4. Check the CDA Public School District social media feeds: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. As soon as possible HFCS will post to our Twitter & Facebook accounts as well.
  5. Call the CDA Public School District Closure Hotline at 208-667-0784.
  6. Announcements are reported by local news media, including KREM, KXLY and KHQ morning news programs.

Again, if you do not see a closure or delayed start announcement, that means we are open as usual.

Visit this link to learn more about weather closures.

I hope this information helps you to plan your day. At this point in time, no decision has been made regarding Thursday, January 6th. However, weather reports indicate that we may be in for some severe conditions. Please be alert and stay safe.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren, M.Ed.

Principal, Holy Family Catholic School

[email protected]

www.hfcs-cda.org

Third Week in Advent
December 15, 2021
Faith, Principal Desk

This weekend we celebrated the third week of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin word that means “rejoice!” On this day, we lit the rose colored candle of the Advent wreath. In the gospel reading, we read of John the Baptist, the messenger who pointed the way to Jesus. Jesus tells the people of the greatness of John, and he also tells them that those who follow Jesus are blessed and will inherit the kingdom.

As we continue through the Advent season, preparing ourselves for the celebration of Jesus’ coming at Christmas, we are invited to avail of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. There are numerous opportunities for individual Confession, and times are listed in the parish bulletins. Through participation in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ coming at Christmas. Our students in Grades 3 through 8 have had the opportunity to participate in a beautiful Reconciliation Service last week and this week where our priests from the three parishes joined together to provide our children with the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. We hope as a family, you will continue to avail yourself of this beautiful Sacrament throughout the year.

With the upcoming hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, the house to decorate and presents to wrap, it is important, as Catholics, to remember that Advent should be our focus. It is a difficult season to celebrate because of the commercialism of the secular world in which we live. At this time, we keep in mind people who are less fortunate in our community and the world. Thank you for all the donations we have received for the Senior Citizen Retirement Home and the coins collected by 2nd grade for the St. Vincent de Paul Warming Center. Our hearts are full as we look at the generosity of our HFCS community. –

According to the General Norms for the Liturgical Year, Advent has a twofold nature: It prepares us for Christmas, when we recall Christ’s first coming among us, and it is also a time when we look forward to His second coming at the end of the ages. Advent is the season of joyful expectation. Our challenge, as Catholics, is to help our children to look beyond the materialism of Christmas and focus on spiritual preparation.

A special thank you to our students and Mrs. Bukowski for the wonderful Christmas program last Friday. And thank you as well to our amazing PIE volunteers for the Cookies, Cocoa, and Santa that followed the program. 

As we wind down the week, we hope that you will enjoy our time off from school, December 19th through January 2nd, when you can gather with friends and family to enjoy the special gifts of Christmas: hope, joy, and most importantly faith.

Eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 9, 2021
Faith, Principal Desk

“Saints such as Maximilian Kolbe have pondered the intimate relationship between the Divine Mercy and the Immaculate Conception and concluded that the relationship is so mysterious that its brightness overwhelms the intellect. These two mysteries are so intimately connected that it will take a whole host of saintly theologians, mystics and scholars to unveil the wonder. Just as the mystery of the Trinity is that which sheds light on all things, so the mystery of the Immaculate Conception is that which sheds light on the mystery of both creation and redemption.” – Father Donald Calloway, MIC

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in this Advent season, let us focus on the miracle God has set before us. Fr. Calloway goes on to explain that God planned to spiritually renew and elevate all creation according to the pattern of the Immaculate Conception; thus, the Immaculate Conception is not an after-thought but, rather, the instrument through which God sees the world. It is as though the Immaculate Conception were a set of bifocals given to us by Divine Mercy so that we can come to see both creation and salvation as God sees them.

The second week of advent focuses on peace. The peace that the birth of Christ brings over our circumstances, our desires, and our futures. As we continue through this Advent season may the peace of Christ be with you and your family.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

Advent Prayer for Thursday
December 2, 2021
Faith, Principal Desk

Father, thank You for fresh grace and a week full of promise. Lead me in Your way and fill my heart with Your love and joy.

Father, help me to see others as You see them. I ask that you guide every decision, response, effort and conversation I have all for your glory.

In Jesus’ name Amen

As We Begin Advent
December 1, 2021
Faith, Principal Desk

I always prepare for Advent with Google searches. I know that may sound odd, but I like to begin Advent with a refreshed sense of prayer. I love looking for resources that will make this the best Advent ever. My search this year took me to Creighton University’s Online Ministries. The site is filled with resources to add to my growing Advent library. I hope you will find that special way in which your family may dive into Advent with renewed faith, hope, and prayer. “We begin Advent, we light one candle in the midst of all the darkness in our lives and in the world. It symbolizes our longing, our desire, our hope. Three “advents” or “comings” shape our desire. We want to be renewed in a sense that Jesus came to save us from our sin and death. We want to experience his coming to us now, in our everyday lives, to help us live our lives with meaning and purpose. And we want to prepare for his coming to meet us at the end of our lives on this earth.”

Each day this week, let’s start with a focus on faith. Take just a moment to remember that Christ is our light. Pause to pray for hope, joy, and love in our ever changing world.

“Lord, the light I choose to let into my life today is based on my trust in you. It is a weak flame, but I so much desire that it dispel a bit more darkness today. Today, I just want to taste the longing I have for you as I go to the meeting this morning, carry out the responsibilities of my work, face the frustration of some difficult relationships. Let this candle be my reminder today of my hope in your coming.”

Remember to take time for prayers as you gather for your evening meal and light the family Advent wreath. Encourage all members of your family to share what this week of Advent has meant to them, how are we all preparing for Christ’s coming.

This Advent, as a school, our Opening will include special Advent prayers, lighting the Advent Wreath, as well as traditional faith filled Christmas carols as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and His coming once again.

We are also making this a December to Remember! See the calendar for our very special 12 (really 13) Days of Christmas HFCS style.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

Thanksgiving Blessings
November 24, 2021
Faith, Principal Desk, Service

On this “secular” holiday, infused as it is with such profoundly religious meaning, we should really take some time to reflect on the fact that the Greek word from which we derive the word “Eucharist” is rendered “Thanksgiving” in English. The Catechism reminds us that, “The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the different names we give it. Each name evokes certain aspects of it. It is called: Eucharist, because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. The Greek words eucharistein and eulogein recall the Jewish blessings that proclaim God’s works: creation, redemption, and sanctification.” – CCC #1328

How appropriate. In that Sacrament of Sacraments, we receive Jesus Christ in His fullness, the greatest gift of the Father. And, we are called to give thanks. In the words of the Apostle Paul to the early Christians we are reminded to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians. 5:16-18 One of the ways Christians do this is to become people who choose to live our lives for others. When we give thanks we learn to love.

Today, the Church calls her faithful sons and daughters to give thanks in her Liturgy. St. Teresa was fond of saying “We will not learn how to love if we are not grateful.” The Readings for the Mass for Thanksgiving call us to gratitude. Jesus, in His Sacred humanity, shows us how to live a life of gratitude and, through the gift of Himself, makes it all possible.

As we give thanks, we discover how to be faithful to our call to continue the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, Love Incarnate, in an age hungering for the fullness of God’s love. We are called to give thanks and we are called to love with the very Love of God in which all human love is revealed and through which all human love is perfected.

Please consider joining us in our school-wide service projects and continuing SUCCESS program this coming Advent, in support of those in need (see flier below). May the love of the Holy Family shine through you as we celebrate this Thanksgiving.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

A Month of Thanksgiving
November 24, 2021
Principal Desk

This November, we pay special attention to our Saints, our Souls in Purgatory, family and friends we’ve lost, our Veterans and for those things we are most grateful for. It’s a preparatory time as we move closer and closer to our very holy time of Advent. Preparing ourselves for Christ to come again. Reflection on our past and planning for our future. Ensuring faith in God is always at the center of what we do. I would like to thank Fr. John and the St. Thomas Parish for the beautiful Monstrance that was presented to HFCS this morning. Adoration was a blessed opportunity for our children and faith family to join together in special reflection on the Blessed Sacrament and the gift of Jesus Christ in our lives. We will continue Adoration after Mass as we move through the Advent season and classes will have the opportunity to gather in prayer in our chapel as well.

As I reflect on this year, I am most thankful for the Holy Family Catholic community. HFCS is steeped in traditions that bind us together as one family in Christ. May your November be filled with love and thanksgiving. Find special time to pray together as a family – remembering what is most important to us all. Please, if ever you have questions, concerns, ideas on how we can make HFCS even better, don’t hesitate to contact my staff and make an appointment to come in and speak with me. My door is always open.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren