The Church traditionally dedicates the month of March to the special veneration of St. Joseph, whose feast day is March 19th. "He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife," says St. Bernardine of Siena. "He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’" Due to St. Joseph's leadership of the Holy Family, he has been declared the protector and patron of the universal Catholic Church. The Good Shepherd Academy has been consecrated to St. Joseph so we turn to him daily for his intercession, his protection and his model of Humility and Fortitude.
The virtue of the month is FORTITUDE. The importance of fortitude can not be overstated in living the Catholic faith, especially in our current culture.The cardinal virtue of fortitude involves practicing what is good and just; especially when you find yourself in a difficult situation. Fortitude moves beyond courage; helping us to remain steadfast in the face of adversity and challenge. The virtue of prudence helps us to decide rightly what needs to be done and the virtue of fortitude gives us the mental strength to act. For those of you who missed Sr. Francis Mary’s talk on Fortitude, her notes are below.
May God bless your Lenten journey with sincere heart of gratitude and fortitude, Mrs. Gutierrez
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Middle and High School students planted seeds in our 4 vegetable garden boxes named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The students will tend and harvest the produce as it grows in The Good Shepherd Garden, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Tran in honor of Julie Tran, the mother of Mr. John Tran.
Fr. Gino came for a campus visit on Monday. He gave an inspiring talk on seeing God’s mercy and forgiveness in the face of extreme bad actions, such as St. Maria Goretti’s assassin and the recent tragic death of Bishop Dave O’Connell. Fr. Gino also heard Confessions and stayed for Stations of the Cross.