From the Principal's Desk 4.1

Dear Friends, 

It is hard to believe another summer has flown by but it has! The students are now all getting settled into their routines, and once the shock of a new schedule wears off they will start to appreciate it. For work we are made, to use our time well to improve the lot of ourselves and others, to pull back the curtain of ignorance and to live a life pleasing to God. As we well know, Christians follow the truth. We embrace beauty and order, and we find no possible contradiction between the Word of God and the book of Nature. We practice love, the selfless desire for the good of another. Pope Francis reminded us, a person who in good conscience strives to practice virtue should be encouraged to be good, not judged. We know that for freedom God made us and virtue makes us free. If our students wish to be diligent, and find themselves falling into sloth, we need to encourage them to be diligent. Should they wish to be patient and kind, loving and joyful and find themselves struggling, we stand ready to lend a helping and loving hand. 

When the individual is no longer being tempted because they gave in, the situation changes. Wrongdoing must be addressed and corrected and consequences dealt with. Those who have done the wrong thing must admit to it if they wish to be free of it. For once an individual takes ownership of their actions they are eligible for a great act of love, forgiveness. When we admit our sin to God, especially in the sacrament of confession, and ask for His forgiveness, we are free and strengthened to sin no more. 

I will write more about this year's theme next week. 

Welcome back or Welcome! 

Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School

From the Principal's Desk 3.34

    

Dear Parents and Friends, Today we will be handing out  awards. Inevitably questions arise about this event.  Why do we hand out awards? Why don't we simply give everyone an award? What significance do these awards hold? A hallmark of Christian life revolves around the concept of judgment that for each action mankind will be held accountable.  Some incorrectly believe that by good deeds one can merit salvation; that heresy fails as it denies the saving power of Christ.  However good deeds do make it easier for us to avail ourselves of God's redeeming grace.  Just as bad deeds have the opposite effect. So once a  year we take out time to acknowledge those students whose hard work, diligence and abilities  merit attention from us.  Those who have used their talents, much like the good servant in the parable, worthily gain an award.   Ultimately the one 'award' or recognition that matters is when we stand before the throne of God  and He says 'Well done, good and faithful servant, now enter the rest that has been prepared for you."   Christ promises if we use the gift of faith to follow Him this will be our welcome.  Let us make certain it is. Duc in Altum!    Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411

From the Principal's Desk 3.33

From the Principal's Desk 3.33

Dear Parents,  "I know something that you don't know.  I am not left handed either." (Princess Bride)  Some of you will remember that quote and it serves to illustrate one of the aims of schools like ours.   We strive to help students realize what their gifts and talents are and then how to use them.  Have you ever tried to brush your teeth with the other hand?  Or attempted to throw a ball with the other arm, your non-dominant one?  Gifted athletes know that while they are great in one sport, they may not be great in another.  I speak English quite well, but I am useless in Italian.   In short, none of us are gifted in all things; all of us are gifted in something.  The key remains to determine what we excel at. God graced the world with a wide variety of persons with a wide variety of skills and interests.  We stand as unique individuals who share a common concern; we want the lives of our students to be wonderful and meaningful.  If we can focus on what we can do, and what opportunities lies ahead of us, then empowered to go on, we find success.  It also allows us to rejoice in another's gift.  When I see another excel at a sport, admire a fine painting, or enjoy a thrilling performance and I rejoice in the gifts that others have, I find peace and contentment.  Only when I envy their gifts, wish I could have them myself or regret that they have them, am I hampered in becoming who I am meant to be.  So let us rejoice in those who are gifted, thank God for our gifts and be grateful for what we have been given. Duc in Altum! Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411 p.s. Questions, cares, comments and concerns are all welcome. (Yes, a late start probably would have been a better call)

From the Principal's Desk 3.32

From the Principal's Desk 3.32

Dear Parents, I hope you are all enjoying the snow! There is nothing quite like a wintery scene outside when one is expecting green grass, warm winds and spring sports.   Life often reminds us that many things remain outside our control.   It remains for us to decide what to do with what we are given. One of the important lessons of life is that we are free to choose our actions only from the list of those actions available.  As an example we cannot have track practice or baseball practice today because the fields are snow covered.  Even if I really wanted to have that practice it could not happen; I have to make plans based on that reality.   A student may dislike the work load, especially this late in the season, or they may wish something didn't happen that did. Our job is to help them see that while you can always move forward, we can never move back.  There exists a lot of 'folk' wisdom about this. 'You can make a lot of things with broken eggs, or "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade."  And while they may be quaint there exists in them a truth.  All of our children can succeed if they can find the right path. Our job is to prepare them, equip them and then send them on. Duc in Altum! Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411 p.s. All cares, comments, questions or concerns are welcome!

From the Principal's Desk 3.31

From the Principal's Desk 3.31

Dear Friends, Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen! Alleluia! Such good news still resounds through all the earth even after 20 centuries for it is astounding, life changing and most importantly, true!  Truth inherently affects us in this manner for while the 'truth may hurt' if spoken in love, it reforms.   When we teach the truth to a student, they experience, the error of their former life put away and freedom to live.  This is exactly what mankind so eagerly seeks.  For this reason Holy Family teaches our students the importance of facts (truth), in science, history, math, art, physical activities and faith; actually in all areas of our life.   Blessed John Paul II was once asked if only  one passage of scripture could be given to mankind what would it be,  he said " You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32) If we want our children to be free let us eagerly seek with them the truth. Lies and deception only restrict our lives, they might promise freedom but they are in fact just the opposite.  An honest man does not fear the truth about his actions being made known, a dishonest man does. And now for some facts. Holy Family's annual Gala is this Saturday and as of now it is essentially sold out!  This remains the best time for you to support the mission of the school beyond what you ordinarily do, so please come and spend! This will help us meet some of our school's growing needs and desires.  There remains much that is good which occurs at our school and each of us plays a part in that and I dare say, no one sees it all.  We will do our best to bring to your attention some of that good at the Gala. Don't miss it! God bless and Duc in Altum! Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411 p.s. Today is the annual Blessing mass, where we bless rings and medallions and encourage our Juniors to take the mantle of leadership which will be offered to them. Please pray for them.  The scripture on the medallions is a prayer of surrender to God and trust in him.  I pray all can join in this prayer I Chronicles 29:11 "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. p.p.s.  Any questions, cares, comments or concerns? Send them in they are always welcome!

From the Principal's Desk 3.30

From the Principal's Desk 3.30

Dear Friends, Of all the weeks in our calendar, Holy Week stands as the one which demands that we pay attention to the final things: death, judgment, heaven or hell.  All students know the importance of final exams; the point at which there is no turning back, no extra credit, no more bargaining.   They recognize the importance of proper preparation, of using the entire term to prepare for the exam.  In the same way, we should use our whole lives preparing for our individual day of judgment. The only way to be saved, the only way to gain admission to heaven, is through the blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Calvary.  No amount of good deeds will ever get us into heaven and it is a common mistake to think God will measure out our good deeds and compare them to our bad deeds and the heavier side determines our salvation.  We get to heaven not because we are filled with good deeds, but because our sins are forgiven.  This is why confession and baptism are so important, both free us from sin.  So why bother with good deeds?  Why not just live a life of debauchery and repent at the last moment?  No one knows when they are to die.  We would all like to live a long time, die peacefully in bed surrounded by our family, but we don't get to make that choice.  Scripture says, 'Delay not the day of your salvation.'  Additionally, a good life is exactly what it sounds like.  To live a life filled with peace, joy, good character, kindness, love, patience, honesty, generosity etc., is to live a great life.   If our students all lived virtuous lives we would need no locks, there would be no stealing, lying, anger, lust, laziness, and our school would be filled with all good things and the love of God.   If we want to be ready for our day of judgment, let us live like we belong in Heaven, loving God and neighbor, mindful of God's great love for us and the sacrifice of the Cross. Duc in Altum!  Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411\ p.s. Questions, cares, comments or concerns? Send them in. Today we are celebrating the Women's 3A Basketball State Championship! Once again Ron Rossi and the Lady Tigers have won the state title for the fifth time in six years.  These young ladies demonstrate great ability and character on and off the court and we happy to celebrate them and with them!  Well done!

From the Principal's Desk 3.29

From the Principal's Desk 3.29

Dear Friends, As Holy Week fast approaches let us take a moment to talk about what the Church means when she talks about sin.  Sin consists of an act against the will of God, a demon, (Genesis- sin is a demon lurking at your door. Its urge is toward you but you can be its master) and it is separation from God.  Fortunately, Christ's death of the cross freed us from all three of these terrible things.  When we commit a sin we act contrary to God's will and to our own self good.  Sin deadens or confuses the intellect.  It warps our judgment and sight.  For when we sin we start calling bad good, darkness light and lies truth.  None of our acts change reality.  Facts are stubborn things, they do not change.  So bad is still bad, good is still good; we just cannot see it. God is all good and when we act badly we damage our relationship with him, this causes our confusion but is also the separation of sin.  A venial sin, a small violation of good, does not break the bond with God, but damages it. Mortal sin, a large violation of good, breaks that relationship with God.   Fortunately, all sin can be forgiven and the breaks and damages mended.  The venial ones we just need to ask God for forgiveness, the larger ones, the mortal sins, we need to go to confession and  ask a priest, who stands in as Christ, for forgiveness. If we don't get our sins forgiven we will not have God freely acting in our lives. We may still hear God call us, just like your kids might hear you when they have the music blasting.  When our sins are forgiven then we can hear God clearly, we can see clearly, our minds are awake, our spirits are light and we are happy.  All of us, and students are no exception, when freed from sin do much better.   The student's scores go up, their grades improve and they are easier to deal with.  For this reason, and so that their chance of salvation is increased, we had two days of confession at school and Father Gabriel is available for confession.   I urge all of you to reconcile with God. As our new Pope Francis stated the other day, "God never gets tired of forgiving."  It is why he died for us. Duc in Altum! Timothy Gallic Principal, Holy Family High School 303-410-1411