Pope John Paul II Catholic High School V O L U M E 1, I S S U E 5 M A R C H By Connie Gerlach, Director of Advancement

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1 Advancement Pope John Paul II Catholic High School Newsletter V O L U M E 1, I S S U E 5 M A R C H Dedication By Connie Gerlach, Director of Advancement Consecrata ut corda nostra ad cor loquantur - MMXI Dedicated so that our hearts might speak to his Inscripti on on th e b a s e o f th e G reat Statue of th e Sacre d He ar t INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Statue of the Sacred Heart 2 From the Chaplain 3 Special Donations 4 Falcon Classic Golf Tourney 5 Dates to Note 6 A special day, the Blessing and Dedication of our Great Statue of the Sacred Heart in our Smith Family Hall of Faith. We are most grateful to Irma and Jack Tuder, the benefactors of this beautiful statue. In our cover picture of Bishop Baker with our young people, their faces open our hearts to understand our mission to provide the opportunity of a Catholic education. Our new campus is a center for the powerful mission of Catholic education and we have just begun. In the five short months that we ve been in our new school, we have experienced many benefits from our new surroundings: new technology in our classrooms; improved science labs and instruction areas; a practice room for our band and choral programs; a drama department with a stage and all the accouterments that accompany a fine arts program; our beautiful chapel; our gleaming gymnasium; our courtyard in bloom; and so much more. Most importantly, we have a school filled with wonderful young people who will use all that this school has to offer to enrich and develop their lives. We want to share the excitement of being in the new school with you and invite you to join us for a reception on April 28 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. to view all that is going on at JPII. Over the past several months, Connie Sieja, Jennifer Anderson, and numerous others have updated, remodeled, and done wonders with our school s website, and we are proud to unveil our new look. Please visit us online at our new and improved website: God bless you. Connie ADVANCEMENT NEWSLETTER 7301 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, Alabama

2 STATUE of the SACRED HEART Unveiled In Smith Family Hall of Faith February 14, Irma and Jack Tuder, benefactors of the Great Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; 2. The Tuder Family; 3. Bishop Baker with the JPII Student Ambassadors; 4. Bishop Baker with guests; 5. (From left) Father Bryan Jerabek, Father Michael Mac Mahon, Bishop Baker, Father Phil O Kennedy and Father Louis Giardino; 6. Bishop Baker with (from left) Mrs. Butch Damson and Mrs. Linda J. Smith; 7. Bishop Baker blesses the Great Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; 8. (From left) Erica Smith, Dana Craig, Kathy Ferrante, and Jennifer Henken prepared a luncheon for priests and special guests ADVANCEMENT NEWSLETTER 7301 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, Alabama

3 When our Lord Jesus Christ revealed his Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1672, he promised her, I will bless those places wherein the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated. Confident that our Lord always keeps his promises and in fact fulfills them more wonderfully than we dare imagine, we proudly display this beautiful statue in our new school. May this sacred image continually touch the hearts of all who behold it, and draw them more deeply into the love and knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. Dear Friends, Good things come to those who wait! I am happy to be able to report on some major progress in the finishing of our school chapel. New, solid oak pews were recently fabricated and installed. The votive candle racks arrived last week. Statues have been ordered. Our other new furnishings (altar, ambo, chairs, credence table, crucifix, etc.) are currently being built and will be delivered in the next couple of months, while we continue to use the old furnishings in the meantime. Our tabernacle is being restored (a borrowed, temporary one is currently on site). I was in Washington D. C. with our design consultant during Spring Break, personally visiting and checking on the progress of the different artisans who are working on our chapel items, and things are shaping up quite beautifully. We are still very much in a state of The great statue of the Sacred Heart, which now presides over the Hall of Faith at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, comes to us from the recently closed Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Cleveland, Ohio. It is approximately 60 years old and was handcarved in the Art Deco style in fine marbles from Italy. Polychrome marble statues of such exquisite quality are rarely seen on this side of the Atlantic Ocean; we truly have a treasure in our school! There is a surprising chapter in our statue s history. In 1969, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, then Archbishop of Krakow, Poland and the man who would become Pope John Paul II, visited the city of Cleveland. During his time there, he celebrated Mass in the convent of Sacred Heart Parish and toured several other places in the city. It is very likely, therefore, that he not only entered the convent but also the adjacent parish church, and saw our statue in person! Considering this, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that our late Holy Father played a role in bringing this statue from that place that he once visited to the new school dedicated FROM THE CHAPLAIN transition, but the good news is that the chapel is now in such a state that we can use it daily for prayer, devotions, confessions and Holy Mass. It is thanks to your prayers and the great generosity of several individuals that we will have a very beautiful chapel in our new school when all is said and done. It will be a gem in the diocese, and a spiritual oasis for our school community. I ask for your continued prayers for a timely completion of the project. I also humbly ask that you consider purchasing one of the remaining special opportunities so that no detail will be left unattended in the adornment of this space, which is sacred to God and to all who enter. Don t miss this opportunity! God bless you. Sincerely in Christ, Father Bryan Jerabek History of the Great Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in his honor! In prayer, we thank him for his care for our school. And we also thank our generous benefactors, Jack and Irma Tuder, for purchasing this statue and base. The statue s base was newly constructed in January 2011 by Mr. Werner Stark and his team of artisans at Ceramic Harmony of Huntsville. The three different marbles that comprise the base were carefully chosen to match those in the statue. The design for the base is by Mr. Frank Nola, Jr. of SKT Architects of Huntsville and architect for the entire Pope John Paul II Catholic High School project. The front of the base has the words Learn of me, a reference to Matthew 11:28-30, the famous passage of the gospel where our Lord speaks of his Sacred Heart and invites all to come to him and rest. The verse is a clear statement of our mission as a Catholic high school: our students come here to obtain wisdom from our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all truth. The dedicatory inscription on the back is in Latin: Consecrata ut corda nostra ad cor loquantur - MMXI. Translated idiomatically, it means Dedicated so that our hearts might speak to his ADVANCEMENT NEWSLETTER 7301 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, Alabama

4 Special Donations Made To Our School Text here... Principal Vince Aquila accepts a check from Danny and Nancy Archuleta for $100,000 toward their pledge to the Capital Campaign. JPII Board of Trustees Co-Chair Nancy Archuleta said, Danny and I believe strongly in our commitment to Catholic education and we believe that we are living our faith in making a gift to provide Catholic education to our community. We will continue to do as much as we can and invite others to step up and make a gift that will make a difference in the lives of our young people. The Very Reverend Michael Mac Mahon, Pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Huntsville, has gifted to Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, Resurrected Christ, a painting by R. W. Womack that was completed in 1991, and the Statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The painting is on display inside of the student entrance of the school, near the Multi-purpose Room, and the statues can be viewed near the doors to the Library/Media Center. Thank You! New Database Manager The Advancement Office Newsletter is now electronic! If you, or someone you know, are interested in having the latest news sent directly to your inbox, send your address to Connie Gerlach: cgerlach@jp2falcons.org or call (256) , ext Welcome to Charlotte Cannon! Charlotte Cannon joins the Advancement Office in the position of Database Manager. She has recently relocated to the Huntsville area from Fort Walton Beach, Florida with her husband and two children. They are members of Holy Spirit Parish, and her children attend Holy Spirit School. Charlotte has a Master s Degree from the University of West Florida and has worked with various schools and non-profit organizations, in addition to government contractors. ADVANCEMENT NEWSLETTER 7301 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, Alabama

5 8th Annual Falcon Classic Golf Tournament REGISTER TODAY! Prizes! Contests! Lunch! Friday, May 13, 2011 The Links at Redstone, 4140 Goss Road Expedited Arsenal access will be provided at the Rideout Road Visitor Center. Golfer fee: $125 Registration and payment deadline: May 9, 2011 Register individually or in groups. Brochures available at at the school office, and at most Catholic churches. For information or sponsorships, call: Anne Hession (256) Ted Stevenson (256) JPII School Office (256) Fundraiser for the Pope John Paul II Catholic High School Athletic Department. Hosted by the Falcon Athletic Booster Club. ADVANCEMENT NEWSLETTER 7301 Old Madison Pike, Huntsville, Alabama

6 Dates to Note... Some community events are listed below. For details, please contact the sponsoring group. Connie Gerlach Director of Advancement 256/ , Ext. 150 Spring Musical April Way of the Cross April 20 Open House Reception April 28 Falcon Classic Golf Tourney May 13 Luncheon: Notre Dame Football Coach May 17 Watch for more details! The 10 year alumni reunion for the Class of 2001 is being Chaired by Marie Myer Schnieder. More to follow! Pope John Paul II Catholic High School does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, and/or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its education policies, admission policies, student aid programs and athletic programs. Pope John Paul II Catholic High School understands the content of this newletter to be accurate, as of printing date. For any corrections, please call Pope John Paul II Catholic High School. Printed in the U.S.A.