SAVE THE DATE! The fourth annual Many Gifts, One Nation: A Day of Giving will begin Tuesday, Feb. 2 at noon and continue through noon on Wednesday, Feb. 3. 

Just a few years ago, Centurion Night of Worship was a small gathering in the chapel with typically less than fifty people in attendance. However, 2020 gave the event a major face lift. Due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, many of our usual events, such as weekly Mass and reconciliation or class retreats, were just not possible. But where there’s God’s will, there’s a way.

During November and December, over 100 students from St. Pius X Catholic School have participated in beautifying their schools’ Prayer Garden. 

Students from Sacred Heart School in Rockport created nativity scenes for a religion STREAM assignment. The class assignments were to be done online during the week of Nov. 30.

With love being the Church’s DNA, there are many different ways to love, and everyone can live this out in their own way. The bishop discussed four characteristics of God’s love. Of these four ways, I have found myself loving my students where they are at in their academics and personal lives.

Their world has been rocked. Their lives have been turned upside down. Their connections and encounters, with others, have been robbed by debilitating isolation. Their feelings of community have been shattered. Their sense of time distorted. Their minds and hearts are fraught with the unknown and frequent despair. This is the immediate world our youth struggle and attempt to navigate through during the ever-looming pandemic crisis. Still, they yearn for a different reality. Though the anxiety and loneliness rages on, they embrace that tiny but ever-critical glimmer of hope. Perhaps it is the hope that Pope Francis speaks of: “Let us never set conditions for God; let us instead allow hope to conquer our fears.” 

Local musicians of Corpus Christi present “A Journey to the Light.” This Christmas benefit concert will be available LIVE – in person or online at St. John Paul II High School Facebook page on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. 

These are unprecedented times. Even in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, teachers are faced with more challenges than ever before. Along with teaching students through a mixture of hybrid and blended learning, they are tasked with elevating student’s emotional intelligence. But this, According to Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Henry, is what Catholic teachers are called to do, “form the whole child – not just spiritually, intellectually, morally, socially and physically, but also focus on their social and emotional needs, their psychological needs. We are called to help them feel well equipped to negotiate chaos and uncertainty,” Dr. Henry said.

Students from Sacred Heart School in Rockport offered gifts of food from their Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive during a Thanksgiving Mass on Nov. 20. The Mass was celebrated by Father Ray Yrlas.

Incarnate Word Academy teachers, Mrs. Laura McCracken, Mrs. Suraida Nanez-James, and Mr. Robert Orta, were each awarded the $500 Teacher Excellence and Innovation Grant by the Diocese of Corpus Christi Office of Catholic Schools.

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament are kicking off a donation drive, "Project Restoring Human Dignity." Border Fund Project to assist Sister Norma Pimentel for the needs of immigrants.

James Hunt, Sacred Heart School fifth-grader, broke the school’s student record of 36 words per minute with 90% accuracy on Nov. 10. 

The St. John Paul II High School Rotary Interact Club conducted a special Halloween project for the children at The ARK Assessment Center & Emergency Shelter.

The Incarnate Word Academy Boys and Girls Cross Country teams competed at the TAPPS 5A District Meet on Oct. 24 from which they now advance to the State Championship.

Incarnate Word Academy juniors Joaquin Dionio, Michael Fergie, Elijah Gillespie, Aamil Patel, Nathan Perez, and Nicholas Trigger are coordinating a virtual 5K benefitting the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Corpus Christi. Registration began on Oct. 1 and continues through Dec. 20. The race consists of three separate events:

During their 2020-2021 school year. two seniors from St. John Paul II High School, Mary Arnolds and Marysa McAllister, have received high honors and scholarship awards to pursue their dreams.

Incarnate Word Academy seniors Christopher Deleon, Charles Flood, Rishi Ramachandruni, and Andrea Reyes have been named Commended Scholars in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, who have an opportunity to continue the competition for 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million. 

When fifth grade science teacher, Miss Sabina Boet, from Sacred Heart School assigned a STREAM project on Sept. 11, she was excited about the ingenuous ideas her students came up with.

Monica Maldonado, Director of Technology for Office of Catholic Schools, held a training session for 20 technology teachers from every campus in the Diocese of Corpus Christi at St. Patrick’s Our Lady of Knock Hall on Sept 3. According to Maldonado, technology teachers serve as subject teachers and train other teachers to become more tech-savvy. Many teachers are now required to adapt to blended and hybrid learning.