St Mark Blog

Parents,

Our verse that we have chosen to use this year as a theme is from I John, 3:18 and it is written:

"Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth."

While we often see people use verses from the Bible as tag lines, we have chosen this verse to not only represent our school, but to represent our Catholic mission and teaching at St. Mark Catholic School. While the verse is short, easy to remember and would fit nicely on the back of a T-shirt, we look past fourteen words and look at its meaning.
It is easy to tell someone that you love them with words, but it is much more difficult and much more meaningful if you show them in action. It is easy to write, “I love you” and it is much more difficult to stop what you are doing, pull yourself away from work and spend time doing something meaningful with someone you love.

Words are cheap, actions are priceless. Words can be hollow; deeds can make for
memories that last for a lifetime. I can remember when I was young, my dad used to bring young men from nearby Camp Atterbury to have supper with us. These young men, barely out of high school, were far from their families and their homes. I would come in from working on our farm and three total strangers would be sitting across the table from me (made for some awkward silent adolescence moments for me!) ready to break bread with
me and my five siblings. I can only imagine the positive impact that meal with our family had for those young men. I have been taught at a young age that talk is cheap and actions are priceless. We are instilling action into our students this year. It may be a canned food drive, a giving tree, a rice bowl, working at the soup kitchen, helping our St. Mark parishioners, visiting shut-ins, working at Holy Family Shelter, giving hats and coats to the needy or simply being kind to each other here at school.

We need your help. We need the parents to continue the pattern of “deeds and truths” at home. We need families working together in their community to give those a hand that need it. We need to love with our actions and not just our words.
You have given your child a great foundation. You have built the first floor of their “house” by sending them to St. Mark Catholic School. Finish the work in progress. Work side by side with them to teach them to be GIVERS and not TAKERS. You want an instant high? Take your children to a food pantry and help sort cans. You want a feeling of accomplishment? Rake some leaves or shovel some snow for an elderly person. You want to walk the walk? Visit someone that doesn’t get many visitors. God put
you here for a purpose, don’t waste it. Our parish is going through many positive changes. Become active in our school and parish. As we remember all of the victims of 9/11 this weekend, let us honor them with our actions of faith and love to others. Have a great weekend and we will see you at Mass this weekend!

God Bless,

Rusty Albertson
Principal
St. Mark Catholic School