Parents,

Even though most of you have taken down the Christmas tree and put away all of the
decorations, I hope that you are able to carry the renewed sense of Christ in your life and that
you can continue to build upon your experiences from the past few weeks to strengthen your
relationship with Christ.

About a year ago I was approached by a father who has three children enrolled in our school and he
had a piece of paper in his hand that he handed me and said “take a look at this; I think you will
be interested!” I get many things handed to me on the way into school by children and parents. I
get cards, flyers, checks for lunch charges, cookies and other informational items that I usually
stick in my pocket and hope to find later in the day. But this tri-fold, gold piece of paper not
only had some interesting verbiage, but it changed my life in a very positive direction.

The piece of paper had information on the Christ Renews His Parish renewal weekend program (CRHP).
I read over the pamphlet quickly and put it on my desk to be forever lost in a quagmire of papers.
But it kept surfacing to the top and would not go away. I even tried to put it in the recycling
bin, but it showed back up on my desk. After several reminders by this persistent parent, I looked
at the material and decided that I could use some time for myself to renew my relationship with
Christ. My wife had also been “targeted” and we both agreed that even though we had very busy
lives, that this was the time to attend our separate CRHP weekend.

My wife attended the women’s CRHP weekend first and shared very little with me so not to spoil the
weekend for me, but I could tell that it was a very moving experience for her. I won’t spoil the
weekend for you, but I can honestly tell you that having many opportunities to draw closer to God
through his Son, this one was the best experience for me. I arrived Saturday morning very skeptical
and left Sunday afternoon renewed with faith, spirit and hope.

I often tell parents that Catholic education is not for everyone, the same goes for CRHP, but if
you are searching for direction in your faith journey or you want to strengthen your sense of
spiritual direction, then I would suggest that you attend the CRHP weekend. The women’s CRHP
weekend is January 21 & 22nd and the Men’s CRHP weekend is March 3rd and 4th all here at St. Mark
Catholic School. You can get registration forms in the Narthex or in the parish center and it is
free. For more information on registering for the women’s weekend contact Deanne Jackson at
784-4367 and for more information on the men’s weekend you can contact Bob Jones at 889-6155. There
will also be information after Masses on January 14th and 15th.

A reminder to all school families that you will receive your “letters of intent” in the mail next
week for the 2012-2013 school year and because of limited class space for next school year, it is
very important to return your letter of intent and registration fees as soon as possible. Please
note that we are only using the FACTS online for completing FACTS information and we will
not be using paper forms any longer for FACTS. All parents (veteran and new) must register
online with your information for FACTS. You can find the FACTS website to register on our website
soon!

Thanks for your continued support of our school and parish. As we continue to grow in Christ as a
school, we draw from you God’s strength through prayer and support. Have a great weekend and enjoy
this tremendous January weather! See you at Mass and maybe we will see you at the CRHP weekend!.

Thanks and God Bless,
Rusty Albertson