July 12, 2020

Dear St. Martin of Tours Family and Friends,

Here are some goings-on in the parish.

1. BINGO.  We are currently in the process of negotiating a venue for Bingo.  Say some prayers because our parish needs Bingo to survive financially, and Bingo is also I think a great social connector for the parish.  In fact, I was planning on calling the numbers once a month at Bandwagon Bingo Hall, as a way to encourage all of us to get involved.  But of course, this virus impeded that plan.
    
2. SCHOOL BUILDING. Ambleside Christian Academy still is all systems go for using the ground floor of our school building for this coming academic year. 

The St. John Paul II Preparatory School will, too, be starting up here this Fall. The original school, located at St. Robert Bellarmine Church in St. Charles, has in just ten years grown to 190 students. They are bursting at the seams and so wanted to establish a second campus in South County. SMT is the location for their South County Branch.

This school is indeed a Catholic school 100%, yet independent from the archdiocesan school system.Archbishop Carlson gave his blessing to The St. John Paul II Preparatory School concept many years ago, with the only caveat that the school not draw students away from nearby Catholic schools. St. Francis, St. Mark, and St. John Paul II (the parish not the school!) are some distance away from us, which is why we are an ideal location.

The St. John Paul II Preparatory School is, in its structure, what we call a “hybrid” school: The students meet three days a week to receive top-notch instruction from passionate and certified educators; on the other two days the parents home-school. They’ll be starting with a few grades (it depends on the response of parents) for this year, and every year thereafter they’ll expand until all K-12 grades are filled.  

Please check out the curriculum of this fantastic school. Even if your own children or grandchildren are not interested in sending their kids to STJPII, spread the word! Their website is johnpaulprep.org. 

3. CHURCH.  It’s a joy to see so many of you returning to church!  First off, I want to thank those of you who have been compliant with St. Louis County guidelines. We must tighten things up now, while the pandemic is burning itself out!  Masks do work.  There is data to show such as much. Therefore, I ask that you wear your mask at all times while you are in church.  You may remove or pull down your mask only once you stand immediately before the priest or deacon to receive Holy Communion. Also: Yes, you may receive on the tongue!

Sincerely,