CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
is JAN 29 - FEB 5
Country Music Sensation to perform benefit concert for St. John Catholic School
Country Music Legend, Collin Raye, will perform many of his #1 hits this coming spring in Panama City!
Click here for more information and sponsors>
Saturday, March 24, 2012
7:30pm Marina Civic Center
Tickets go on Sale Friday, January 13, 2012.
Tickets can be bought at the Marina Civic Center Box Office or at www.marinaciviccenter.com.
This benefit concert is made possible by our sponsors!
Presenting Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Southern Orthopedic Specialists, Dr. McLoughlin, M.D.
All About Women OB/GYN
Panhandle Pediatric Dentistry
Mid South Lumber
Silver Sponsors
Panama City Urological Center
Innovations Federal Credit Union
A&K Floors and Walls
Tyndall Federal Credit Union
Dr. Morse
Sponsorships are still available. Please send email to panamacityconcerts@gmail.com.
A message from Father Roy...
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend from Oklahoma who lamented that one of her acquaintances was ‘Catholic bashing’ at the home of some friends hosting a party for “adults.” Sadly, it was a Catholic who was bashing the Catholic Church. Much of the bashing had to do with misperceptions about the disciplines of the Faith. This friend walked away from this shameful display, wishing she had words to say the Catholic basher on how much this was inappropriate and hurtful. My friend felt like she was betraying the Catholic Faith with her lack of immediate response. It put a damper on an already complicated week as she and her family prepared to celebrate Catholic School Week at their Catholic school.
Our Catholic identity emerges from our daily experience of our Faith as a lifestyle choice. Father Ron Rolheiser tells us, in his book, The Holy Longing, there are four nonnegotiable principles for Christian spirituality:
- One must assume personal responsibility for morality and prayer. ~ Whether you learn this at home, at the catholic school, or at Sunday school being Catholic is about taking pride that God wants to have a personal relationship. He respects each of us to choose whether to trust the moral disciplines we are taught and spend time in prayer with Him going over the hard choices that have to be made.
- One must have a sense of Social Justice and engage it as a lifestyle choice. ~ The beauty of a Catholic education is that the curriculum allows for the time to study, reflect, and decide how the good we can do can be applied to a hurting world. It reaches a point of relevance when it as acted upon. Such experiences of alleviating suffering and correcting injustices help shape an appreciation for the disciplines of our Faith because they are intended to help all people arrive at a greater quality of life in their pursuit of heaven.
- One must assume a mellowness of the spirit. ~ Jesus celebrated life; he enjoyed those moment when the human spirit would dance before God to say thanks for the many blessings. A Catholic life without joy is pointless. A Catholic School Week without lots of celebrating and reflecting on the blessings of a Catholic education dismisses the principles of self-improvement as inconsequential. The less we celebrate the more a Catholic, in the restlessness, is tempted to engage in Catholic bashing.
- One must accept that our identity comes from worshiping God as communal gathering. ~ “No man is an island entire of himself.” John Donne wrote this in a poem. It is true. Going to church is not a chore unless we make it so. Coming together to support each other, to pray for those in need, and to collectively worship God at a common table of Word and Sacrifice allows everyone to renew themselves and affirm their place in humanity.
Trying to subsist on one or a couple of these nonnegotiable essential principles is inadequate for an authentic expression of a Catholic identity. Why? We are designed in the image of God to pursue a complete life, one that takes a life time to shape and live with the four disciplines. If we fail to develop these four challenges and become inauthentic expressions of catholic stereotypes, we can unwittingly give license for others to bash our Faith. Catholic School Week is about celebrating the souls committed to the four nonnegotiable challenges that is shaping our Catholic identity and furthering the mission of evangelization in a world caught in stereotypes.
God Bless….
Rev. Roy C. Marien , Pastor/Administrator
St. John the Evangelist Parish
Catholic Education Inspires Mind and Soul.
Let your light shine at St. John...
- St. John is a top performing school among all U.S. Schools. (ITBS scores)
- Most 8th graders that have applied to high school honors programs such as IB, AICE, and MAPPS have been accepted
- Offering foreign language enrichment courses in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish
- Exceptional computer and Science Labs, media center, Arts & Music
- Curriculum meets and exceeds state and national standards
- Fostering Christian Values and character development
- Serving all denominations
- Accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference
- State Certified Teachers
- Safe and Supportive Environment
- Aftercare program available
> Click here to download the St. John Brochure (PDF)
Have your child shadow a student for a day!
Call for an appointment
Educating the Total Child
3 and 4 year olds preschool through 8th grade
A great start to your child's lifelong education. We teach Christian values and a strong academic curriculum in a safe environment.
A Top performing school • Most 8th graders are accepted into honors programs in high school • Exceptional Computer and Science Labs, Media Center, and Arts and Music Programs • Curriculum meets or exceeds State and National Standards • Christian Values and Character Development • Serving all denominations
The mission of St. John Catholic School is to provide
a quality education rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church.
This Christian environment promotes the growth
of the academic, physical, and spiritual well being
of all children who enter its doors.
