Sister Anna's Bakery

We all have talents and some are hidden and don't come out till later in life and some don't come out till you live with fewer Sisters and you end up trying things because there is no other Sister to do it and some times talents come out because of an invitation to help.

I think the above describes Sr. Anna and her "little bakery" she is developing in our convent. With her willing spirit and love to be in the kitchen she is becoming known for her baking and love to do it.

For Thanksgiving we were invited to a parishioner's home and we volunteered to bring the dessert. I made the pumpkin pie and I bought my pie crust. I also bought a frozen mincemeat pie, my favorite holiday pie. Sr. Anna made the apple pies. She had never made an apple pie before or pie crust. She scoped out the internet and found a recipe for homemade crust and the best apple to use for a pie, which is the granny smith. As you guessed, the crust was perfect and so were the granny smiths that filled the crust.

Sister Anna had her bakery open all of Thanksgiving vacation. Being very skilled with using yeast in her baking  that led to her making caramel and cinnamon rolls for donut Sunday at our parish for the Feast of Christ the King.  It all began with.......the pastor, Fr. Ariel Lustan.

I meet with the pastor weekly on Tuesdays. After I went through my list Fr. Ariel asked me if I would help to revive the parish's donut ministry by having my school parents help out some Sundays. I said I could do it on SOS weekend when my students do the 2nd collection at each Mass. Then Fr. Ariel said he really loved the cinnamon roll that his former parish made and sold. In thinking what this roll looked like and where to find it I said, Sr. Anna loves to bake and makes caramel rolls. So he asked if she would make the rolls. She made some samples one weekend for the pastor and he loved them. Our school secretary volunteered to help Sr. Anna out and agreed to make some also. The date was set for the Feast of Christ the King, the Sunday after Thanksgiving this year.

Sr. Anna began Saturday morning with her baking of caramel and cinnamon rolls.  The convent kitchen was busy most of the day.

Sunday morning before the 7:30am Mass, Sr. Anna and I loaded the car with pans and pans of caramel and cinnamon rolls. We set it up in the hall, made the coffee and juice and we were ready for the first crowd after Mass.

For the 9:30am Mass with families, we moved the rolls to the outside and they all disappeared in no time.

On Tuesday, a parishioner came to school and donated Sr. Anna a bread machine  and told her the first loaf would be theirs.  Sr. Anna has truly established herself as a great baker at Our Lady of the Mountains Parish in Sierra Vista.  Just think what Christmas goodies she will be baking soon!

Being an Active Christian - giving service to others

Thanksgiving is the season for giving, the season for giving out food boxes - for being of assistance to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

The faculty and students of All Saints Catholic School donated food to St. Vincent de Paul for their Thanksgiving food box project. Food was also donated by parishioners of Our Lady of the Mountains Parish.

Each class carried their food over to our cafeteria that was made into a huge warehouse store.

147 boxes were given out to 799 people during the hours of 9:00am-1:00pm

 on Monday, November 19th.

The 7th and 8th graders worked their service hours by handing out food to each family as they came through the line to help fill their Thanksgiving boxes.

In asking the students if they liked helping the St. Vincent de Paul Society by giving out the food they all said "Yes". They felt sorry for the people, were surprised at how many people there were and that some of them were young. One gentleman was a Vietnam Vet who was disabled now from the war.

Their next service project is serving the Thanksgiving dinner to parents, grandparents and students tomorrow.  They are doing one of our school's SLEs (School Wide Learning Expectations) to be an active Christian who takes part in service projects.

Veterans Day Remembrance!

The students at All Saints Catholic School in Sierra Vista, AZ gave honor, respect and thanks to the Veterans who are serving our country now and have served in the United  States military.  Fort Huachuca is the Army base in our town. Many of our parents work there and are in the Army. Our students truly know the importance of our veterans and what they sacrifice for our country.

Students wrote poems and prayers for veterans and those whose parents serve(d) in the military they wrote a letter to them thanking them for their service to our country. Below is the concern a young daughter has for her Dad who is in the Army and has been deployed many times. Listen to her heart-she tells the love for her dad, her concern, her fears and her PRIDE in her Dad as he serves our country.

I AM THANKFUL AND PROUD

I am thankful and Proud!

I wonder if you are going back to fight.

I hear everybody crying.

Because they don't want their Dad to go.

I see all the Army men

Go onto the bus to the airport.

I want my Dad to stay with us.

I am thankful and Proud!

I pretend I am happy.

I feel like I hear my Dad talking to me

I touch my Bible my Dad gave me

Before he went to fight in Iraq.

I worry that my Dad will get hurt.

I cry every night

Because I have bad dreams

That my Dad will get hurt.

I am thankful and Proud!

I understand that they have to send my Dad to help fight.

I say I do hear

My Dad talking to me.

I dream bad things are going to happen over the night.

I try not to think about it.

I am thankful and Proud.

By Natalie in 4th Grade.

A flag raising ceremony was held on Monday, November 12th by the students and faculty of our school to give honor and thanks to our Veterans. It was the first very,cold and blustery day this winter.



I am thankful and proud of all the men and women who have served our country and who are serving now. May God keep them safe and bring them home to their sons and daughters who are waiting for them and worrying about their safety, but yet they are Proud of their Dads and their Moms!

Kateri Tekakwitha and Pedro Calungsod

Sunday, November 4th the Diocese of Tucson celebrated two newly canonized saints-St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Pedro Calungsod. There is a large Native American and Filipino population in our diocese.

Bishop Gerald Kicanas was the presider and homilist at the 5:30pm Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral. I think all the Filipino priests in the diocese were present for the Mass along with the only Native American deacon in our diocese.

The celebration began with the traditonal "smoke blessing" of the four corners/four directions.

After this the Bishop and all concelebrants processed into church along with the Yaqui Matachinis who were present for the celebration. They came down the aisle to the sound of drums and with the dancing of the Yaqui Matachinis Native Americans who are in our  diocese. It was a beautiful and festive way to begin the Mass in honor of St. Kateri and St. Pedro Calungsod.

The entrance hymn was sung in three languages: Tagalog, English and Spanish.

After the greeting and welcome by Bishop Gerald Kicanas the penitential rite was sung in tagalog.

The liturgy of the word was next and the first reading was proclaimed by our school nurse in Cebuano-a dialect of the Philippines. The 2nd reading was proclaimed in English and the Gospel in Spanish.

The intercessions were done in seven different languages for the seven newly canonized saints. Sr. Anna Maar, from Sierra Vista read the first interecession in German.

The other languages we heard were: Native American, English, Tagalog, French, Italian and Spanish.

As the Liturgy of the Eucharist began the gifts were brought to the altar by children representing different cultures.
 The presentation song was written by Josef Morning Buffalo and he titled it Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. The refrain of the song is as follows:

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha,native woman of Christian faith.

Gentle lily of the Mohawks, Pray for us tribal people and our needs.

Pan de Vida by Bob Hurd was sung at communion in English, Spanish and Tagalog. 

 

After the Mass there was entertainment in the cathedral's courtyard with refreshments representing the different cultures present at Mass.

The entertainment of singing and dancing was provided by the following groups:

.

Sierra Vista Filipino Community Dancers
New Pasqua Yaqui Community

and the Navajo Community

It was truly an evening of celebration with several cultures coming together as one to celebrate our new saints in heaven.

A special moment in the evening was when Bishop Kicanas and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz from Louiville, Kentucky came to talk to all of us Sisters from Sierra Vista and San Xavier Mission of Tucson.
We were proud to have our picture taken with the two of them and also Father Miguel, who is the liturgist for the diocese and pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Tucson.

SAINTS ALIVE!



Two little St. Francis of Assisi

 November 1st is the holyday-All Saints Day - and is the names day/feast day of our school!  Most of the students came dressed as saints for the day. At our all school Mass, the students dressed as saints processed into church singing "When the Saints Go Marching In".

Can you name any of these saints?  The students could!

 St. Juan Diego

 A family of Saints-St. Maria Goretti, St.Joseph and St.Michael the Archangel

 St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St.Mother Marianne Cope and St. Maria Goretti

 St. Jacinta from Fatima and a very happy St. Francis of Assisi

 St. Philomena and two holy angels(one angel has an injured hip)

 Blessed Mother Teresa and St. Dominic Savio-were the altar servers for the Mass

 St. Father Don Bosco did the 1st Reading as St. Dominic Savio listened intently!

The school choir was filled with many saints.

 Sts. Jacinta, Philomena and Michael the Archangel helped Fr. Ariel act out the gospel.

Look at all the St.Kateri's!!

 St. Joseph and St.Mary brought up the Offertory gifts.

 St. Michael the Archangel, St. Catherine of  Alexandria, St. Jude, St. Miguel!

Katherine dressed as her patron saint!

 Miguel dressed as his patron saint!

All you holy saints-pray for us!