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This past weekend on December 13, Fr. John Bender, LC and Fr. Stephen Howe, LC, who have ties to our school were ordained as priests by Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, CS.  Thirty-five Legionaries of Christ were ordained to the priesthood in a mass held in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.  Fr. John currently assists with the spiritual and apostolic formation of our students.

CLICK HERE to read more
CLICK HERE to view pictures

Newly ordained Fr. John Bender, LC pictured here with (L to R) Br. Dustin George, LC, Ms. Daira Ryan, and RC Mission Corp missionaries Cole Doxtader and Jim Black


*Please note that though we are celebrating the Feast of All Saints as a school on October 31st,
the Mass to be celebrated will not be for All Saints (which is November 1st).

From the first arrival of students to the Opening School Mass to the first assembly, it was a great first week of school!

Gather together. Open your heart. Let Christ in. Feed your spirit.


FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!  Families are invited to come out each 1st Friday of the month to give thanks, to offer praise and worship, to grow in faith, and to have fun.  September's event features a bonfire and the musical talent of The Narrow.  See the flyer below for more details.




A Letter from Mary to Moms


Thy Kingdom Come!

Everest Academy, Lemont
May 9, 2014
  

Dear moms,

You have a beautiful gift and vocation in your motherhood; it is your very path to fulfillment in this life. 

Just as each one of you treasures your children, so I treasure you, for you are my daughter and I am your mother.  Just as I was concerned for the couple at Cana when they ran out of wine, so I am concerned for everything that happens in your life.  Wine represents joy, and when you run out of joy in your life and in your house, I am concerned; I want you to be joyful.  Yet I know that the things of this world will not make you joyful, but only my son. 

The wine also represents the Eucharist, the blood of my son.  At Cana he took ordinary water and transformed it into wine, and so one day, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he took my ordinary blood for his own and transformed it into divine blood – the Eucharist.  The creator became a creature in my womb; God became flesh of my flesh; an incomprehensible gift, an eternal source of joy for me.  He wants the same for you.  It is only when he dwells in you – in your heart, in your life, in your home – that you will be truly joyful.  I want to give you this joy, the joy that comes from being in communion with God.  When I see you lacking this wine, the wine of communion with God, I am concerned.  I want you to be happy. 

I know you, my daughter, and I know the struggles of your life.  I have been with you through every single one of them.  I knew you from the moment you were conceived.  I watched you as you were formed in your mother’s womb, and I rejoiced the day that you were born.  I held you with the same tenderness with which I held my own divine son, and I continue to gaze upon you with the same love as I do my son.  You are my daughter and I am your mother.   

I walked with you every step of your life – through your childhood and teenage years, and into your adult life.  I covered you with my mantle, protected and nurtured you throughout every moment of your life, and prepared you for this great vocation to become a mother.  I know the difficulties that you faced – the times that you felt alone in this world – yet, you were never alone; I was always there with you, leading you to my son. 

I know the struggles you face in your life today; I am concerned for you and I want you to obtain the great desire of your heart: peace, a peace which comes from communion with God.  It is his grace that will live in you.  It is his very love, his charity, which will become an endless fountain of grace inside of you.  It is this love, the love of God, his grace, his charity, and only this supernatural love which will give you true happiness.  Because it is only when you love with this love that you fulfill the meaning of your existence. 

The world says you will find your happiness in the externals, in appearances, in possessing material things, in worldly status and positions, in recognition before the eyes of the world, in what people think of you and in what people say of you, in a false sense of freedom and independence to do whatever you want.  But this is not true happiness. 

When your neighbor come home with a better car, faster boat, and bigger house, remember that love is not jealous.  You don’t need any of those things anyway.  I never had any of those things. The only thing that makes you truly happy is the love of my son, when you receive it and give it, and this he has given me at every moment of my life.  Believe in his promise.   

When you have the perfect opportunity to shine before the world, or before those few people in your little world, or maybe just in your own head, remember that love does not put on airs, it is not snobbish or rude.  I never accomplished anything important before the eyes of the world.  Let your heart not exult in yourself or your achievements, but in God alone.  May your soul proclaim the greatness of God, for everything that you are and have is a free gift from him.   

Maybe when you’re just simply feeling overwhelmed and you want to stop trying, you want to stop giving, and just take care of number one for once, remember that love is not self-seeking.  Life and family offer us countless opportunities to keep giving, and only when you accept the trials of life will you be free to face them. 

Just when you think you have your life and your family all figured out and in perfect order, and then all of the sudden a serious crisis occurs, remember that love is patient, love is kind.  Nothing in my life was ever the way I would have expected it to be: from the moment I conceived Jesus, and Joseph did not understand, to the census, the rejection at Bethlehem, the persecution of Herod, the exile to Egypt, losing Jesus in the temple and ultimately on Calvary.  But God gave me the gift to be patient and persevere through all of it. 

But above all my daughter, I want to thank you today.  Thank you for you generosity.  Thank you for bringing new life into this world, and thank you for the countless hidden sacrifices of daily life and surrender to those around you.  Thank you for bringing this new life to God so that your child could be born into God through the life giving waters of baptism, allowing him or her to participate in divine nature.  Your child is another Christ through baptism.  Take care of your child with the same love and concern as I did for Christ. 

As a mother, you have a special gift and responsibility to transmit to your children the truths and experience of God.  Imagine, God asked me to teach his own divine son about God!  I felt so incapable, yet I trusted in his plan and lived my life before God and allowed him to lead, and I fulfilled my mission.  You have a role in the life of your child that no one else can take.  As a women you are more sensitive to the spiritual life and as a mother only you can transmit those values to your child.  The same values and virtues I want to transmit to you, God wants you to transmit to your children.  To give them the gift of God is the greatest gift you can give them, and the only thing that will make them truly happy.  You gave your child natural life, and now God asks you to lead them to eternal life. 

Ask God for the gift to live each day with patience, and kindness, not seeking yourself in any way, but living for others.  Ask God and he will give you his very own love to love with.  Remember, there is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.  Love never fails.  My daughter, live your vocation to love, and you will fulfill your duties in life, and you will be happy, this is my concern for you.  Be sure of my daily prayers for you! 

Love,
Mom


St. Joan of Arc

 

St Joan of Arc was born a poor peasant girl in France in 1412. She prayed hard and worked to enCOURAGE everyone around her because she loved Jesus.

When Joan was 17 years old, she heard a voice from God telling her to drive enemies of France away. St Joan said she was only a young girl and did not know how to do this. But she found the courage to go to King Charles and ask for an army. He granted her request.

Joan continued to stand strong and find the courage to do what she was asked. Joan prayed hard. She encouraged the soldiers. Even though it didn’t seem possible, Joan led the army to victory in many battles. France was saved!

St Joan, help me find the courage to stand strong for Jesus and enCOURAGE everyone I meet!



Copyright Catholic Kids Net 2011

Our Annual Benefit is only TWO WEEKS away!


We look forward to celebrating the greatness that is growing in our children and in our school community thanks to the generosity of so many families and friends of Everest and by the grace of God.
The Annual Benefit is an opportunity to give—by attending the dinner, your ticket value allows you to make a generous contribution to a cause very dear to our hearts: our children.  As you enjoy a memorable evening with family and friends, you also receive the joy of knowing you are helping Everest fulfill our mission of educating well-rounded Christian leaders.
The venue chosen for this year provides a perfect inspirational backdrop for our theme of “Growing Greatness.”  We hope you will attend and invite guests to our annual benefit.  The Morton Arboretum is an experience all on its own, where guests will enjoy world-class service in a beautifully landscaped, natural setting.



Congratulations to all of our students who participated in the Regional Science Fair.

Our students were in competition with 50 schools and over 500 projects. Our students received Outstanding, as well as 1st and 2nd Honors. One student qualified to move on to the State Science Fair competition.

Lenten Family Fun Night

 Join other school families Friday, April 4th
for dinner and the Lenten tradition of Stations of the Cross.
Admission is a free-will donation.
Food items for the Lemont Food Pantry will be accepted.

Please RSVP with your meal order by Thursday, April 3rd.


DANCE FOR DURANGO

RAISES MONEY FOR MEXICO MISSIONS


We successfully raised nearly $1000 to go towards the Nuevo Durango Mission! Thank you to  our Parents' Association and Student Council for organizing the event, to the students for finding dance sponsors and to all the parents who volunteered at the event. All of this hard work and the money we were able to raise will mean so much to those families and children of Mexico who are less fortunate than us.
 
It was a time for all Everest families to test their cowboy strength by practicing their lassoing, bull-riding, and of course, their fun dance moves! No one has seen such impressive lassoing since John Wayne! Thank you to the Brizuela family for bringing the "spring bull" and lassos, as many of our students, missionaries, and even some parents were able to test their talents to see if they had what it takes to be a true bull rider and cowboy/cowgirl.
 
 

 VIRTUE CAMPAIGN UPDATE


Congratulations to the 3rd/4th grade class who won February's virtue campaign!
Great job building up your treasures in Heaven!



The virtue for the March campaign is Modesty through Human Formation.
In this Lenten season it is a very important time to reflect on yourself and to be even better ambassadors of Christ. This month, the students are encouraged to make that extra step every morning to love Jesus by representing Him not only through their actions but also through their clothing. Wearing the complete uniform, getting a new haircut, and always appearing well put together are simple ways that we can all represent Jesus and everything that He means in our lives.



Everest Day for Dad

As we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, we also honor our fathers,
praying that they be richly blessed by God for all they do!


SUPPORT THE MISSIONS

Help support our RC Mission Corp Girls to fund their upcoming mission trips to the Philippines and Nicaragua.  Two ways you can help: 

  • Purchase a beautiful hand-carved wood framed picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • Purchase babysitting


Thank you for your help!
For more information, please feel free to contact our RCMC Girls:

Hayley Herbert | Hayley_herbert@yahoo.com
Sam Blaser | sblazer10@gmail.com

Our Lady of Knock

The potato crops in Ireland had failed for many years. The people had their Catholic faith, but even so it was hard to keep up hope when they were so hungry. Many Catholics were even promised food if they would give up their faith! They prayed to Mary, Cause of Hope, for help.

One summer evening in 1879 it was raining in Knock, Ireland. Suddenly, Mary, St Joseph, and the Apostle St John, appeared in a blaze of light outside the Church of St. John the Baptist!  Behind them, near St. John, were a cross and a lamb on top of an altar. Adoring angels were all around.  Mary was praying and raising her hands toward heaven. St. Joseph was preaching, dressed like a bishop.  The people watching this amazing sight were drenched with rain but the ground under the image was dry! The people stood watching and praying the rosary for two hours as the scene continued.  They were strengthened in hope and in love. It was as if they had been invited into the home of Mary - she had lived first with St. Joseph, her husband, then in the home of St. John, the son Jesus gave to her when he was dying on the cross.

Our Lady of Knock, please bring me into your home.
 Help me to learn to be modest and share my love with others the way you did!



Holy Week Family Missions




“But brothers and sisters, we have one sheep. We have lost the other 99! We must go out, we must go out to them…” (POPE FRANCIS)



This Holy Week 2014 let’s:
 
 GO – WITH NO FEAR - SERVE
 
To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked; To shelter the homeless;
To visit the sick; To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.



To register online or for more information visit: 
 

About Everest

Everest Academy Lemont, founded in 1995 as White Pines Academy, is a private Catholic school offering a Pre-K through grade 8 program.

Our goal is to offer each child the highest quality education through Integral Formation®, the pedagogical method developed by the Legionaries of Christ. Through Integral Formation®, each student benefits from a personalized approach that develops the whole person, from intellect and character to spiritual life and apostolic responsibility. The result: intelligent, responsible, and positive leaders who will transform society with the Gospel values.

Here at Everest Academy, with our brand new campus opened for the fall 2009 school year, we are poised for growth and ready to give our students a Catholic educational experience that will last them a lifetime. Find out more by taking a tour of our campus.

The Pilgrim Queen

The Pilgrim Queen
Pray together as a family and honor Mary as a special guest in your home.

Prayer for Everest

Prayer for Everest
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for making Everest Academy a reality. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, may we touch the lives of many people and bring to our community the joy of knowing and loving Jesus Christ. We thank Our Mother Mary for her help and ask for her continued care and protection. Amen.

School Masses

School Masses
Join us for All School Mass on Friday at 2:20pm or Morning Mass at 7:15 am Tues., Wed., and Thurs.

Lean on Me Holy Hour

Lean on Me Holy Hour
Spend some time with Jesus every Thursday, after morning Mass 7:45am