My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Congratulations to Jami Woodling who was recognized at the Omaha Urban Council of Catholic Women of the Year Award at Christ the King Church on the 8th of May. We were not only blessed to celebrate that day with Jami, but it was the first event our new Archbishop Michael McGovern was present for and it was the day Pope Leo XIV was named our new Pope. The awards presentation that afternoon was paused for all of us present at the event to see our new Pope being presented to the world.
Our Vice Principal Tara Petersen received the 2025 Inspirational All-Star Award from the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation at the VEX Robotics World Championship Opening Ceremony on Monday in Dallas. The national award recognizes individuals who have made a lasting and inspirational impact on robotics education. Tara’s work has helped transform the STEM landscape across Nebraska, both through her leadership at Mary Our Queen School and as the founder of gainingSTEAM, a nonprofit organization dedicated to launching and supporting robotics programs and teams throughout the state. I was fortunate to be present with Tara and her family together with our 3 Robotics Teams and their families who qualified for the VEX World Robotics Championship.
Mary Our Queen’s Religious Education concluded on Wednesday with a May Crowning Prayer Service by our Grotto. St John Vianney concluded their program last Wednesday. We would like to thank all who catechists who made time to share the faith with our students and for our Religious Education Team who made our Religious Education year a success.
Katie Broman and Chris Corder were elected as members of the School Board at the School Board’s elections a few weeks ago. They will serve the School Board for a three-year term. Congratulations are in order. We would also like to thank Tristen Hook and Kate Sampson their willingness to run in the school board elections. I appointed Anne McGill as the third member of the school board to serve with Katie and Chris on the School Board for a three-year term. Bob Soukup and John Hillebrandt will be concluding their service on the School Board and we would like to thank them for their contributions to our School Board.
Our 8th Graders will be graduating from Mary Our Queen School this coming Tuesday. Congratulations to our Class of 2025. We pray that you will continue to allow the faith and knowledge that was instilled in your lives here at Mary Our Queen continues to bear fruit as you journey to through High School. Mary Our Queen School will be concluding our School Year this week. We are grateful to all our teachers and staff for making our School Year a Success.
For our Religious Education Program at St John Vianney, we will be offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for our first and second graders of our program in the fall. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-based religious formation program for children. It seeks to create and facilitate a sacred, hands-on space called an atrium, in which both the children and their catechists can hear, ponder, and celebrate the most essential mysteries of the Christian faith as revealed in the Scriptures and the Liturgy. The atrium is a space where the child develops his/her relationship with God, a relationship which already exists. Mary Our Queen have been offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd since the opening of our Erly Childhood Education and Youth Center.
Mary Our Queen will be hosting a Level 1 catechist formation beginning in June. If you would like to serve as a catechist for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at either St John Vianney or Mary Our Queen or you would like more information, kindly contact Hannah Casey at Mary Our Queen Office – hcasey@moqchurch.org.
Blessings,
Fr Marc
