The Rhodes Ahead

Dear Sacred Heart Families,

God’s timing is always perfect. Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven, as a Dogma of the Catholic Church which. This happened only twice and this one was not that long ago in 1950. During the first half of the 20th century there were many advances in science, medicine, technology and production. We did not know what these advances would lead to but they brought with them a time of despair, both socially and humanly. Of course there were two wars during that time as well. Some people would say that something similar happened when we allowed children to have smart phones - we didn't know fully what it would lead to.

Though it was always believed that Mary, body and soul, were in heaven with Jesus. This dogma reminds us that human existence should be heroic, victorious and beautiful. We are to strive to be like her. You can read or listen to the entire reflection on The Assumption of Mary on Aug. 15's Rosary podcast on schooloffaith.com.

What a great way to start the school year, with Mass honoring our Mother. As Fr. Dan reminded us, we need to rely on her and do her Son's work to please her.

It has been a busy week, but in some ways feels like the routines are in place. Rest up this weekend for 5 full days next week. Let me know if you don't get the Sunday voice message.

Blessings,

Kathy

Welcome to the 2025/26 school year!

In an effort to streamline the attendance process, all attendance matters will now be taken care in the front office. We are excited to announce that we have an attendance phone line to call if your student will be late, absent or leaving early. The attendance number is 913-276-3122. This attendance line is ready to use, set up to go directly to a voicemail and will be checked throughout the day. Please save this number in your phone and use this line instead of the main office number for any attendance purposes. The attendance@shoj.org email is still another viable option to use for attendance purposes and has not changed.

We appreciate your help with this new procedure as this will greatly help the front office to run smoothly and more efficiently.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this new attendance procedure, please do not hesitate to reach out at any time.

Thank you!

Mary Hungerford

We are expecting the spirit shirt order to be delivered the first part of the week of Aug. 25. We will send them home with the students and will not make you come in to pick them up.

Additional Daily Masses Start 8:05

Aug. 20 All School Mass

Aug. 21 K-5 Back to School Night, 6:00 in MPC

Sept. 1 Labor Day no school

Hello Fifth through Eighth Grade Families:

Our priests, our parish and our Lord need you to help with our liturgies! Please consider signing up to be an Altar Server at weekend Masses. We have a training session coming up on August 17th. All from 1:00-3:15 p.m.

Here is the link to sign-up.

Altar Server Training

Chess Club: Mr. Kevin Welch is going to offer a chess club this year on select Fridays for students 1st through 8th grade. It will meet from 3:30-5 in Mr. Gaustad's room. Please register here and see the chess club handbook for full details. First meeting will be August 22nd. Cost is $50 and will cover all club meetings and an annual subscription to chesskid.com. Please feel free to contact Kevin at kevinwelch85@gmail.com or 402-943-6044 with any questions or if you'd like to volunteer to help with the club.

The picture below gives a great overview of our new Accreditation process. As we transition from Cognia, there are very few differences as both focus on identifying areas to grow and academics, but Lumen will have a specifically Catholic faith based focus in addition to the other areas.

There is a family that would love to find some help with a person who needs to be at work at 7 nearby. They would drop their first grader at your house about 6:55. Contact the school if you can help.

Feast of the Assumption: TODAY is a Holy Day of Obligation on August 15. Mass times will be 6:30 AM, 8:05 AM, and an extra Mass at 7 PM. The parish office will also be closed.

Eucharistic Adoration & Confession: Come spend time with Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesday, August 20, at 7:00 PM for a special evening of prayer, music and quiet reflection before the Blessed Sacrament. The priests will hear Confessions during our regularly schedule Confession time from 6:00-7:00pm as well as during Adoration from 7:00-8:00pm.

Music on the Lawn: Gather your friends and family for a summer celebration! Enjoy food trucks, face painting, balloon art for the kids, and live music by the Mikey Needleman Band. Don’t miss out! Join Sacred Heart Parish on September 12th from 6:30–9:00 PM for a night of singing and dancing under the stars. Register here.

Golf Tournament: Join us for our annual golf tournament on Friday, September 26th at Falcon Lakes Golf Club at 11:30 AM. The entry is fee is $125 per person, or $500 for a four person team. The fee includes 18 holes of golf, a cart, lunch, dinner, 2 drink tickets, prizes, and fellowship!

Register Here.

Sign-up to sponsor here.

MINISTRY

OCIA Information Night: Are you—or someone you know—interested in learning what it means to become Catholic? Join us for our OCIA Information Night on August 26th at 7:00 pm in Meeting Rooms 1 and 2. This evening is a no-pressure opportunity to ask questions, meet our team, and learn about the steps involved in becoming Catholic. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Char Mies, OCIA Coordinator at 913-422-5700 or charlene.mies@shoj.org

Theology of Dating for Young Adults: Starting Sept 3 - a series on THEOLOGY OF DATING by Finding Adam and Eve will be hosted every 1st Wednesday of the month in the home of parishioners, Katie & Michael Palitto, with a potluck dinner. Visit their website for the dates & location, to RSVP or message.

Retrouvaille Opportunity: The 2022 Communio-Barna cites that 20% of active parishioners are struggling in their marriages and are either too ashamed to reach out to a familiar face or know where to turn for help. For 47 years, Retrouvaille (pronounced Retro-Vi) has helped to heal over 200,000 marriages. Could yours be next? Find out September 26-28. For more information and to register click here.

OCIA Sponsors Needed: We are experiencing an overabundance of inquirers—what a blessing! But with this joyful growth comes the need for more sponsors to walk alongside those exploring the Catholic faith through OCIA.
Sponsors provide encouragement, friendship, and a personal witness to the Catholic life. No experience needed and Sponsor Training is provided.
If you feel called or want to learn more, please contact OCIA Coordinator, Char Mies, Charlene.mies@shoj.org or 913-422-5700.

Adult Bible Studies: We’re excited to offer three Bible studies—

• Acts: The Spread of the Kingdom with Jeff Cavins

• Discovering Our Dignity

• Opening Your Heart

Open the links for more information or to register!

YOUTH

Small Group Leaders Needed: We’re looking for adult small group leaders to support our middle school students in their faith journey! Leaders meet with students on Wednesday evenings from 4:30–5:45 PM, beginning September 10 through April. A required training will be held on Saturday, August 23. We are also looking for high school students to serve as co-small group leaders on Wednesday 4:30 or 6:30 PM for service hours or experience. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Jen at jen.zans@shoj.org.

Volunteers Needed: Help us make an impact for youth programming on Wednesday evenings at the Grade School and MPC (4:30–5:45 PM or 6:30–7:45 PM). Parents, parishioners, and high schoolers are all welcome—come make a difference! Contact emily.warn@shoj.org or jen.zans@shoj.org for more information or to volunteer!

Middle School YM & Confirmation Registration: Registration is open for Middle School Youth Ministry & Confirmation prep (8th graders) for the upcoming year!

Click here for Youth Ministry registration!

Click here for Confirmation registration!

School Belles, see picture below, is ready to provide uniforms for us. As far as old uniforms, there will be no expiration dates for students to wear the current logo. I know that uniforms are expensive and don't intend for you to have to buy all new uniforms.

St. Benedict Rosary Prayer Group will meet on the little playground at 3:06 each Wednesday to pray The Rosary (or at least part of it) for SHOJ school. All are welcome, even littles can come play while you pray. Please join us.

Email: kathy.rhodes@shoj.org
Website: school.SHOJ.com
Location: 21801 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, KS, USA
Phone: 9134225520
Facebook: facebook.com/SacredHeartCatholicSchool