The Rhodes Ahead

Dear Sacred Heart Families,

Our school theme, In Christ Alone, Our Hope is Found, was never more applicable than this past week with the tragedy in Minnesota. When tragedy touches us, it brings into focus why our mission matters so much: we are preparing not only for this life but for eternal life. It doesn’t matter how we choose to relate to that idea – preparing minds for the future, souls for eternity; putting hearts on a collision course with the Sacred Heart of Jesus; or just being on mission! What a beautiful thing that our students are attending daily Mass more frequently as there are many saints we celebrate this month. These saints remind us that suffering and loss are never the end of the story.

• St. Alphonsus Liguori (Aug 1): taught perseverance and reliance on God’s mercy.
• St. Dominic (Aug 8): preached truth even in difficult times.
• St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein, Aug 9): a martyr who bore witness in tragedy.
• St. Lawrence (Aug 10): gave his life joyfully for the Church.
• St. Maximilian Kolbe (Aug 14): literally laid down his life for another in Auschwitz.
• The Assumption of Mary (Aug 15): points us to our ultimate hope — body and soul in heaven with Christ.
• St. Monica (Aug. 27): her example of continuous prayer for her family
• St. Augustine (Aug 28): a life transformed by grace, reminding us of God’s power to bring good even out of brokenness.
• The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist: As Christ’s Precursor taught us by heroic fortitude to fulfil God’s Will in our lives no matter what the obstacles may be.

Each saint testifies that tragedy, suffering, and even death do not have the last word.

In our Catholic faith, tragedy is not explained away but placed in the Paschal Mystery: suffering, death, and resurrection. Exactly what we celebrate at each Mass. We teach children that saints faced real hardships — and their faith gave them courage, strength, and hope. Catholic Schools were founded on the mission to give students this anchor - by partnering with parents who develop relationships with families and the entire parish - that no matter what happens, they are loved by God, surrounded by His Church, and accompanied by the saints.

That is the hope we want our children to know and carry in their hearts. Thank you for the emails and suggestions regarding safety of our students, we will always consider what we can do better, what changes will increase safety, what training we may be lacking, etc. I will let you know how we are proceeding.

In Christ alone, our hope is found! Thanks for partnering with us for this important educational journey for our students.

Blessings,

Kathy

The Parish School Principal position for the 2026–2027 school year has been officially posted with the Archdiocese. We will work closely with the Superintendent of Schools as applicants apply and will continue to keep our school community informed throughout the process.

Beyond Balance: The Hidden Sense Behind Learning - September 15th

Join Pediatric Occupational Therapist Sophie Kriss as she shines a light on the vestibular system, the “hidden sense” that does far more than maintain physical balance. This powerful system fuels learning, focus, emotional regulation, and everyday success. Together, we’ll explore how too much screen time and not enough movement can impede its development. We’ll also share simple, practical ways to help children’s brains and bodies thrive this year.

Three sessions are available:

• 9:00 a.m.
• 12:00 p.m.
• 7:00 p.m.

Anyone who would like to attend the Beyond Balance event can RSVP here: https://www.smart-families.org/events

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 to go home with the students on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Sept. 1 Labor Day no school

Sept. 4 Donuts with Dads

Sept. 5 Spirit Day - spirit shirts with uniform bottoms

Sept. 7 Fr. Joseph Welcome Lunch

Sept. 12 Music on the Lawn

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.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0548A5AF2EA3FFC16-57915282-glowing

If you missed the information night, you can attend any meeting at the same location, just contact the email below.

As a reminder, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and School is a smoke-free campus. While on Sacred Heart property, including in cars, smoking is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation!

Labor Day: On September 1st, in observance of Labor Day, there will be no 6:30 am Mass, 7 am Confessions, and the parish offices will be closed.

Capital Campaign Update: We are aware that some people had trouble with the previous link for the update, please use the new link below. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused!

Since receiving Archdiocesan approval this summer to move forward, we have been prayerfully discerning the best next steps to serve our community well. We wanted to share an update with you all regarding the Capital Campaign. Click here to view.

Daily Mass Update: You may have seen the news of the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. We ask that you continue to keep the victims, their families, and all who are grieving this terrible loss in our prayers. As a measure of safety for our community, we will be locking the church doors while the students are at Mass. We want to continue to do everything possible to keep our daily Mass goers, our community, and the school students safe.

EVENTS

Fr. Joseph Welcome Luncheon: After many months of prayer and anticipation, the time has finally come to introduce Fr. Joseph to our parish family and the Shawnee community. What better way to celebrate than with a BBQ Luncheon! Join us on Sunday, September 7th from 12:00–1:30 PM in the parish hall for delicious BBQ, sides, dessert, and—most importantly—fellowship with one another as we welcome Fr. Joseph.

RSVP Here

Eucharistic Adoration & Confession: Come spend time with Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration on September 3, at 7:00 PM for a special evening of prayer, music and quiet reflection before the Blessed Sacrament.

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.

MINISTRY

Grief support: The Grief Support Group begins Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 7–8:30 PM. Open to anyone who has lost a loved one, the group offers support, comfort, and guidance through the grieving process using Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s curriculum. There is no fee to participate. For more information, contact Tim Murphy at 913-226-4391 or okcmurf@aol.com

Prayer Requests: The Prayer Line Ministry offers daily prayers for those in need, with over 360 parishioners lifting petitions each day. Submit your requests at prayer.chair@shoj.org or on our website: shoj.org/prayer-request.

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.

Sacred Sips: Join us for the second Sacred Sips event for our young adult ministry on Thursday, September 19, from 6:30–8:30 PM at Tanners, 22374 W 66th St, Shawnee, KS. Fr. Dan Morris will give a talk! Come out & build community!

Catholic Charities Food Drive: On September 20-21 before/after all Masses in the courtyard at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Charities will be having a food drive. Most needed items: Corn, Tomato Sauce, Canned Beans, Ramen, Soup. You can donate financially here. Sign up to help load the truck here.

YOUTH

Volunteers Needed: Help us make an impact for youth programming on Wednesday evenings at the Grade School and MPC (4:30–5:45 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