As we begin this beautiful day, the Gospel reminds us that God sees everything. God knows every sacrifice, every prayer, every act of kindness, every moment of hard work, and every good intention in your heart. Sometimes people may misunderstand us. Sometimes people may not fully understand the amount of work, responsibility, care, and love that goes into serving others and building something meaningful. Sometimes we work quietly behind the scenes carrying many responsibilities while continuing to smile, serve, and move forward with faith.

But today the Good News is this. God knows your heart.

This morning we begin our day together with Holy Mass at the Chapel at 7:45 AM. We are so grateful to Good Shepherd Church and to Fr. Augustine, Father Edwin, and Father Francis for walking alongside our school community with such kindness, prayer, and spiritual leadership. Beginning the day together in prayer and in the Eucharist is such a blessing for our Academy community. Holy Mass reminds us that Christ is always at the center of our school, our work, our decisions, and our relationships with one another. We look forward to welcoming you this morning and beginning the day together in Christ with joy and gratitude.

A special welcome once again to NET Ministries who will be visiting us today. NET Ministries is dedicated to sharing the joy of the Gospel with young people and helping students grow closer to Jesus Christ through faith, fellowship, prayer, and authentic Christian witness. Their mission is to encourage young people to live boldly for Christ and to remember that they are deeply loved by God. We are very grateful for their presence in our school community and please make sure to warmly welcome them throughout the day today.

As we continue working around the clock preparing for our Golf Tournament this Thursday, I continue to be amazed and inspired by this incredible community. So many people are giving their time, talents, energy, expertise, donations, sponsorships, prayers, and hearts to ensure this event is successful. Everything is being done in the spirit of community, generosity, faith, and support for families seeking a Catholic education for their children.

A heartfelt thank you to David Fanning for spearheading and leading the Golf Tournament forward with such dedication, leadership, and commitment. Thank you to Gen Randle for continually helping coordinate and support the many moving parts of the tournament. Thank you to Ximena Jimenez who has been working around the clock helping ensure programs, details, and preparations are completed. Thank you to Corey Pomeroy for putting together and organizing the auction items and displays with such care and attention to detail. Thank you to Darren Watt for helping coordinate the foursomes and ensuring everyone is organized and ready for the day.

There are so many moving parts, so many phone calls, so many details, so much preparation, and so many people quietly helping behind the scenes. Yet everything is being done for the love of our beautiful school community and for the mission of Catholic education. It is truly inspiring to witness.

To every volunteer, donor, sponsor, organizer, golfer, supporter, and every person helping quietly behind the scenes, thank you. God sees you. God knows your heart. Your generosity and dedication are making a meaningful difference in the lives of students and families not only today but for many years to come.

A special thank you as well to those last minute golfers who are joining us and supporting this beautiful event. We are deeply grateful for your participation and support. This tournament would not be possible without our amazing community coming together with such love, joy, and commitment to Catholic education. It truly shows the beauty of what can happen when people unite together in faith and service.

We are also very excited as preparations continue for our Carnival on Sunday, May 24. The excitement and momentum continue growing every single day with more prizes, more community interest, more activities, and more families planning to attend. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who spoke at the pulpits this past Sunday helping promote both the Golf Tournament and the Carnival. Your support, enthusiasm, and willingness to spread the word truly mean so much to our school community. God bless each and every one of you for all that you are doing.

A very special shout out to Italia and Holly who continue working tirelessly with incredible love, passion, creativity, and dedication for our school community. Their energy and commitment have been truly inspiring. It is beautiful seeing so many people coming together with joyful hearts to support our students and families.

The Golf Tournament and Carnival are not only wonderful opportunities for fellowship and community building, but they are also important fundraisers supporting our school and our nursery programs. We are deeply grateful for everyone helping make these events possible.

Please make sure to come out and join the festivities on Sunday, May 24 right after Mass. There will be something for everyone including the Farmers Market, children’s games, prizes, food, fellowship, activities, and many wonderful surprises throughout the day. Thanks to Mark Addison’s marketing class there will also be lots of delicious goodies available throughout the event. Come enjoy popcorn, deep fried Oreos, sweet treats, and so much more while spending time together as a community.

And of course, do not forget that we will also be dunking a few special people including Mr. Walters, Mark Addison, Jason Borkowski, Troy Van Vliet, and Charlie King. If you have any other ideas for wonderful dunk tank victims, please feel free to bring their names forward. We are always accepting nominations with love and laughter.

Friendly reminder that there is a Society Board meeting today at 5 PM. We are very grateful for the collaboration between the Society Board and the Foundation Board as they continue working together for the good of Saint John Paul II Academy. Through prayer, planning, stewardship, and collaboration, both boards continue to support the mission, vision, future growth, sustainability, and wellbeing of our school community. We are very grateful for all the time, leadership, care, and wisdom that goes into helping our Academy continue to grow and flourish.

Today we also have our Facilities Advisory Committee meeting. A sincere thank you to Bill Regan, Ralph Ceniza, Matt MacDonald, and Kim Hikichi for sharing their professional expertise, wisdom, and time to help care for our beautiful facility. Their commitment to maintenance, warranty oversight, safety, planning, operations, and stewardship helps ensure that our school remains a safe, strong, welcoming, and well maintained home for our students, staff, families, and greater community for many years to come. Their ongoing guidance and support are incredibly appreciated and important as we continue building and strengthening our Academy community.

Following our last JOHS Committee meeting, we continue taking important steps to strengthen safety and preparedness throughout the school. Beginning tomorrow, you will notice workers from Cintas installing defibrillators and additional fire extinguishers throughout the building. We will also be incorporating additional locks in various areas of the school as part of our continued commitment to safety, maintenance, preparedness, and the wellbeing of our students, staff, and visitors. We will continue keeping everyone updated so that you are informed and aware of these important improvements taking place throughout the facility.

As we slowly approach the end of the school year, our hearts are filled with gratitude to God for His goodness, mercy, blessings, and faithfulness throughout this year. Through every challenge, every joyful moment, every prayer, every success, and every obstacle, Christ has continued to guide our Academy community with love, hope, wisdom, and grace. We are very grateful for every student, every family, every teacher, every volunteer, every donor, every priest, every supporter, and every person who continues to help make Saint John Paul II Academy such a beautiful and faith filled community.