St. Hubert begins Catholic Schools Week in new church
Area Catholic schools will celebrate Catholic Schools Week in various ways but all will follow the theme chosen by the Chicago Archdiocese: Service.
St. Anne School in Barrington, Holy Family Academy in Inverness, St. John the Evangelist in Streamwood and St. Theresa of Palatine, are among area Catholic schools that will follow the service theme Sunday Jan. 25 to Friday, Jan. 30.
Vito DeFrisco, principal of St. Hubert School in Hoffman Estates, said St. Hubert has six service themes. Each day the school will shine a spotlight on one of them: parish; community; students; nation; vocations and faculty.
On Saturday, Jan. 24, St. Hubert alumni will gather at the 4:30 p.m. Mass to worship inside the newly renovated church, 729 Grand Canyon St.
To officially open the week, students and their families will attend the 9 or 10:45 a.m. Masses on Sunday where the focus will be "Service: In our Parish." A school open house will welcome visitors from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Service: In our Community" on Monday centers on the collection of used children's books, DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes, all slated for Shelter Inc., an agency that provides community-based emergency and temporary housing for thousands in the Northwest suburbs.
"We encourage our students to serve each other and reach to the greater community around us," DeFrisco said.
"We remind them each day about the importance of helping others and we stress such dictates as feeding the hungry."
Vice principal Alison O'Connor, herself a graduate of St. Theresa, said St. Hubert notified its families about the needs at Shelter Inc., and they responded.
Even as the youngsters dwell on the temporal needs of others, they are invited to let loose by wearing "crazy hats and clothes" on Monday.
On Tuesday, children are invited to dress to represent their heritage. The upper grades will have a spelling bee and all students will compose thank-you cards to their parents for allowing them to attend this school.
"We strive to prepare our students to be morally and socially ready for the challenges of the future," DeFrisco stressed.
"Red, White and Blue Day" is Wednesday, when children make valentines for U.S. troops.
On Thursday, preschoolers through third-graders will dress to express what they want to be when they grow up; fourth- through eighth-graders can wear school or college sweatshirts and jeans.
Friday is School Spirit Day, with classroom parties and games.
DeFrisco sees the value in and encourages tradition.
"St. Hubert has a strong tradition of providing an academic program that is infused with Gospel values, the principal said.