Students at St. Mary participate in a variety of liturgical and worship celebrations, including:
● Weekly Mass
● Traditional devotions, such as the daily Angelus, the Rosary, Living Stations of the Cross, and May Crowning
● Cultural devotions, such as Las Posadas and Candlemas
● Classroom prayer
● Weekly Adoration time
● Monthly Confessions
Students participate fully in preparation and liturgical ministries for the Mass, including:
● Lectors
● Altar servers
● Gift bearers
● Choral singers
Non-Catholic students and students too young to receive Holy Communion are invited to
receive a priestly blessing during distribution of Communion.
Families are encouraged to join us for weekly Mass on Wednesdays at 8:15 a.m.
8th grade students assume the main roles of the drama of the Living Stations of the Cross by
reenacting the Passion of Christ from The Last Supper to the Laying in the Tomb. All 8th
graders typically participate and 7th grade students are used if necessary to fill remaining roles.
Practices are held weekly after school for 8-10 weeks prior to the Living Stations (1-2 weeks
before Easter).
5th grade students are the singers for the Living Stations, leading the school and Parish through
the musical parts of the devotion. The 5th graders normally practice during their Religion class
prior to the performance. They are also required to attend the dress rehearsal after school.
We honor our school’s patroness, the Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom, each May with a traditional May Crowning. Students sing Marian hymns and crown a
statue of the Blessed Mother.
Our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium has a prayer table as a focal point for regular classroom prayer. Each new liturgical season, the prayer table is set with the new liturgical color and appropriate images in the context of a procession. During regular communal prayer at the prayer table, the younger students enjoy songs, brief scripture readings, silence, and spontaneous spoken prayer. As the student gets older, he/she takes on more and more leadership for planning, organizing, and leading communal prayer.
In each classroom, we also have: daily intercessory prayer, morning prayer, and the Angelus.
St. Mary School recruits and admits students of any race, color, or ethnic origin to all its rights, privileges, programs, and activities. In addition, the school will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or ethnic origin the administration of its educational programs and athletic/extracurricular activities. Furthermore, the school is not intended to be an alternative to court or administrative agency ordered, or public school district initiated desegregation.
Inspired by our Mother Mary, and rooted in our Catholic faith, the St. Mary community nurtures spiritual growth, academic excellence, a responsibility to self, and service to others.