School News

Attendance Procedures
When a student is absent from school, the student’s parent/guardian is requested to contact the
school to communicate the student’s absence.

Leaving School Early
Students who need to leave school early for medical purposes (doctor or dental appointments)
must bring a note to the office before leaving school. The note should include: (1) the requested
dismissal time, (2) the reason the student needs to leave early, and (3) a parent signature.
If a student is ill during the day, the student must check out in the office before leaving the
building. Students should not arrange for parents/guardians to pick them up; a school
representative will contact the parents/guardians.

Absences
Schools in the Diocese of Belleville recognizes three (3) categories of absences:
 Excused absences
 Unexcused absences
 Truant absences (after the 9th unexcused absence)

Excused Absence: An excused absence is recognized as:
 A student’s personal illness
 A death in the immediate family
 A family emergency
 Medical visits
 Family vacations (up to 5 school days)
 Other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the
student’s safety or health
 Other situations beyond the control of the student (such as court appearances)
 Other reasons approved by the Principal.
A health care provider’s note may be required to excuse a student and/or for returning to school
after the third consecutive day of being reported ill. If medical documentation is not provided,
the absence may be marked “unexcused.” Students who have 9 or more days of absences due to
being sick may be required to provide a doctor’s note to excuse the absences.

Unexcused Absence: An unexcused absence is defined as an absence from school for a reason
other than those listed above as an excused absence and/or an absence not authorized by the
student’s parent/guardian or the Principal. When a student’s absence is unexcused, the
parent/guardian may recognize the absence as being valid or legitimate; however, the school
does not. The following are unexcused absences (even with parent/guardian consent):
 Missing the bus
 Family vacations that are 6 or more school days
 Needed at home                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Other avoidable absences.

Truant Absences: Truancy is defined as absence without valid cause for one or more periods of
the student’s school day. Parents/guardians may be notified following 3, 5, and 9 days of absence
or tardies within a school year, and a school intervention may be initiated. After the 9th school
day (5% of regular attendance days) on which a student is absent without valid cause, he/she is
deemed to be truant under Illinois law. Interventions to address truancy may include attendance
letters, parent/teacher/principal conferences, student counseling, and/or involvement of the
county truancy officer and/or local law enforcement. No punitive action, including out-of-school
suspensions or court action will be taken against a chronically truant student unless available
support services and other resources have been provided to the student, or offered to the student
and refused. Any person who has custody or control of a child subject to compulsory attendance
who knowingly or willfully permits the child to persist in truancy, if convicted, is guilty of a
Class C misdemeanor and may be subject to up to 30 days imprisonment and/or fine up to
$1,500.
Family Vacation Absences: Family travel during the school year does interrupt a student’s
regular progress; however, we recognize the potential educational value of these trips.
Therefore, five (5) vacation days per school year will be allowed as excused. Any days after five
(5) school days will be unexcused. Early notice of travel will help school personnel to
accommodate parents and students during that period. It will be the student’s responsibility to
obtain all missing work from their teachers during their absence. Some assignments may not be
available until the student returns to school. All missed assignments will be prepared for the
student upon his/her return. Work shall be completed and returned to the teacher.

Tardiness: Students are expected to be in class on time so they may maximize their learning
opportunities. Teachers and the Principal will monitor student tardies. Students may be
considered tardy if they arrive after the bell has rung. Students may receive consequences for
excessive tardies.

Make Up Work
Students who have excused absence(s) from school will be allowed to make up work for
equivalent academic credit. It is the responsibility of the student (and his/her parent/guardian),
not the teachers, to get the assignments, complete them, and turn them in, and to arrange a time
with the teacher to make up any missed quizzes or tests. Incomplete work or failure to do the
work may result in a lowering of grades.

Diocese of Belleville

Office of the Bishop

April 3, 2020

Today, the Vatican announced that His Holiness, Pope Francis has appointed The Reverend Michael G. McGovern, S.T.B., M. Div., a Priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, as the Ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville. Bishop-Elect McGovern, 55, is currently the Pastor of St. St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in Old Mill Creek, Illinois. He is also the Dean of Deanery 1A and Interim Episcopal Vicar of Vicariate 1.

He is well respected and admired by the priests, deacons, religious and Christian Faithful of the Archdiocese, where he has served in a wide variety of leadership positions, including as Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Lake Forest, as a member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors. He has a reputation as a Priest with abiding faith, pastoral zeal and genuine dedication to caring for the People of God. He will be the fourth Priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago to serve as Bishop of Belleville.

He is the youngest of eight children in devoutly Catholic family. A graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep, Loyola University and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, he was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago, on May 21, 1994. Father McGovern has said he is a Chicago White Sox fan and enjoys Italian art and English literature.

Bishop-Elect McGovern succeeds The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D., who on his seventy-fifth birthday, June 28, 2019, wrote to the Holy Father the canonically required letter of resignation. Bishop Braxton was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Belleville on the Feast of St. Thomas More, June 22, 2005.

Bishop Braxton issued the following statement on the occasion of the Vatican announcement.

“May the Peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

On Ash Wednesday, when we began our journey up to Jerusalem with Jesus of Nazareth for the celebration of the Easter mysteries, by which we are reborn, none of us realized that this would be a Lent like no other. We could not imagine our world, our country, and our Diocese brought low by the invisible menace of the coronavirus pandemic that has brought so much anxiety, suffering, and death to the world family. The coronavirus pandemic has brought us to Palm Sunday and Holy Week  “sheltering at home” and practicing “social distancing,” which makes it impossible for us to celebrate together the Sacred Triduum, the heart of the Church’s Year of Grace, during which we commemorate the Passover of the Lord from life to death to risen glory. Paradoxically, the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves have drawn us closer together in prayer, reflection and concern for one another.

In this unique time of Lenten prayerfulness and “social distancing,” I feel closer to the priests, deacons, seminarians, religious, faculty and students in our Catholic Schools, lay pastoral leaders, and the Christian Faithful of this Local Church than ever. It is in my name and in the name of all of the members of this Local Church that I have congratulated and welcomed the Bishop-Elect Michael G. McGovern, assuring him of our fervent prayers for fruitfulness in his ministry as the Spiritual Leader and Shepherd of the Catholic Church in southern Illinois.

I invite each of you to pray each day for Bishop-Elect McGovern. Pray that the Holy Spirit will empower him with the gifts that he will need as a Successor of the Apostles and as the Pastor of this Catholic community. Pray that, building on his natural talents and pastoral experiences, the new Bishop may faithfully and compassionately proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Christian community and beyond. As you know, in this secular age, it is difficult to live as a faithful disciple of Christ and equally challenging to assume the mantel of Servant-Leadership in the Church. This may be particularly true of a small, largely rural Diocese with modest resources, such as ours.

Since I am formerly from the Archdiocese of Chicago, I already know Bishop-Elect McGovern and I am appreciative of the contributions he has made to the Church in his various pastoral responsibilities. He is also known to some of our Belleville priests from their days of studying together at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary. I am confident that they, with the entire college of priests, will welcome and support him, praying that God, who begins this new work in him will bring it to completion.

In anticipation of this public announcement, the Bishop-Elect and I have spoken often about a wide variety of topics, including my desire to assist him in every way I can. We have acknowledged that, because of the unique circumstances in which we find ourselves with the coronavirus pandemic and directives from Governor Jay Robert Pritzker, the Bishop-Elect cannot be present in the Diocese today to be personally introduced to you. We both regret this very much! However, he will be greeting all of you by means of written and electronic communications today and in the days ahead. And, as soon as it is safe for us to gather, even in small numbers, he will join us whenever it is possible.

In discussing our unique situation, Bishop-Elect McGovern and I agree that it is not possible to announce the date for the Liturgy of Episcopal Ordination and Installation in the Cathedral of St. Peter, at this time. However, we both agree that, due to the circumstances, it is unlikely that the date will be before late Summer.

Meanwhile, please continue to pray for me as I continue to pray for you and serve you during the months ahead. Pray for me especially on May 13^th when I will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood, on May 17^th when I will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of my Ordination to the Episcopacy, and on June 22^nd when I will celebrate the    15^th anniversary of my Installation as your Bishop. A transition such as this necessarily prompts prayers of grateful remembrance and introspection. It is a time for the inevitable quest to retrieve and control the past that forever slips away and a time to seek a future that is forever the unknown-unknown. I thank each of you for your life and ministry with me, for your cooperation, support and affection. With St. Paul I can say, when I think of you my memories will be happy ones and when I pray for you, my prayers will be full of joy! God is not God the way we would be God, if we were God! May the God of Our Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you and those who are dear to you both now and forever. AMEN!”

****************************
Bishop Edward K. Braxton

Prior to his appointment to Belleville, Bishop Edward K. Braxton, a former professor of theology at Harvard Divinity School, served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Bishop of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  During his fifteen year tenure in the Diocese of Belleville, the Bishop, who is in good health, has been actively engaged in every aspect of the ministry of the Diocese, giving a particular emphasis to Catholic education, the work for vocations to the Priesthood, concern for the welfare of the priests, ministry to the sick and the bereaved, the ongoing formation of deacons, and The Pastoral Plan for Parish Renewal and Restructuring. This is a decade-long undertaking to address the need to bring the parishes of the Diocese together in renewal and greater cooperation. The Pastoral Plan has resulted in decreasing the number of parishes, the appointment of priests to serve multiple parishes, and the introduction of a significant number of fidei donum missionary priests to assist the local priests in the pastoral care of the Christian Faithful. As an active theologian, the Bishop has published a variety of works in different areas of pastoral theology. In recent years, the Bishop has become a leading commentator on the Racial Divide in the United States and in the Catholic Church. His writings have led to frequent invitations to lecture nationally and abroad.

Contact Person:  Media contact person is the Reverend Monsignor John T. Myler, S.T.D., V.F., Rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter, 200 West Harrison Street, Belleville, Illinois 62220. He can be contacted at (618) 234-1166; jtm300@aol.com

March 27, 2020

Dear Parishioners and School Families,

First and foremost, we hope you are well and staying healthy during these trying times. We very much miss seeing you at church and school, and we look forward to when we can come together again as a congregation and school community.

We are saddened to have to share that our Easter celebrations will be impacted by the virus. The Chrism Mass will not be celebrated publicly on April 7. Holy Oils will not be distributed until the health crisis is over. Palm Sunday and Holy Week Liturgies, including Easter Sunday, will not be celebrated publicly in our parishes. This is extremely difficult news to hear and to share, and our hearts bleed with the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Cross in this time.

Despite changes due to the virus, staff for both parishes and schools remain operational and continue to support parishioners, students, and families. Teachers are planning daily and teaching online school. We are extremely grateful to the faculty of Blessed Sacrament and Queen of Peace for swiftly and effectively implementing online teaching, and for helping students adapt to new learning strategies. We are extremely blessed to have such dedicated educators on our teams. Thank you to the school families who have also worked to make this a smooth transition.

Even with the changes that have taken place, many things still remain the same. Employees are receiving pay and health insurance, and bills continue to come in and be paid. This aspect of our business has not changed. That is why we are asking you to continue to support your parish and school in the coming weeks and months in the following ways:

1 – Continue to pay tuition as it helps pay teachers’ salaries. Families who have lost jobs due to the virus may be eligible to temporarily defer payments. Call your school principal to discuss.

 2 – Contribute weekly Sunday donations online at www.bellevillecatholic.com click “Make a Donation” on the homepage. Donations to both parishes can be made here, and the process to setup recurring donations is simple.

Donations can also be mailed or dropped off to the parish office at 8707 W. Main Street in the secure mail slot to the right of the front door. You can also drop donations in the locked mailbox at the priest residence at 5923 N. Belt West.

3 – Continue to support annual fund campaigns. Both schools have active campaigns in progress and rely heavily on these funds to support ongoing operational costs. Donations can be made through www.blessedsacramentbelleville.com and www.qofp.com.

4 – Pray for our families and parishioners who are all impacted by this tragic pandemic.

We know these are difficult times for everyone, particularly those whose health and financial well-being have been affected by the virus. We recognize not everyone is in a position to give, and that’s okay. Those who are able to support, no amount is too small, and we appreciate any level of support you can provide.

Sincerely,

Father Matthew Elie, Pastor

Claire Hatch, Principal, Blessed Sacrament

Michelle Tidwell, Principal, Queen of Peace