March 1, 2023 at 4:19 p.m.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I have two children who attend diocesan schools. My son, Kurt, attends St. Mary’s in Ballston Spa and he’s in the second grade. My daughter, Jillian, attends Saratoga Central Catholic School and she’s in the seventh grade. Our family values Catholic school education. We’ve experienced how our children flourish in Catholic schools. They achieve academically while their souls are spiritually nourished. Their teachers and principals care about each individual student and know them by name.
So, that’s why it’s heartbreaking for our family to see the future of Saratoga Central Catholic School threatened. The city of Saratoga Springs seeks to place a “low barrier” homeless shelter next to SCC. A “low barrier” shelter does not screen for drugs, alcohol, sex offenders, weapons or warrants. While we parents support a compassionate solution for the homeless, we can’t put our children’s safety at risk.
SCC has been on Broadway in Saratoga Springs for over 150 years. The school is a pillar of the community and it’s older than the Saratoga racetrack. Please go to www.safety4sccstudents.com, sign our petition, and find out ways to support our school. Help us save Saratoga Central Catholic School and keep our children safe.
Jennifer VanDeCarr
Ballston Lake
GIVE THE BIBLE IN A YEAR PODCAST A TRY!
It’s a new year and time for a challenging resolution. Most Catholics and most Christians would love to be able to say that they have read the Bible from cover to cover. Ascension Press, in conjunction with Father Mike Schmidt and bible scholar, Jeff Cavins, have consulted to bring us The Bible in a Year podcast read in 365 episodes. The program was started in January 2021. It’s been America’s No. 1 religious podcast and one can jump in at any time and go at one’s own pace.
It took me 20 months to listen to the entire Bible in a year. It was a great joy and insightful to read the Bible in a historical context. Father Schmidt starts with Genesis, but does not read straight through to Revelation. The Bible is read in a historical manner from the beginnings (Genesis), through the Exodus, the period of Judges and Kings to the Babylonian Exile and into the New Testament. He reads two-to-three chapters a day and also reads from the Psalms and Proverbs. Father Mike likes to point out the importance of letting God’s Word “wash over” us daily even if we don’t understand all that is discussed.
You will learn lots of tidbits like the Psalms are the prayers of the Church and how important they are. And why are there 73 books in the Catholic Bible and seven fewer in the Protestant Bible?
Each podcast is about 20 to 25 minutes. I would like to challenge fellow parishioners to give this podcast a 10-episode trial and see if it works for you and your prayer life. I listened to most of the podcasts in my car, sometimes for 6-to-7 minutes at a time. Other times, I would binge-listen to two or three episodes at a time. Ideally, I liked to follow along with the Ascension Press outline and make notes. Use this link — ascensionpress.com/ — and get started.
You’ll be happy you started and you will deepen your understanding of Church history. You’ll learn how the “New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament.” This could be a great year for your spirituality, so give it a try! Just press play! Remember, “being perfect is not the goal” and also note that “the hardest day to listen is the day after you miss a day.” Good luck!
Gerard F. Havasy
Clifton Park
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