The Valle Catholic Schools Foundation is proud to sponsor a concert featuring Christine Westhoff, accompanied by organist, Timothy Allen, Friday, December 21, 2018 at 7pm in the Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church. Following the concert, attendees are invited to The DuBourg Centre for refreshments.
Ms. Westhoff, a St Louis born soprano, has sung throughout the USA and Europe and her recordings have been heard and broadcast all over the world. She is known for her imaginative programming and an engaging platform presence. Her program will feature sacred Christmas favorites interspersed with seasonal organ music played by Timothy Allen.
Biographies
Classically trained as a lyric operatic soprano, Christine Westhoff is a leading American artist in the area of oratorio and sacred music, bringing the beauty of sacred music all over the world. Christine’s recordings are being heard in literally every continent.
Considered a prodigy by many of her early voice teachers, Christine began her vocal training at the age of 9 and, by the age of 11 was studying and training with various university professors. Since then, Christine has devoted herself to perfecting her art and to breathing new life into the sacred texts of bygone centuries.
The 2011 release of her first recording, Ora Pro Nobis, was, for many, an introduction to the beauty of sacred music and Christine is committed deeply to the introduction and reintroduction of these sacred texts to a world that has all but forgotten many of them.
Christine’s Christmas album, Hark! became an international success. It has sold online the world over and was listed as a top seller in Independent Music sales charts. It is featured as part of the playlist for the Irish Republic’s Classical Music Station, Lyric FM.
In 2017 Christine released her patriotic recording, Glory Hallelujah! A celebration of America in well loved songs and hymns. This collection has been streamed online from coast to coast and is continuing to make an impact on the music scene.
Christine is in demand as a concert singer and recording artist. She has sung all over the world in some of the most sacred and spectacular venues. She has given concerts in Italy, England, Ireland, France, and Canada. She was a featured artist for the Arkansas Symphony and future engagements include a concert with The Priests in November 2018, a series of Cathedral recitals in the United Kingdom in June 2019, as well as the release of new recordings in Fall 2018.
Christine is represented by the Concert Artist Co-operative
Timothy Allen has worked in Cathedrals and Universities on both sides of the Atlantic. He studied Music as an Organ Scholar at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University where he studied with Nicolas Kynaston.
In 1986 Tim became Assistant Organist at Chelmsford Cathedral before his appointment, in 1991, as Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Columb’s Cathedral, Derry, N. Ireland. In a busy ten years he revived the choir of men and boys and founded a major cross-community Music Festival with his colleague from Derry’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Donal Doherty.
Tim moved to the USA in 2001 to take up a position in St Louis. In 2006 he became the Organist at Trinity Cathedral in Little Rock, moving in 2012 to his current position at St Mark’s Episcopal Church also in Little Rock. He directs a growing choral and instrumental program. He is also College Organist at Hendrix College, Conway. He is represented by the Concert Artists Co-operative.
Thank you, Ste. Genevieve, for making our Warrior Auction such a huge success. We raised $220,000 for Valle Catholic Schools—wow! Hear thanks from our kids in the video below!
To mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, Valle Catholic students and staff participated in a local March for Life in Ste. Genevieve. This was to coincide with the Washington DC March for Life attended by Valle seniors and juniors. The Valle silent march was held on Friday afternoon, January 19th.
This trip, made each year by juniors, seniors and parents is a wonderful opportunity to participate in what St. Pope John Paul wrote in The Gospel of Life: "It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop." This year's pilgrimage was organized by Mrs. Jan Weiler, Mrs. Patty Shuh, and Mrs. Pam Basler.
Aside from standing up for the unborn, the group had an opportunity to visit the sites in and around our capital city. A special moment occurred as students placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Watch a video of the ceremony below.
The final stop before leaving Washington was a visit to the Pentagon Memorial, a permanent outdoor memorial to the 184 people who died as victims in the building and on American Airlines Flight 77 during the September 11 attacks.
The mission of the March for Life held each year in Washington DC, is to provide all Americans with a place to testify to the beauty of life and the dignity of each human person. The March unites and strategizes around a common message, and communicates a message to the government, the media and the nation in a way that is powerful and life-affirming.
Preparing for the Christmas season is a very busy time for most folks. During Advent the preparations are everywhere. Busy moms are cooking and baking, sales clerks are working late and letter carriers are swamped. Churches are getting ready to move from purple vestments to white. Preparations at Valle Catholic are the same.
Advent/Christmas activities at Valle Catholic included:
Despite the busy season, Valle students, teachers, and their families still make time to give back to the community. Keeping in the spirit of the season, students at Valle Catholic took part in several different service projects as Christmas approached.
Valle Catholic held a pet blessing on October 4th, feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis devoted his life to the poor and had a special connection to animals. Parents and grandparents were invited to bring family pets to the Valle Desert, where Father Edward Nemeth, pastor of Ste. Genevieve Church, led a prayer and blessing.
First grade teachers Mary Joggerst and Donna Herzog spearheaded a collection of pet items to be donated to our local pet shelter. First grade's virtue is compassion and all our students work to show love to God's creatures.
In conjunction with the Blessing of the Pets, Officer Barton from the Ste. Genevieve Sheriff's Office also came to visit the Valle First Graders.
He collected the items for the animal shelter that the Valle students donated. He also talked to the students about his job and how even six year olds can take care of God's creatures. We look forward to Barton's visits every year and love how he speaks from his heart about his job or "calling" from God to keep animals safe.
May God Bless you, Officer Barton, and all of those who work daily to keep us and animals safe.
If you are interested in adopting a pet or donating to the shelter, please contact office Barton at the Sheriff's Department via the non-emergency number, (573) 883-5820. He wants all of you to know you are welcome to visit the shelter, just call to set up an appointment with him.
During my years in Catholic education, especially in the past few years working in Advancement at St. Pius X, it became clear that in order for Catholic schools to survive in the future, we must approach funding and fundraising in a strategic manner. The days of high-labor, low-return fundraisers are over if we want to have Catholic schools that don’t just survive, but truly thrive. The days of “nickel and diming” our parents and supporters just to fund the necessities are over. It is time that we embrace a new vision of Catholic school advancement that is respectful of our supporters and demonstrates good stewardship of our resources.
I am very grateful that in our parish and school we have the Valle Schools Foundation as strategic partners in securing long-term financial vitality for our historic school. The Valle Schools Foundation has contributed over $250,000 to Valle Catholic in the past year alone, adding to nearly $5,000,000 in financial support during the life of the Foundation. Nationwide, organizations like the Valle Schools Foundation are major players in the financial future of our schools. By supporting the Foundation through future fundraising events or by remembering the Foundation in your estate planning, YOU play a major role in securing a bright future for all of our families in Catholic education.
I would like to add my personal invitation for you to consider attending the Valle Schools Foundation Legacy Gala on Saturday October 7th. Your donation of $250 will go a long way in building a legacy of excellence at Valle Catholic. By attending the Legacy Gala you will be able to join with other individuals who are passionate about the mission of Catholic education at Valle Catholic. If your personal economy makes this donation amount difficult, I invite you to prayerfully consider joining the Foundation by clicking here. Membership is free and it will keep you up-to-date with the good things happening at Valle Catholic.
I truly believe that we are poised for greatness in our Valle Catholic Schools. Through the commitment and passion of our donors and volunteers, we will together build a foundation that will support Valle Catholic as it enters its second century of educational excellence.
Help us create a great Member Directory by creating an awesome Member Profile for yourself! It's easy to do. Just use the tips below!
First you need to Signup to create a Member Profile. Signing up to join the Foundation is free and easy to do. If you haven't already done so click here to get started.
We're all visual these days - uploading a photo to your profile to makes it easier for others to browse the Member Directory, and will help us put a face to the name. : )
Your answers don't have to be long and cumbersome, just answer from the heart and keep it simple. Look at Kate Keeley's profile for a great example of how to answer the questions. We want to hear from you, too! And remember any answer is better than no answer.
Help us spread the reach of our Foundation, by sharing a link to your profile via email or social media. Ask your friends and family that love Valle to create a profile, too!
Our vision for this website is that it will be a voice and a needed platform for everyone who cares about Valle Catholic Schools. Our vision for the Member Directory is that it can serve as a networking tool to connect alumni, students and community members. Current students can use it as a way to get in touch with alumni that inspire them. It also gives us a place to show our Valle pride. Let's build this together!
Last week we introduced you to Father Nemeth who will be starting as our new priest and President of Valle Catholic Schools on July 1st. Father comes to us with a heart on fire for Catholic education and moving people to deeper, more engaging relationships with Christ. He’s had great success in his current role as President of St. Pius X High School in Festus and plans to roll up his sleeves and work with us on a similar transformation for Valle Catholic Schools. Not only does he plan to dig deep when he gets here, he already has several exciting goals for us. Check out his top 5 goals for Valle Catholic Schools below.
First and foremost, it’s important to recognize that we’ve got something extremely special here at Valle Catholic Schools. You all know that, but so many people in our region really have no idea. Father Nemeths’ first goal is to get the message out about all of the wonderful things happening at Valle Catholic Schools.
He commented, “I want people to know that this is the premier school of choice for the region. I think Catholic Schools sometimes, we’re a little too humble and we don’t share our successes.” With Father Nemeth’s help we can fix that, and who doesn’t want to share the good news about this school community that we hold so near and dear to our hearts?
Father Nemeth led a transformation in fundraising at St. Pius and wants to leverage the expertise he gained in his role there to help Valle Catholic Schools. His second goal is to look at how we run our fundraising and come up with a strategy that will work in 2017 in a way that is respectful to our families. He hopes to establish an Advancement Office to carry out this mission.
We all want the legacy of Valle Catholic Schools to live on for centuries to come. Father Nemeth’s third goal is to work on a plan with the Foundation, so that we can build long term financial stability for the school.
“We’ve got to stop raising money to spend money,” Father noted as he talked about wanting to be a part of building something that’s still here 200 years from now. This is where we all have the opportunity to do something significant by helping build something that we believe in and that will last well past our own lives. With Father Nemeth’s leadership and the hearts of all of our community members I know we can do this!
Father’s fourth goal is to grow enrollment at Valle Catholic Schools. Valle has never been a large school, so it will be important to develop a solid enrollment management plan to make sure our numbers grow and stay healthy. In order to continue the legacy we have to have the people!
What are we all here for? The Alpha and the Omega! We all want to grow in faith, and Father Nemeth’s fifth goal is the most profound of all. He wants to inspire students at Valle Catholic Schools to get on fire for their faith. Not only does Father Nemeth want this for the students at Valle, but he also wants to help all members of the Ste. Genevieve parish recognize this kind of faith in their lives. How do we get there? He plans to continue the popular Theology on Tap program, as well as develop new opportunities for faith formation. He hopes to build an active youth ministry, help parishioners develop the devotional life and expose people to the reality of benediction to name a few more.
Father Nemeth has contagious energy and passion that’s going to spread. Join us as we welcome him in July and work with him to accomplish these great goals for our school and our community.
A new wave of energy and passion will be rolling into Ste. Genevieve soon. If you haven’t already heard, Ste. Genevieve parish will be getting a new priest, Father Nemeth, on July 1st. We’re so excited to welcome Father Edward Nemeth and wanted to introduce you all to him before he starts his work here.
Father Nemeth will be coming to us from St. Pius X High School in Festus where he has been serving as the school President and Chief Advancement Officer for two years (previously serving in various positions at the school and prior to that serving as associate pastor of St. Joseph-Imperial). About 3 years ago, Father began the mission of overhauling St. Pius’ Advancement Office to run more successfully and strategically.
Father Nemeth explained, “We had to think radically about how we fundraised. Fundraising for so long in Catholic Schools has been operating under an old business model. We needed to embrace a strategic approach to fundraising.”
The view that Father Nemeth and his team held at Pius and what he hopes other Catholic schools (especially Valle Catholic Schools) will embrace is the determination that we’re going to make advancements and help schools run more like businesses; so that Catholic education can flourish.
“If you are the President of a Catholic school or the Pastor of a parish you’re really like a CEO of a multi-million dollar company. I’m not trying to keep shareholders happy, but instead I’m trying to honor God and be a good steward of gifts that people have given. As priests, we’re entrusted to invest gifts wisely in order to return gifts back to the master.” commented Father Nemeth.
The plan has paid off for St. Pius X High School. They have increased their fundraising, increased their revenue and have been able to keep their tuition low, all under Fr. Nemeth’s leadership. Last year, in just one single day they raised $100,000 for their Day of Giving campaign. Having the opportunity to continue the tradition and advance the mission of the Church in education is something that Father is very proud of, and it’s something he can’t wait to work on for Valle Catholic Schools and Ste. Genevieve Parish.
This summer, Father begins his new role at Ste. Genevieve, and he wants to dig deep. He plans to work closely with the Foundation to build a sustainable future for Valle Catholic Schools. When asked about Ste. Genevieve, he said he was so excited to be coming into a parish and school with such a rich tradition and great group of supporters. He believes, “there is limitless potential.”
Next week, we’ll be sharing Father Nemeth’s top 5 goals for Valle Catholic Schools and the Ste. Genevieve Parish. Sign up for our email updates so you don’t miss it!