Our Roman Catholic faith teaches us to see Christ in everyone, including the least of our brother and sister. Jesus demonstrated a preferential love and compassion for the poor, the marginalized and the outcast members of His society.

But in His day, as in ours, there were people who were powerless and did not count. The lepers, women, prostitutes and sinners were all devalued in Christ’s time. Now, our “culture of death” discounts the unborn baby, the disabled, the mentally ill, the sick and elderly and the African child with AIDS. Our faith in Jesus and His message stands in direct opposition to the rising demand to see as significant only those lives that are productive and therefore worthy.

Jesus came to bring good news to all people and to bring life to the full. His ministry was to lift up those who were bowed down.

As His followers, should we not have the same passion for life that Jesus demonstrated? We are called to stand firmly and clearly on the side of life, life in all forms and circumstances, whether convenient or inconvenient. As Catholics we are committed to respect and protect all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

Catholic schools in the Archdiocese on the elementary and secondary levels operate on this philosophy. While high academic standards are held, the primary mission of every Catholic school is to spread the Gospel message of Jesus and to send students forth into the world to make a difference for Christ.

At St. Dominic Savio School, the administration and faculty are fully aware of the tremendous opportunity they have to instill respect for life. Through classroom instruction and through interacting with the students, values are taught and restored that had been lost or negated. Today’s young people should leave their elementary surroundings well-equipped to effect change on their present society that regards life so poorly.

SDS teachers take their responsibility to form hearts and minds seriously. Through a multitude of activities as well as classroom instruction, students are given a clear message that life is from God and it is good.

“Our emphasis on the culture of life is commonly known within our school environment, which nurtures children of all ages,” said Kathy Wiseman, SDS principal. “The sense of the dignity of the human person is consciously fostered in every possible way.

"We promote our school as a place where 'every child is a gift,' and where 'each child is known by name.' That truth is lived at our school. We nurture the whole child in a loving environment where we are sure they will succeed. We create a welcoming environment for children and their families because that is who we are as Christians. It begins with who we are as faculty and what we communicate through our actions."

Dianne Denstedt, who was trained as a director of religious education, has coordinated the religious education program at SDS for 11 years. She also serves as principal of the Parish School of Religion.

"We are currently educating generations of students who must deal with the heinous crime of abortion, as well as other grievous offenses against life," she said. "Abortion is a great sin in our country as is euthanasia, capital punishment, use of stem cells, and a growing number of other attacks on human life.

"It is challenging for adults to be informed. It is very challenging to teach correct values to children who are immersed in their culture of death. They have to understand that God’s law always trumps government law, and that we are called to take a stand against laws that oppose God’s great gift of life. In the day school and the PSR, we as a faculty openly discuss with the students that life is precious, and we are called to defend, respect and promote life."

Through consistent and ongoing religious instruction across all grade levels, SDS students are encouraged to know and hold fast to the fundamental truths that Jesus gave to His followers. They are taught to pray as He taught, understand and obey the Ten Commandments and participate in the celebration of Mass.

There are efforts throughout the school year to focus on life as a great gift of God. During October, the entire student body, including the PSR students, organizes a display to support the Pro-Life Committee. Unborn babies and their mother are prayed for through petitions at school liturgies and in daily prayer. Speakers from Our Lady’s Inn, a safe haven for pregnant women unable to survive on their own, are invited to share with the children the stories of women and children who need their help. Last year students raised nearly $3,000 in support of this organization.

During this past Lent, baby bottles became banks to collect money children sacrificed for Our Little Haven, which serves children and families at risk. In addition, St. Dominic Savio students have also donated items to Birthright and Nurses for Newborns.

Confirmation candidates spend time in service to the women at Our lady’s Inn by babysitting their toddlers on weekends and after school while the mothers attend classes to back on their feet. Confirmation candidates also reach out to the elderly and often abandoned seniors in local nursing homes, such as Cardinal Ritter Senior Center and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Each homeroom in the school also adopts a senior parishioner who is homebound to pray for and communicate with throughout the school year.

The RIGHT START program helps eighth graders to prepare for high school. They are exposed to the methods used to abort babies and why the Church teaches that abortion is always wrong. They learn the effect of premarital sex on young people and how choices against chastity can ruin lives. They are taught that God’s laws regarding sexuality are given in love to protect them and to nurture life.

All students in grades four through eight receive education in sexuality. Besides this, students "spiritually adopt” an unborn child, praying for the child by means of a gigantic heart displayed in the school hallway. Next year Denstedt hopes to solicit the Pro-Life Committee’s help in the spiritual adoption program and to get more involvement in the Life Chain.

"I would love to see our entire eighth grade go to Washington D.C. in January to march for life," Denstedt said. “To me, a class which voted to do this as their end-of-year school trip, or to make a home for humanity instead of spending the money on Mystery Day, is my kind of class."

Said Wiseman: "We are proud of our Respect Life programs at St. Dominic Savio School. With each new generation of St. Dominic students, the age-old message of the Gospel must be sounded again. And the Church looks to her schools to bring that message effectively to the next generation of believers."

The feeling is the same for Denstedt. “One of our greatest assets at St. Dominic’s is the respect and love that exists between the teachers and their students,” she said. "Within this close-knit relationship the beauty and dignity of life is explored and celebrated so that absolutely no student is unaware that real life begins nine months before a baby first appears. I invite all of our parents and parishioners to visit our school and see the tremendous efforts to instill respect for life."

My husband Frank came to this country in 1949. I was on a girl’s softball team, playing for St. Agnes parish. A group of us girls would go to German dances on the weekends and the Saturday after Easter in 1950, we went to the Swiss Hall on Arsenal Street.

In those days we rode the bus everywhere. My friend and I were dancing the polka when I saw these two fellows standing in the doorway; one was tall and the other was short.

I said to my girlfriend, “Jeanette, look at those two weirdos standing in the doorway.” She said, “Oh, that’s just Frankie and Johnny!” We both laughed.

But when we sat down, guess who came over and sat next to me; Frankie a.k.a. Franz! He tapped me on the shoulder and I thought he wanted to dance. He spoke no English, and I spoke no German. We danced to the “Blue Skirt Waltz,” which later became “Our Song.” We met the next night at the Liederkranz, a German singing and social club, and so our journey together began.

In December 1951 he gave me an engagement ring on my birthday. By this time he had learned at least some English. My mother kept telling me to be careful, he might be a communist!

Our first hurdle to cross was that Frank was Lutheran. Coming from a devout Catholic family with an uncle who was a priest and two brothers who were in the seminary, this was not good. Back 54 years ago, mixed marriages were definitely frowned upon. However, Frank told my dad that he would like to become a Catholic and soon my uncle, Msgr. Victor Suren, began to instruct him in the Catholic faith.

Things were going well. Then, in May 1952, my dad died of a massive stroke. In June 1952, Frank was baptized, confirmed, and made his First Communion. The following month, he got his “greetings” from Uncle Sam. Frank told the draft board that he would rather join the Navy but they told him, since he was not a citizen of this country, he really didn’t have a choice. So he ended up serving two years in the Army.

Frank and I decided to get married the day after Christmas 1953, while he was home on leave. In February 1953, my brother Dick was ordained and we asked him to perform the ceremony. It was my brother’s first wedding that he performed as a priest. The day was beautiful. The church, St. Cecilia’s, was gorgeous, being decorated for Christmas. My bridesmaids wore green dresses and carried red poinsettias. I had white poinsettias with an orchid in the middle.

Back in those days, we had a solemn High Mass celebrated. My brother was the celebrant, my uncle, Msgr. Suren, was the deacon, and our pastor, Msgr. Naes, the sub-deacon. Also on the altar was Fr. Ralph Kutz, whom I worked with in the CYC at St. Cecilia’s, and my cousin, Msgr. Jim Pieper, who had one more year before ordination, and my younger brother, Jack, who still had five years before ordination. (Sadly, he died this past February 2007.) The choir sang “Ave Maria,” “Panis Angelicus,” and “Oh Lord I Am Not Worthy.”

Frank went back to Fort Bragg until July 1954 when he was discharged. My mom, who was now a widow with my two younger sisters, both now deceased, said we should stay with her and help her and to save our money to one day build our own house, which never happened. That “short” stay lasted 40 years, until mom died of Alzheimer’s in 1992 at the age of 94. So, even though married, I never really left home.

Meanwhile, Frank’s mother, father, younger sister and brother stayed behind in Germany. They planned on coming to America later, but because his little sister had Downs syndrome, they were not allowed to come because she would be a financial burden on the country, even though we all signed papers saying we would take care of her. So Frank’s family was separated from us. They have all since died except his young brother. His little sister died at age 22.

We raised three children in my childhood home on Alaska Avenue. Cathy, born in 1962, lives in St. John the Baptist parish, Kevin, born in 1965, lives in St. Paul’s in Fenton, where my younger brother was stationed for four years until he died in February 2007, and of course our gift from God, our son, Victor, named after my uncle and my father. When he was born, and I was told of his condition, that he wouldn’t live past the age of 2, I said to Frank, “He’ll need all the heavenly help he can get.” And he did get it. He is our path to Heaven.

We had many, many mountains to climb and a few peaceful valleys, but as I look back, God was always there, although sometimes I wondered where. Back in 1981, Vic contacted spinal meningitis and was in a coma for four days. We spent Christmas at Cardinal Glennon. In 1988, Vic was again in the hospital with chronic osteomyelitis, a bone infection. He spent 10 weeks in the hospital and needed nine blood transfusions. In 1989, he graduated from Bishop DuBourg High School. He ended up back in the hospital in December 1991 and spent Christmas there again.

In 1995, three years after my mother died, we decided to move. I never really wanted to leave my house on Alaska Avenue. I told Frank he’d have to carry me out in a body bag. But he said, “Whatever it takes, but we’re moving.” (By this time his English was much better.)

A good friend of Frank’s, the son of Mrs. Wolken, who died that past Christmas, asked if we wanted to look at her house on Savio Drive in St. Dominic Savio parish. We did look and Frank bought it. I still didn’t want to leave my house after 66 years, but leave I did, and again God knew what was best for me. I had to do it. What an experience it was, moving three floors of memories. It took six months.

I would say we have had a full, blessed life, 55 years this year. Thirteen years ago, I never thought I would hear myself saying what a wonderful parish St. Dominic’s is, thinking nothing could ever beat St. Cecilia’s, but that’s what has happened. The people here at St. Dominic’s are warm and friendly. Again, God knew what was best for me. Just like meeting Frank, it was a marriage made in heaven. And like everyone else, we still have our memories.

The Catholic Church in the St. Louis Archdiocese numbers over 550,000 people, according to the Archdiocesan website.

That number grows each year by approximately 1000 adults and grew by seven this past Easter Vigil when the sacraments of initiation were conferred at St. Dominic Savio to Ben Perkins Sr., Brandy Perkins, their children Jodie, and Ben Jr., Steve Perkins Jr., Sean Miller and Pat Bentrup. Five adults and two children were joyously welcomed into our parish family at St. Dominic Savio Catholic Church.

Throughout the year, we have many baptisms of infants at St. Dominic Savio. We also have a good number of Catholics who move to Affton and join our parish family. But did you know that the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is the process through which adults who have never been baptized or adults who have been baptized in other Christian faiths enter our Church?

We live in the “Show Me” state. Through the RCIA faith and show our candidates how God is working in our lives. RCIA is a gradual process and based on several stages of conversion. Peoples’ needs and experiences vary, so the length of the process may vary for each person.

When we are baptized, we are called to prayer and worship, to serve others, and to reach out to those who are searching for God in their lives by sharing our faith. We are all called to be evangelizers.

Is there someone in your family or a neighbor, a coworker, maybe a friend who has shared that something is missing in their life, that they feel an unexplained emptiness, and you know that Jesus can fill that void? As a Catholic Christian, you are being called to reach out to them – to invite them to learn about the Catholic Church, the Church Jesus, Himself, founded 2000 years ago!

We will form a new RCIA group in late summer, and we encourage you to reach out and help others to share the joy felt this past Easter Vigil by our newest Catholics – Ben, Brandy, Steve, Sean, and Pat.

In 2005, there was news in the parish about a program for adults. The name was intriguing: “CRHP” (pronounced “chirp”), which stands for Christ Renews His Parish: a miniretreat at St. Dominic Savio.

Much was said about the many benefits of attending a CRHP. It promised a “spiritual renewal experience” by bringing small groups together to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and with each other.

Sixteen attended the first Women’s CRHP at St. Dominic Savio in November 2005. You could see that these ladies had bonded and seemed so energized, enthusiastic and caring. It made me wonder just what had happened. It certainly seemed to work for them.

Since that time, we have had CRHP #2 with nine new participants and CRHP #3 with 16 new participants. I continued to see energy coming from these participants and a bond being formed. I knew many of those that had attended. I knew some of them very well. I wondered more and more about the program, receiving encouragement from some of them along the way.

Finally, after deliberation and a verbal invitation by a friend who had made the last CRHP weekend, I decided to see what it was all about. My good friend also had finally decided that she would also like to experience a CRHP. We still had reservations about doing this, but felt that He was really calling us to the next weekend, which was CRHP #4 in November 2007.

Thirteen women decided to make this weekend. You arrive on Saturday at 8 a.m. and leave Sunday afternoon. Sleeping accommodations are provided in classrooms on large cots belonging to the parish. You bring your own bedding. You also can sleep at home Saturday night and return early Sunday. We spent the night at SDS to stay more focused on the retreat.

What do you do? First, you meet parishioners, some of whom you might not have known and others you get to know better. We had a good variety on age: Some were grandmas like me and others were my children’s ages. It surely made me feel good about the younger generation to see how dedicated they were to really make the time to attend this weekend and then to plan a meaningful weekend for others wanting to attend.

We also heard from women who already had been on a CRHP and had planned our weekend. They shared how God had touched their lives. We shared our thoughts and prayers. We discussed scripture passages and how they fit into our lives. We were treated to wonderful snacks, meals and conversations. We were made to feel so special. There were many people involved in making our weekend work! We had the opportunity for reconciliation and a special Mass planned just for our team. We really did feel that the Holy Spirit was with us. It was hard to see our weekend end.

We met with the team that had planned our weekend and set up the next CRHP weekend in April 2008. As Matthew wrote, “And He said to them, “come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” I am so glad that I finally answered His call, “left my net,” and became fishers of women! I don’t know why I had all these doubts about CRHP. I would certainly recommend it to you.