The Holy Spirit was invited and HE CAME. Yesterday, the E2 and A1 groups went with 10 WOS adults to the U.S. Bank Vikings Stadium to attend the CSCOE Mass of the Holy Spirit. The students displayed their extraordinary leadership and witness amidst 13,000 other Catholic School Students through leading the rosaries on our bus rides, enacting grace and courtesy with others, and showing exemplary reverence during the Mass. I was so proud to see our school represented as such!

Archbishop Hebda presided over the Mass along with Bishop Cozzens and about 80 other priests! Communion took half an hour! As we prayed "Lord, I need you," "Holy Spirit, you are welcome here," and praised the "overwhelming, never changing, reckless love of God," I felt the Spirit come and wash over all those present. The Lord is so happy with the work done by all of these schools, and I am confident he is so pleased by the work of WOS. There was a sense of pride and camaraderie as the students left the stadium, unified by their Way of the Shepherd uniforms, standard of behavior, and Christ-like love that is so clearly fostered and present. I pray and will continue to pray for the deeper conversion of each student at Way of the Shepherd as we are so blessed to live out our universal call to holiness through our Catholic identity and Montessori pedagogy in our school. How He loves us! 
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On Monday, October 1st, the adolescent community traversed to Ramsey and were hosted by the Turner family. The Turners had a huge problem - they were up to their eyes in APPLES! They enlisted the aid of the adolescents to clean, peel, cut, and boil the apples in order to make a vat of applesauce.

Two adolescents washed and distributed apples, a few more peeled them, a few more cut them, and a couple boiled them on the stove. After a bit of scuffle, each student found their place on the team and were determined (competitively so) to do their part. From singing songs, to arguing about how many apples there were, to competing about how many apples they peeled, the students were undoubtedly valorized by the work and the joy and leadership skills were visibly present.

Not only was this a beautiful way to see the work behind apple preserving, but it brought about communication skills, teamwork, and just sheer joy! The Turners kindly gave the adolescents some of the applesauce they made as a thank you - and we are grateful to them for the opportunity to work with our hands, as Maria Montessori always encourages.