Happy Thanksgiving!

A THANKSGIVING PRAYER FROM SISTER MARGARET MARY FRIESENHAHN, PRESIDENT & CHIEF RELIGIOUS OFFICER, ST. KATHARINE DREXEL PREP

Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts as we acknowledge the many blessings we have been given:
the gift of faith that renews and directs all the decisions we make;

* the gift of family – biological as well as the sisterhood we cherish at SKDP;

* the loyal friends who support us in rough times as well as in joyful times;

* the freedom to live in a democratic country that affords us the right to an education that will open up untold opportunities for us to flourish;

* the gift of life and for the gift of each new day.

Lord, we celebrate your overflowing love, and may we show our gratitude by sharing what you have given us. May we continue to live in your light during this blessed season and all the seasons of life.

Amen

A THANKSGIVING MESSAGE FROM ERIC J. SMITH, PRINCIPAL, ST. KATHARINE DREXEL PREP

Greetings SKDP Family - The holiday season is here!
Thanksgiving continues to be a day of giving thanks for blessings and abundance. In my opinion it is one of the most important holidays; but is also the most understated of the major holidays.

When you go into the mall, it seems we go straight from Halloween to Christmas and just disrespect Thanksgiving. Poor holiday!

We should give thanks each, and every morning as we wake up to greet the day, but Thanksgiving Day is a day to truly think about and give gratitude to the abundance of life. This should be a day to go into deep thought and reflection about the year and appreciate all that we have; then pray for those who are not as fortunate as we are.

Every year on Thanksgiving morning, my brother and I would call each other and boast about how many bowls of gumbo we sampled before the main meal. My family and I would eat dinner together, as close to noon as possible, as a family.

Before we eat all that delicious food, we would gather around the table, stand, hold hands and take turns saying what we are thankful for. We bless and give thanks for our food, and then chow down! After that, nobody can move for at least an hour. But the importance of the moment is not lost on my family; not even the kids.

These last two years have been very difficult for most people. There has been so much loss and fallout from COVID that it seems difficult to find something to say we are thankful for. That’s when we should truly dig deep, find a quiet place and think. All of us have something to appreciate, whether it be the love and support of family, the blessing of a new job, the blessing being able to keep my job during the pandemic or even that my parents were able to keep me enrolled at a school as awesome and fabulous like St. Katharine Drexel Prep.

To the students of SKDP, I challenge you to find and express to your family what you are grateful for, then, thank God for it.
To the parents of SKDP students, thank you for entrusting us with your daughter’s education and for contributing to the culture and continued success of the school.

To the faculty, staff and SKDP Board Members I want to send a personal, heart-felt Thank You to all of you. I truly appreciate you for being so dedicated to the school and its students. You give of yourselves and your talents to help educate and support our students and I cannot express how much I appreciate you.

Continued miracles and blessings during the holiday season!