PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) — The Diocese of Little Rock says St. Joseph School in Pine Bluff will stay open for another year.

The high school and junior high had been slated for closure at the end of the current school year. But Most Rev. Anthony B. Taylor, bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock, announced the last Catholic school in Pine Bluff will keep its doors open for the 2012-13 academic year, and 5th and 6th grades will be added to the school.

Taylor made the announcement at a graduation speech at the school Thursday night, and the diocese formalized the announcement on Friday.
Taylor had said the school needed to have 60 students preregistered and would need $200,000 in private donations. Fifty-one students have pre-enrolled and the school has raised $158,000. But the campus developed a balanced budget, which swayed Taylor.

Enrollment is between 51 and 53. A few registrations are pending. The budget, and plans will be submitted to our Bishop and Superintendent early this week. Stay tuned, and God Bless!

We hope and pray that Catholics everywhere, supporters of Catholic Education, and the people of Pine Bluff will come through to help us with the last 50K!

We ask all of you to donate just $5.00, post and email the link to donate to Saint Joseph Catholic on your Facebook, or email it, and ask your friends, family, neighbors and friends of friends to donate today, and Saturday and Sunday as well!

Donate here!

God Bless you all!

http://www.sjcpinebluff.com/donate/.

If only 5,000 people donate $10, we have our goal. Email the link to friends of friends!  People of Pine Bluff!  Please give just $5.00 and we will be open to serve you, your friends and your neighbors for years to come!

People have on average 200 friends on Face book. Surely among the 60 sets of parents of SJC we have easily over 12,000 face book or email friends! Ask your friends to ask their friends to donate $10 to save a Catholic School via PayPal! Post the link, and email out to everyone today!

St. Joseph Catholic High School won the girls competition and the boys came in second place.

The St. Joseph girls were led by only underclassmen and junior high students! — ninth graders were Eva Harrison and Lauren Zell and eighth graders were Lorie Lennox, Trevon Lee, Katherine Taylor and Emelia Denni. These girls competed against 10th through 12th graders.

St. Joseph coach Clifford Heyer praised them: “They worked incredibly hard in more events that can be expected from normal eighth and ninth grade girls, and they pushed themselves more than I had expected or hoped.”

High-lights from the meet:
Emilia Dennis took first place in the 1,600-meter run and second in the 3,200-meter run.
Lauren Zell won the 1,600 Meter , and placed second in the 3,200 Meter.

Lori Lenox, Eva Harrison, Trevon Lee and Catherine Taylor won the 1,600-meter relay.

Patrick Wauters took the only first-place finish for the boys in the 800-meter run.

The Pine Bluff Commercial ran an article by Justin Rust here.

The Key Club of St. Joseph Catholic School, raised the money to purchase coloring books for the children with serious illnesses at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.  Hannah Hufford, a senior, delivered the coloring books to the Hospital so that the staff could distribute them to the children.

Brother Elias of the Irish Province of Carmelites writes, “We will keep you in our prayers throughout the week.”

The Carmelite Nuns of Aukland, New Zealand sent the following message, “Please be assured of our prayers that St. Joseph Catholic School in Pine Bluff will get the necessary funds and reach your quota by the deadline date. Pray to your patron St. Joseph who is a great intercessor for all our needs and surely will not let you down. God has a special preference for the poor. May Our Risen Lord bless you and grant you all your needs.”

Since there is nine days from 4-20 until our deadline, this the perfect time for supporters to begin a novena to our Patron, St. Joseph, to ask his intercessory prayers for the needs of SJC!  (The tradition of a novena comes from imitating the Apostles who prayed the first novena when they prayed in the upper room for nine days between Our Lord’s Ascension into heaven and the Pentecost).

Below is a partial list of the contemplative consecrated religious communities praying for SJC! The Strength of the communion of Saints and the Universal Church is with SJC!

Benedictine monks of Subiaco and Chicago, Carmelites of Marylake, of Cody, Wyoming,  of the New York Province, the Lay Carmelites of California, the Benedictine Nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga of Colorado, the Teresian Carmelites of Massachusetts, Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary of the Diocese Miami, and the Poor Clare Nuns of Alabama.  Praise God for these, and all those supporting SJC in prayer! Please pass the request for prayers for pledges and enrollment quotas to your prayer group! Please recommend St. Joseph Catholic School to parents and friends. Thank you.

To make sure we are here, and that you have options for education in Pine Bluff in 2012, please click the donate button, and come in to enroll your child by April 30! All pledges and donations, and enrollment fees will be refunded if we do not meet our goals.

[/raw] Enrollment Goal:

Friday newsletter attached here.