We are so thankful for the love and support that Our Lady of Refuge community has given to the programs and initiatives we have had throughout the years. It is important for us to continue to grow together in faith and love. Here are two great opportunities for us to support Our Lady of Refuge!
OLR School Kroger Community Rewards

One is by adding Our Lady of Refuge to your Kroger reward account. To do so, simply log in to your Kroger account, click on the “Rewards” tab and then “Community Rewards”. Search for “Our Lady of Refuge School or CODE: QN435” and click “Enroll”. It’s as simple as that!

Also, you are invited to buy Mabel’s Labels with a 20% return on all purchases.

Link: https://campaigns.mabelslabels.com
Then search for Our Lady of Refuge

Again, we thank you kindly for taking the opportunity to support Our Lady of Refuge!

On Tuesday Nov. 7th, Our Lady of Refuge students and staff celebrated vocations week with a “vocations day” of our own. Brother Brenton and Brother Igor came from St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit to share their vocation stories and tell us about life as Capuchin (Cap-Uh-Shin) Franciscan Brothers.

Students learned that as Franciscans, everyone is known as “Brother”, even if you are a priest like Brother Brenton.

Our Capuchin Brothers taught us about discerning our own vocation in life and answered many questions posed by students and teachers. We discovered that the name of their religious order, Friars Minor, means “little brothers” in Italian and that humility and being among the people they serve is very important to them; they even look at animals and the world around us as their brothers and sisters – just like their founder St. Francis of Assisi did!

Students were particularly interested to learn that in addition to praying and serving the poor, the Brothers love sports (baseball & football), have pet dogs named after St. Francis and St. Clare, and live in a house with twenty-four other brothers who range in age from their twenties to their eighties.

Brother Brenton and Brother Igor promised to pray for the Our Lady of Refuge family; many Refuge family members will be praying for them, too.

Our Eighth graders spent a day on retreat at Subiaco learning about their faith journey with Christ. The students worked with the Benedictine monks through different personal growth activities and celebrated Mass together. They also had the opportunity to walk the beautiful grounds of the retreat center and grow as an eighth grade community. We are grateful for our campus minister Dr. Heidi Bigsby, for coordinating this beautiful experience. Please keep her, our teachers and students in prayer as they “Walk the Path with Jesus”.

Our school is very blessed to have teachers recognized during the A.O.D. annual Prep Bowl at Ford Field. Congratulations to Ms. Paige Leo/Preschool teacher (5 years), Ms. Hanna Parker/Middle School Social Studies teacher (5 years), Ms. Jessica Tahmouch/First Grade teacher (10 years), and Mrs. Bridgette Gumma (10 years) for your service and dedication to Catholic Education with the Archdiocese of Detroit. We are so blessed to have these experienced teachers working with our students at Our Lady of Refuge.

October is the month of the Rosary and as we wrap up this month, our school gathered as one to pray a ‘living Rosary” together in the church. Our campus minister, Dr. Heidi Bigsby and music minister, Mr. Tim Smith coordinated our students to lead us in the prayers of the Rosary. We are truly blessed for this experience and working to “Walk the Path with Jesus”, which is our theme for this school year.

Get Ready to Run Ravens!

Send OLR to the finish line be reaching out to your family, friends, and business partners to support one of our main fundraisers of the year! We rely on the generosity of donations to help OLR continue to provide enrichment opportunities to our children.

Donations can be made electronically through our Givebutter Fundraising platform by website link, QR Code and Text-To-Donate features! These links are shareable and can be easily sent to your family or friends all over the world.

You can still donate by check or cash. Make Checks payable to OLR. Send checks or cash in a sealed envelope with the student’s name, grade, and Attn: Parents Club clearly marked. Send in your donations daily to ensure credit is given toward class and grade challenges!

Link to donate: https://givebutter.com/RAVENRUN2023

This week marks a special tradition of celebrating Catholic Schools Week. With this tradition, we are able to mark the importance of being a part of a Catholic School that provides us the opportunity to take time in the Lord each day. We begin each morning with prayer honoring our Lord, thanking Him for the gifts bestowed on us and asking Him to guide us each day. Our morning prayer is:

Loving God, bless the work we do.
Watch over us and guide us in school and at home.
Help us to realize that everything we do gives praise to You.
We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is followed with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, honoring our country and the gifts that we have been bestowed on us with the ability to practice our faith in our school. Before lunch, our students take time to say Grace together, again, taking time to thank God in our midst. At the end of each day, our students lead us in a moment of silence to God and then a prayer before we dismiss. These may seem simple tasks, however, it provides us with a depth of practice and prayer that brings us closer together as a school family and closer to God with the recognition that he is Lord of all. I am humbled with every opportunity to take time in our day and spend it bringing our students closer to the Lord. Catholic Schools Week is a time for us to rejoice in knowing that we are blessed to be able to do such practices and experience this as our students grow in our Catholic faith. Thank you to all of you that have and continue to support our efforts to provide such a beautiful experience for our youth, helping them to grow as disciples of the Lord. Praise be to God!

Lauri Hoffman
Our Lady of Refuge Principal

Father Ron chalking the doors for the blessing of the Feast of the Epiphany

Happy New Year! As we return to our home at Our Lady of Refuge it’s important to take time and reflect on who we are to each other in sharing this blessing of family. I’d like to share with you a special blessing that is a closing to that prayed in homes with the Epiphany. This comes from the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and is one that I’d like for us, as a Refuge community, to take time with and have in our hearts.

May Christ Jesus dwell with us,
keep us from all harm,
and make us one in mind and heart,
now and forever. Amen.

Please keep in your hearts and prayers the repose of the soul for His Holiness Benedict XVI , PopeEmeritus. May he rest with the angels and Lord in Heaven.

Lauri Hoffman,
Principal

Congratulations to our Kindergarten – 4th grade students who were recognized for displaying the virtue of counsel this month!  We are thankful for you.  Wishing a safe and blessed Thanksgiving holiday to our OLR community!