Mount St. Mary
Catholic High School

Vol. 3 / Issue 4

BE YOUR BEST ALWAYS

"Oh let us prostrate ourselves before the manger, and along with the great St. Jerome, who was enflamed with the love of the infant Jesus, let us offer him all our hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity."
Saint Padre Pio

athletes and MSM Media
joseph Krug

          The Mount’s Instagram page @MSMmedia (and YouTube Channel) always produces cool videos, whether for sports or to make the school look nice and pretty. Here at The Mount, we always have such cool stuff going on all the time, and it is so pleasant to have a recording crew to capture and post it to show it off to the whole world. Many MSM media members are out at every event, recording, editing, and posting cool videos.

         Our school likes to show how much fun it is to go here and participate in things from going to Mass to playing a sport to a school pep rally. Our media members love making awesome videos. Everyone loves to see themselves in the videos posted on the MSM media Instagram page. All in all, everybody loves the videos that the media team produces.

         Star basketball player Braeden Lloyd said being in a video “is fun and exciting to see yourself in the video and show everyone what this year will be all about. Lemme break it down for you, It’s going to be a whole lot of W’s and NO L’s, and it’s going to end with a gold ring on my pinky finger.” 

         Senior Cameraman Tyler Schafer, aka TDS edits, said his favorite part about making videos is “being able to talk to people I don’t know and make the videos with them. I like putting smiles on people’s faces.” Is there any competition? Tyler answered resoundingly, “Yes, the biggest one is between Rylee Riddle and me, and I think I’m winning.” Tyler added, “When we all get along, we are all on the same page; we get stuff done quickly and efficiently.”

          There are aspiring video creators at The Mount. A big part of that was due to recent Mount alumni Joshua Cleary, aka “JRCmedia.” He started by making videos of local basketball games, mainly Mount football and basketball videos. Fast forward to this summer when he worked with Buddy Heild as his photographer/personal content creator. JRC Media always uploads awesome videos to its Instagram. It is unexplainably awesome to see yourself or one of your friends.

            The Rocket athletes love their mixtapes, especially those made about them. Athletes are so very, very grateful to MSM media students. There is no better feeling than waking up to a brand new mixtape of your game. It is like a present on a Christmas morning.

Tis’ The SeasoN
​Joe Krug

     Christmas break is something all students of all ages, from college to pre-school, look forward to all year long. These few weeks in December are the exact thing that students need right now. We have all been working like dogs, and it is nice to get a fun-filled break. The rockets love being in school, but everything needs a break, or it will not function correctly. And on December 17th, the Rockets will get the break they need.

     Mount students are on the final push to get their work done, raise their grades, or get them back to what they need to be. It is always hard to focus with all this Christmas cheer going around. All we can think about is making our Christmas list. And old St. Nick coming down the chimney eating our cookies and milk and dropping off presents under our Christmas trees of all the things we ask for. 

     With all this excitement for Christmas, what are the plans for Christmas? Jose Ruelas is going to Mexico with his family. Michael Brooks said he is going to Dallas to surprise his uncle, Joshua Shropshire, to his grandparents’ house to have a blast. Benedict Comia will be going to confession. Coach Gunter will get together with both sides of his family.

     Is there a particular tradition done every year for Christmas break? Nickolas Johnson said he and his family eat. Owen Kuklinski said he and his family open presents from Santa and eat a lot. Sam Fuentes said he and his family celebrate Christmas mass together. Maddox Stanley gets together with his family.

     Favorite thing to eat during Christmas? Nickolas Johnson said the Christmas ham, Maddox Ellis said steak, and Coach Winterrowd said pecan pie.

     One class that is very excited about Christmas is the freshman class. They held an ugly Christmas sweater competition. With one dollar to enter the competition, the winners got a free front-of-the-lunch line pass during finals week. And the lucky winners were Braelyn Fuska-Woodward, Braden Bronson, and Seth Puffinbargar.

     With all the Christmas cheer, around here at The Mount, we like to remember what Christmas truly is about. The birth of Christ. We enjoy giving more than we enjoy receiving. Putting a smile on someone else’s face is much more enjoyable than getting a smile on our own from receiving gifts. We love to live out our Mercy values.   

what christmas means to the mount
pryce jeffries

     ​Christmas, the jolliest time of the year and the most wonderful. The reason for this holiday is the annual celebration of Christ’s Birth, held on December 25th. Why celebrate Christmas Eve? Christmas Eve is when people are getting ready for what will come the following day: Christmas morning, getting up from bed, going in the living room, opening presents, spending time with family, nothing gets much better than that. 
 
     Senior Emma Lane comments, “Christmas means to me time to show more love and gratitude to those who love us.” on the subject of what Christmas means to her. 

     Junior, Maria Roqumore states, “To celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and bring us jolly joy.” Celebrating the birth of Jesus brings joy to anyone around the country. 

     Sophomore Sophia Martin claims, “Christmas means coming together to spend time with family and friends, and overall it means love and happiness. If you celebrate with your family, you will have more joy.” 

     Freshman Addison Pivniska states, “To me, Christmas means family and love. And just getting to be with my family and celebrating the Christmas season with them.” 
​
     The holiday is to spend time with your family, go to midnight mass, watch Christmas movies, and bake cookies. Another way you could spend your Christmas is by honoring God in every aspect of your life, during the Christmas season, and in your entire life. 

its the most wonderful time
CJ Johnson and Mr. Ruiz

     Christmas is a celebration of the coming of Christ to earth, God incarnate. Christmas is the best time of the year for most people because it’s when family comes together, sits by the fire, drinks hot chocolate, and watches Christmas specials. 

     Depending on the person, we have different tastes regarding the TV Specials. Mrs. Muzny says her favorite Christmas special is the Disney ABC special. Mr. Schilly’s favorite Christmas special is The Grinch because “the grinch is funny and because it is a classic.” Mrs. Hawley says Rudolph “because of his red nose.” Coach Gunter says his favorite is all of the office Christmas episodes, “Any and all of them.” Mrs. Forgue’s favorite Christmas show is “Frosty the snowman.” Mr. Ruiz is more of a "Charlie Brown Christmas" or even “Muppets and John Denver at Christmas,” but “Any of the old 1960s Christmas specials will do for me.”

     As a school, the most popular Christmas special is “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” while “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a close second. The top five specials are “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with 34%, “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” at 24.4%, “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas” at 12.2% with “The Muppets’ A Christmas Carol” at 9.8% and finishing the top five is “Frosty The Snowman” at almost 5%.

     A few memorable mentions are “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Disney Christmas.” Some unusual responses were “the Muppets and Lady Gaga,” “The Star Wars Christmas Special,” and “My Little Pony Christmas Special.” And then there’s that YouTube special “The Story of Christmas Through Kids Eyes.”

Editor’s note: Many responses had to be deleted because they were not TV Specials by definition (Christmas Special - “A mostly American subgenre, these are special television shows, often one-shots, created with a northern hemisphere winter or holiday theme for broadcast during the month of December.” tvtropes.org)

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Christmas is ...
Ty Doan and editor

     Christmas is all about Jesus and his birth. Showing us how Jesus was born and then the struggles Mary and Joseph had to go through to deliver Jesus.

​     According to BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation), “Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The story can be found in the New Testament of the Bible in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.” Reading Matthew and Luke in the New Testament will help illustrate why Christmas is meaningful.

     Starting with the Gospel according to Luke, “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her in reply, ‘The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.’ Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” 

     It continues on Matthew Chapter 1, verses 18b - 21 and 24-25, “When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.”

     Mrs. Courtney Stone said, “Christmas is not just a day-long but is an entire season that we celebrate in the Catholic Church. Christmas is a time in which we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the One Who was long-awaited and prophesied throughout all of salvation history.” She even had something to say about what we could do for ourselves for Christmas. “Read the Nativity story from Scripture for personal prayer or with others. We can spend time rejoicing and celebrating in other ways, too, that involves all of our senses: through prayer, with yummy food, music, movies, decorations, candles, time with family and friends, and other beautiful things and traditions, of course!”

     Mrs. Angie Cosby commented, “People can get together with family and friends and do service projects to help the poor or homeless like Jesus taught us to.” She also shared a Christmas tradition: “We get hamburgers from Sonic or Braum’s and eat and have a dirty Santa game.  I grew up on a farm, and we rarely ate out, so on Christmas Eve, we always got ‘town-bought’ hamburgers before we opened gifts and then went to midnight Mass.” 

     As a Catholic who celebrates Christmas, I think Christmas is invaluable and a time to enjoy yourself with your family. It is also a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and how Mary and Joseph made their way to Bethlehem. So instead of worrying about what gifts you’re going to get for this Christmas, try to think about the story of baby Jesus and the struggles Mary and Joseph went through to have and protect baby Jesus. Not everything on Christmas is about gifts. 

     I celebrate Christmas by putting up a Christmas tree and decorating my living room with my sister during the Christmas season. On Christmas day, my family and I go out to my grandma’s house, eat, talk, and give gifts to each other. After that, we go home. My sister and I usually have more presents from other family members, so we open them. After opening gifts, my sister and I watch a Christmas movie and enjoy hot cocoa. 

Did you know this about Christmas?
Denver Catholic Staff

Editor's Note: The following column has been borrowed from The Denver Catholic (https://denvercatholic.org/did-you-know-this-about-christmas/).

     We all have questions about Christmas. Where did it come from? What’s the history? Why is it when it is?

      We did some research to come up with answers — or, better yet, more questions — in response to some common misconceptions about the most wonderful time of the year.

     What does Christmas even mean?
“Christmas” derives from the Middle English word Cristemasse, which comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse. This phrase means “Christ’s Mass,” first recorded in 1038.

     Over time, it became more accessible for people to say “Christmas.” And contrary to popular opinion, the even shorter version, Xmas, doesn’t take “Christ” out of Christmas — the “X” is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ (chi).

     Isn’t Christmas just a stolen idea from the ancient pagan celebration of Sol Invictus or New Winter Solstice?

     Not quite. The earliest reference to Christmas being celebrated on December 25 was by Hippolytus of Rome in his Commentary on the Book of Daniel in 204 A.D., which predates any mention of a celebration honoring the pagan god Sol Invictus.

     It’s also worth noting that December 25 falls when the ancient world celebrated the winter solstice. Historically it has been famous for agricultural reasons and therefore a suitable time for different celebrations and rituals by many various peoples and cultures. So, different festivals around that time were accepted — no one stole or appropriated anything!

     So, why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?
 
     In the 5th century, Pope Leo I established the Feast of the Nativity to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation. Now, this didn’t “create” the Feast Day — we know that many Christians had been celebrating Christmas for centuries before this, too. Instead, just like the dogmas or teachings of the Church on the Eucharist or the Communion of Saints, for example, this was not the invention of a new teaching but the formal articulation of something that was believed from the beginning — in some cases even predating the Bible!
​
     So, why did he settle on this date?

     It goes back to a celebration from even earlier in history: Anno Mundi, the traditional celebration of the Creation of the World. While the date of this celebration was different across many ancient calendars, March 25 emerged as the date of its celebration because of its proximity to the spring equinox. Early Christians also adopted March 25 as the date of the Annunciation, the day when an angel announced to Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus, the savior of the world.

     How are these dates connected?

      Because both dates celebrate events when God entered the world: first through the act of Creation and again through the Incarnation. So, nine months after the celebration of this glorious conception, we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth on December 25. And, once again, that date also aligns with the winter solstice, which marks when the days began to grow longer. How fitting that the birth of Christ, the Light coming into the world, coincides with this day of more light.

     Wait, so was Jesus even born on December 25, 0 A.D.?

     There’s no way to prove the exact year Jesus was really born empirically. However, several curious facts surrounding the day of December 25 make a strong case that this day was indeed Jesus’ birthday. The first is the Star of Bethlehem, which modern-day astronomers have theorized to possibly be a series of extraordinary astronomical events — specifically, a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the star Regulus, which they’ve dated to around the time Jesus was supposed to have been born. The Wise Men — who were ancient astrologers — would undoubtedly have paid attention to events like these and followed them closely, right to a little town called Bethlehem! The second detail that helps us date Jesus’ birth accurately is census data. The nativity story in the Gospel of Luke opens with mention of a census taken by Quirinius, the governor of Syria at the time. Historical records verify that a widespread census indeed occurred in 6 A.D., thus adding another layer of historical truth to the story of Jesus’ birth.

     Last but not least, the consensus among the early Church Fathers seemed to be that Jesus was born sometime between 3 and 2 B.C. Further, the tradition maintained by several of the Church Fathers is that Jesus was indeed born on December 25. As St. Hippolytus of Rome wrote in his Commentary on Daniel 4:23:3, “the first advent of Our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was eight days before the Kalends of January, the fourth day [i.e., Wednesday] … .” The Kalends was the first day of the month, and eight days before January 1 is December 25. So, while it’s hard to know the exact date of Jesus’ birth definitively, the evidence provided based on historical records and early Church tradition safely points to December 25 as the birthday of Christ. But keep in mind: The actual date he was born is a matter of history, not doctrine. What matters is that he was born!

Is it true that Christmas used to be illegal?

Yes! Christianity itself was illegal across the Roman empire until the 4th century. It wasn’t until the 6th century that Emperor Justinian declared Christmas a public holiday. But history gets even crazier. In the United States, Puritans objected to the celebration of Christmas because they felt it to be too unbiblical and rooted in too much lewd partying.
Their disapproval went so far that Christmas was outlawed in Boston from 1659 until the ban was lifted in 1681. By the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the celebration of Christmas still was not widespread in the United States. Even churches were closed during Christmas! Alabama was the first state to declare it a public holiday in 1836. It wasn’t officially proclaimed a federal holiday until 1870. But today, the holiday is widespread — well over 85 percent of the U.S. population celebrates Christmas!

Keep the conversation going with your friends and family this Christmas season. Who knows? You — and they — might learn something new.

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