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Health & Fitness

The Super Bowl and the Conclave

Principal of Mother Teresa Regional School, Melissa Whelan Wisk, follows the conclave with the same intensity and enthusiasm as the Giants on their road to the Super Bowl.

Principal of Mother Teresa Regional School, Atlantic Highlands, Mrs. Melissa Whelan Wisk has been following the news out of the Vatican with the same intensity she watched the Giants on their road to the Super Bowl.  The school’s twitter feed is filled with retweets of the Catholic News Service and the Catholic News Agency as Mrs. Wisk works to keep her students informed about the progress toward giving a new Pope.

“I am a huge Giants fan and had been following all of the Giants on twitter leading up to the Super Bowl. I was sharing with the students all the different things I was finding out about the road to the Super Bowl from twitter. Now, I am doing the same with the cardinals and the news out of the Vatican.” noted Mrs. Melissa Whelan Wisk. 

There is one difference this time, there is no road trip to the Vatican.  In 2012, Mrs. Wisk took Flat Stanleys made by the third and fourth grade and traveled to Indianapolis to see the Super Bowl. Without a ticket, she didn’t think she would see much, but as luck would have it two hours before the Super Bowl, she got a call that there was a ticket. “I was so excited and couldn’t believe it” exclaimed Mrs. Wisk.  “I am hoping for that moment again. I have offered to cover the Papal Election for any news agency in hopes that I can get that chance. It would be amazing to be in St. Peter’s Square when they announce Habemus Papem.”

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The students will be spending time this week continuing to learn about the conclave and the traditions that surround this special moment in history.  On Monday, the students will start the novena to St. Joseph with Cardinal Timothy Dolan who had tweeted an invitation to his followers to join him in the novena starting March 11th through March 19th, the feast of St. Joseph.  On Tuesday, the school is planning to host a mock conclave so that the students get to see the way the conclave will happen.  Classes have already begun making puppets of the Pope, playing “Pope Jeopardy” to learn about the process. For the remainder of the week, different prayer services are planned as the students pray for the cardinals who are meeting and voting. “I plan on being on Twitter and reporting what I learn to the students as well as having the TV on and ready for the students to see as much as we can” explained Mrs. Wisk “This is an important time in our church.”

Mother Teresa Regional School is a Catholic school serving students in preK3 through 8th grade.  For more information and to follow Mrs. Wisk visit mtregional.com or follow MTRSHawks on Twitter or Mother Teresa Regional School on Facebook.

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