High School Girls Join Up With SSPX Students In St. Mary's, Kansas

This highly anticipated trip began at noon on March 24th, and the 9th-12th grade girls proved that they were more than ready for the long car ride, bringing their fair share of snacks and energy drinks for their time on the road, as well as endless conversation and travel games. “I think we scarred Father Robinson,” the junior and senior girls later stated.

Everyone arrived safely, and ticket-free, at the Suarez dorm on Saint Mary’s campus at about 10:00 PM CDT, and after following Mrs. Ahearn on a late-night tour of the campus, and staying awake for a few more rounds of candy and laughter, the girls finally decided to go to sleep before the sun would rise on another exciting day.

On the morning of March 25th, our OLHCA representatives hurried though the chilly morning air to the campus building containing the auditorium and small gym, where crowds of girls from Saint Mary’s and Saint Vincent’s, the SSPX school in Kansas City, were waiting to meet them. The day officially commenced after the 9:00 AM Mass attended by the principals of the three schools in attendance- Father Robinson, Father Reid, and Father Trummer- as celebrant, deacon, and subdeacon, respectively, and sung by the girls’ choirs from Saint Mary’s and Saint Vincent’s. The ceremony was followed by a meet-and-greet breakfast, where each student found their creatively made nametag and table setting, and got a chance to introduce themselves to some of the many unfamiliar faces.

At the end of breakfast, Miss Maisy Goulart, the coordinator for the event, announced a series of teams for the outdoor sports that were scheduled to take place. The OLHCA girls partook in the activities with a healthy spirit of competitiveness, and after giving their best at every game, they left an athletic impression on their fellow SSPX students. The morning consisted of many rounds of volleyball, post ball, “poison ball,” and many other games, and after the small midday break set aside for lunch, the girls quickly returned to more mini-tournaments in the auditorium.

The main events of the day ended at 3:00 PM, but everybody was invited to come back later in the afternoon for an evening social and many more enthusiastic games of volleyball and tennis. In the meantime, our high-school girls strolled and window shopped around the town of Saint Marys with their chaperones, and also got a view of the new Immaculata church that is currently being built near campus.

The following day, March 26th, everyone made their goodbyes to the many friends they had made in Saint Mary’s and headed home to Colorado. On the way back to the West, they stopped in Wamego, KS, the hometown of L. Frank Baum (the author of The Wizard of Oz), for a quick coffee/tea stop and a tour of the Wizard of Oz museum, where they learned- in depth- about the 1939 film and its cast.

All the girls greatly enjoyed the trip and made many new friends and memories along the way. A big thank you to Father Robinson for arranging this visit, Mrs. Pfeiffer and Mrs. Ahearn for generously lending and driving their vans for the trip, and our two other wonderful chaperones, Mrs. McDermott and Miss Megan Eddy, for keeping the girls out of too much trouble. “Some place where there is isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be.” (Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz)

-Written by Carmella Beattie (11th Grade)