Letter from our Pastor   As pastor of St. Nicholas Catholic Community, I am extremely proud of our parish school.  The school faculty, staff and the parish pastoral staff are committed to providing our children with a holistic education—spiritual, academic, social, and physical.  Our entire parish sees the school as a vital ministry of the parish community.  While we welcome children of all creeds, our primary goal is to train young disciples of Christ within the Catholic faith tradition.  We believe that our children are the Church of today and of tomorrow, as well as our future religious and societal leaders.   An essential part of the Christian life is service to others and stewardship of the blessings God has bestowed on us.  For this reason, we provide our students with a variety of ways to reach out to our school and parish community and to the wider Bay Area community, especially those who require assistance with the basic needs of life.  We also instill a respect for all God’s creation, including the earth.   The Catholic tradition involves a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is lived out in community.  We strive to help our children develop in both those areas by cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus and a sense of community responsibility.  In emphasizing both these ethics, we instill a solid foundation of Catholic values.   Among my happiest tasks as pastor is to celebrate the Eucharist with the entire student body on a monthly basis and to spend time with smaller groupings of students.  Throughout the year, I and our associate pastor, Father Ken Silvia, meet with St. Nicholas Students for Mass, discussions regarding liturgy and open forums for questions and answers.  The Eucharist is the heart of Catholic life. We want our children to understand the Mass and appreciate the joy of celebrating our life in Christ at the liturgy.  In addition to our monthly school Mass, Catholic families worship together on a weekly basis.   Thank you for considering St. Nicholas School.  I know you will be delighted if you choose to send your child to our school and become apart of the St. Nicholas Parish Community.       Sincerely,   Father Larry Percell,   Pastor