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R E L I G I O U S E D U C A T I O N

NEWSLETTER

Inside P A G E 1

FORMING FAITH F ILLED BELIEVERS: “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND HEART”

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A STORY OF LOVE AND SERVICE

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CLASS UPDATE: LEADING CHILDREN TO PREPARE FOR THE 1ST COMMUNION

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THE JOY OF TEACHING EVERY SUNDAY

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JOURNEYING WITH THE CONFIRMANDI

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REPORT OF MS. ESTRELLA FORNAL’S CLASS # 305

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FAMILY RESOURCES

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 “It is Our Catholic Faith, Let Us Live It”S A I N T V I ATO R

Forming Faith Filled Believers: “The Word is Near You, in Your Mouth and Heart” Lent 2019H E C T O R O B R E G O N - L U N A , D I R E C T O R

“Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say?The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart —that is, the word of faith that we preach—, for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised

him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Lc 4: 22-24)

This will be the second reading read on March 10, 2019. It enables us to reflect that sometimes it's much easier to judge others and forget about the challenges (temptations) of or lives. “The word is near us, in our mouth and in our heart”. Can we make it flesh like Mary did and live accordingly? Reflect as a family, how can you live the Lenten journey that can bind you more as a family and grow from?

The Lenten Journey

Once again, the season of Lent is upon us. The ashes of this Wednesday will remind us of our earthly mortality as we journey towards the expectation of Easter Resurrection. It is a great liturgical season, destined towards a celebration of the Paschal Mystery, as well as a reflective stage of our faith journey where we contemplate our day to day lives and

make adjustments to our spiritual growth. One of the highlights of this season is our penitential attitude, which encourages us to make ”sacrifices". There will be weekly Stations of the Cross, it could be a great opportunity to partake as a family and help our children understand the chore of our faith and the call towards our Kerygmatic life as disciples of Christ.

Lent is a fabulous time to contemplate as a family the mystery of not only Christ's redemption two thousand years ago, but also His presence in our lives today. Not only are we linked with the Eucharistic Lord in the Resurrection; we are also linked with Him in the trudge from Bethlehem, at the manger to the cross outside of Jerusalem. This period of penitential symbolism permits us to focus throughout our physical journey in our daily lives and correlate our actions to the sacred journey we call Christianity.

In this times of so much change, how can we understand "sacrifice" and pass it on to our children? Respectfully, I remember my mother giving up cheese and meat for the period of 40 days, she went to Mass every Sunday, said her prayers and went to Communion. At the end of Lent, there was always a magnificent outpouring of cheese and meat at our house. As I grew older, reflecting, I came to think that “sacrifice” is much more than withholding it for a period of time, rather growing into a new new life that was generated with the dawn of Easter. A life time commitment of LOVE…

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A Story of Love and ServiceMy call to ministry.

I was born in Chicago, but my parents migrated from Michoacan, Mexico. I was raised in the Northside of Chicago and attended St. Benedict High School. I attended Loyola University and graduated with Bachelors Degree in Sociology.

My family has always been close to the church. God has always been the center of my family life and having attended Catholic schools, God always played an important role in my life.

After graduating college I felt the urge to be confirmed and complete my sacraments of initiation. So I decided to attend the RCIA program of our parish. There, I found great mentors, catechists, they always challenged me to take my christian commitment to the next level; while at the beginning it was something scary, on the day of the ceremony I felt something wonderful within me, the call to carry on my ministry, but how or where? So, one Sunday, I saw Hector and approached him to ask if I could help somehow, delightedly he answer, YES!!

He invited me to attend the catechist meeting and introduced me to the other catechists, they all warmly welcomed me. Although, at the beginning I felt very nervous, I knew that with prayer and guidance I was exactly where God wanted me to be.

7 years have passed since I begun this journey, no regrets; rather, I continue to love every minute of it. I also decided to become certified leader, so on May of 2019, I will graduate as a Catechetical Leader at the Institute of Pastoral Leadership of Saint Mary of the Lake University.

M I S S . G L A D Y S M E L G O Z A , C O M M U N I O N T E A C H E R

Class Update: Leading Children to Prepare for the Sacrament of First Communion.

First Communion Class

In the spirit of the month of February we talked a lot about LOVE. What we think love is? Who we love? How we love? How we love God, and how God loves us? We had a lot of questions to answer this month. In trying to explain what love is, we first had to understand how the closest people to us, like Mom and Dad, love us. We made a list on how Mom and Dad show us that they love us. After that we talked about rules, why we have rules like bed time and why we can’t have candy for breakfast. I circled back and related that to, rules equals the love that our parents have for us.

Our parents love us so much that they want the best for us. Therefore that is why they give us rules in the first place. Then

we talked about some rules that God gave us, the 10 commandments. We went over each one, explained what each one means and how it applies to our lives. Some apply more than others but we still need to know their meaning. We made a craft with some paper and folding it into a “fortune teller” form putting numbers on the outside and guessing the commandment on the inside. The kids really seemed to like that! We had fun! My purpose wasn’t to emphasize knowing the commandments in order but to get the mind moving and thinking of what that the commandments are.

Going back to our theme of February I asked if it was possible to love a stranger? Was it possible to love someone you had never met before? The initial response was, “No! You can’t love someone you don’t know”. We went around describing what each person thinks love is, in words. We came up with different words like hugs, kisses, helping and being kind. Once we made that list the kids were able to see that love can be expressed as simple as a smile, a laugh and a kind word. Once they were able to see that love can be shown indifferent ways they were then able to see that they can love a stranger by saying, “Good Morning” with a smile.

What I wanted to get across is that love is everywhere and where there is love there is God. God loves us in so many different ways and he shows us every day how much he loves us. We need to see that love, take it in and spread it back out into the world. That love can be spread back into the world in so many different ways! Show your child where you see love. Where you see God. God’s love can always be found in the most unexpected places!

M I S S G L A D Y S M E L G O Z A , 1 S T C O M M U N I O N C L A S S

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“ I H AV E B E E N PA R T O F T H E Y O U T H M I N I S T R Y F O R F E W YEARS, IT HAS HELPED ME GROW AS A PERSON AND A LEADER. NOW

I am in college and feel I can contribute more with the program. So I talked to Hector about starting a Youth Support Program and felt welcomed, we are in the process of designing and framing the way we will carry on this ministry. In the midsts of

this changing and superficial society, I feel inspired on the fact that as a youth of this community my ideas and talents are counted towards bringing new members to ou r chu rch . Thanks fo r you r k ind support!” (Ellie, Youth Leader)

It is a Joy to See all the Children Every Sunday, We Are Exited to Continue With Our Classes!

The Reconciliation Class Room #201

The children have learned to make the right choice in either actions and words. Stressed to know the 10 Commandments and ask themselves "what would Jesus do?”

To think about the consequences when choosing wrong. To feel sorry and forgive. Learned by reading and later discussing the story of the Prodigal Son, how much love and forgiveness God has for us.

Lastly, they are learning The Act of Contrition (pg.85) and the Steps for 1st Day of Reconciliation. We all are looking forward to March 30th when they will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation/First Confession

Thank you and be well.

Elena.

M S . E L E N A M I R A N D A , R E C . C L A S S T E A C H E R In the month of February, we learned that Jesus was baptized at age 30 and began his ministry with 12 friends. These friends were 12 men who became his Apostles, (Luke 6:12-16). The Apostles are the Pillars of his Church because they went everywhere baptizing more people to become Christians, believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. We also learned that amongst the 12 Apostles, he chose Saint Peter, to become the Leader of the

Apostles and of his Church too, (Matthew 16:18). Today, the Pope is the successor of Saint Peter. The Pope guides our Church. Using Our Catholic Heritage Nivel1, (bilingual edition), text book and the Holy Bible in class, we studied pages 109-124. These pages covered the following 5 topics.

•We believe in the Church •Continuing Christ’s Work • Images of the Church •The Marks of the Church •The Shepherd of the Church

For month of March, we will learn about the Seven Sacraments. We will learn how and why they are necessary for our Salvation. I am very proud of my students since they have opened their heart to God’s word. Keep us in your prayers.

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“To begin with, it is clear that the Church has always looked on catechesis as a sacred duty and an inalienable right…from the

theological point of view every baptized person, precisely by reason of being baptized, has the right to receive from the Church instruction

and education enabling him or her to on a truly Christian life…” (#14)..!” (Catechesi Tradendae/Catechesis in Our Time)

“Life is a journey, along different roads, different paths, which leave their mark on us. We know in faith that Jesus seeks us out. He wants to heal our wounds, to soothe our feet which hurt from traveling alone, to wash each of us clean of the dust from our journey.” (Pope Francis)

During the month of February our class focused on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. ‘Sock Sacks’ were made with materials brought in by the students. The socks contained granola bars, beef jerky, lip balm, candy and

information on Hands To Help (a ministry that helps the homeless in our area). Keeping in mind that ‘what you do to the least of My brothers you do unto Me’ students will look for Jesus in the eyes of the homeless who are asking for help at intersections in the neighborhoods.

Saturday, March 9th, is the third Confirmation retreat. This one is at St Bart’s.

The rest of March will focus on:

Discussing Ash Wednesday and Lent ‘Chat Sessions’ concerning Catholic social teachings Learning about and using the sacraments for strength on our path to being Disciples of Jesus.

Ask your students about any or all of these activities. It has become evident that their faith is growing!.

Please

contact

me if you

have any

q u e s t i o n s .

mrsparich@gmail.com

M S . M A R Y P A R I C H , C O N F I R M AT I O N T E A C H E R

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Report from the Confirmation Classes: Journeying with the Confirmandi

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"Hello Parents and Colleagues!

Wow! Time is passing so fast. We are almost done with the year and First Communions are just around the corner.

So much excitement amongst the children as well as myself, so  beautiful to see them share their thoughts and feelings about receiving the Holy Eucharist.

The children   and I have discussed what it symbolizes to them as it’s not just about the parties, dressing up… but receiving the Body and Blood  of Christ and how it will make them feel. Many of the answers were about bringing them closer to God, feeling peace within their hearts and following the path God has for them.

Chapter 7 – Serving Others

How did Jesus serve others   – What did Jesus do to serve others? With what actions/forms did Jesus serve others? Many answers were that there was no judgment when serving others that being a poor or rich person, healthy or ill. What actions / forms of serving others   – We discussed what ways we serve others in our lives , such as helping a family member, a pet, a teacher. Loving Service – Many examples were given, all the children agreed that when we serve a person in need it symbolizes love and compassion. Examples of serving others – The children all provided examples and their own stories of how they have served others. Act like Jesus – In this discussion we took our own

stories and compared them to the actions of Loving Service Jesus provided. Mass – We discussed the meaning of the word “Mass” which means “Sent”. When Mass ends, we are sent out to live out and act like Jesus in our everyday lives. Disciples – How are we all Disciples ? What makes us Disciples ? We are all Disciples and we all have made a commitment to serve others always as we follow the path of the Lord.

Chapter 8 – Living The Eucharist

Living the Eucharist  –What does it mean ? As the children prepare to receive the Holy Eucharist, I shared my experience with them when I received the Eucharist. I shared my feelings of the day I made my Holy Communion and how much love and excitement I had …. ( And also how I was late to church !! ) We remember – How will we remember this blessed day ? The children had many answers, such as the feelings they will have and how very important it will be to celebrate receiving the Eucharist. Liturgy of the Eucharist - We discussed what happens when this is being done at  Mass, what actions are done by the Priest. Communion Rite – What does it symbolize to us ? The children fully understand that this symbolizes that we are all united with the Lord and with one another.

Report from Ms. Estrella Fornal’s Class # 204 C O L L E G E

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Resources for Family Spiritual Growth

LENT RESOURCES http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/index.cfm

https://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/lenten-resources.html

https://www.rclbenziger.com/tag/during-lent

AS A FAMILYFAMILY CHAT

Talk with your children about the message of Jesus and why it is

Good News for everyone.

TOGETHER Find out what the Gospel

reading for this Sunday will be. Read the Gospel together and

discuss its message.

a. Start to live as disciples b. Share God’s word c. Establish a spiritual journey

WHAT’S NEXTMarch 14th

Communion Parent Meeting Parish Hall

- English @ 6:30 - 7:45 pm - Spanish @ 8:00 - 9:45 pm

march 30th (Saturday) Family Reconciliation - All Classes

Church from 9:00 - 10:30 am

LINKS