October 26 Confirmation Enrollment Mass Recap

October 26 Confirmation Enrollment Mass Recap

Last weekend at a packed Sunday 5pm Youth Mass, our Confirmation candidates signed the Book of Enrollment in the presence of the community, signifying their desire for the sacrament and commitment to the process of preparation. 

The candidates are committing to deepen their relationship with God through the process, explore what it means to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and to remain open to what God is asking of them at this moment.

As a community, we are asked to keep these young people in our prayers, and to be living witnesses to the faith with our lives, in and out of the parishes.

This Sunday, November 2: Grade 2 Sacrament Prep Session: Introduction to the Sacrament Year

This Sunday, November 2: Grade 2 Sacrament Prep Session: <i>Introduction to the Sacrament Year</i>

10:15am in Powers Hall following the 9am Family Mass at St. John

This opening session will introduce children and families to this special year of preparation for the reception of the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning and are so excited to begin this journey with you!

IMPORTANT!This is a Family Session – children and parents together.  Children may not be “dropped off” without a parent or guardian. 

October Family Faith Formation: Not So Ordinary Time

October Family Faith Formation: Not So Ordinary Time

In the first sessions of Family Faith Formation this month, Fr. Jim explored the topic of “The Liturgical Year.” As our Collaborative embraces the theme of renewal and since faith formation and enrichment is a never ending journey, we thought it might be worthwhile to dive a little deeper into what our faith teaches us about the season of Ordinary Time!

Did You Know?

Ordinary Time isn’t called “ordinary” because it’s typical or because other liturgical seasons are more exciting!

“Ordinary” refers to ordinal numbers, meaning that ordinary time is counted by ordered weeks (typically 33 or 34 per year!) For instance, this week is the 30th  Sunday in Ordinary Time…

Confirmation Enrollment Mass this Sunday, October 26 at 5:00pm at St. Paul Church

Confirmation Enrollment Mass this Sunday, October 26 at 5:00pm at St. Paul Church

Our Confirmation candidates will be invited forward by Fr. Jim to sign the Book of Enrollment in the presence of the community, signifying their desire for the sacrament and commitment to the process of preparation.  

The candidates are committing to deepen their relationship with God through the process, explore what it means to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and remain open to what God is asking of them at this moment. They are also agreeing to be active members of the faith community and to contribute to their small groups with their attendance and positive participation. The community is committing to pray for these young people as they dedicate themselves to the process,  and to be living witnesses to the faith with their lives in and out of the parishes. They are also agreeing to be willing to engage honestly with these young people in questions and conversations about the Catholic faith.

This is an important step in your child’s preparation for the Sacrament – please make every effort to participate in this Mass.

Family Faith Formation Grades 6-7 Salt & Light: This Sunday, October 26 at 4pm at St. Paul

Family Faith Formation Grades 6-7 Salt & Light: This Sunday, October 26 at 4pm at St. Paul

The Liturgical Year 4-4:45pm in St. Paul Parish Hall preceding the Sunday 5pm Youth Mass

IMPORTANT: For Grades 6-7, there are two Family Sessions  and four Student-Only Sessions. This opening session is a Family Session (parent/s and children together.) Children may not be “dropped off” without a parent or guardian for Family Sessions. 

This opening session begins at 4:00pm with an opening prayer and “Focus on Faith” reflection given by Fr. Jim on “The Liturgical Year.” After the reflection, the pastoral team will guide parents and students in catechesis and small-group discussion…

Family Faith Formation This Sunday, October 19: Grades 3-5 Loaves & Fishes

Family Faith Formation This Sunday, October 19: Grades 3-5 Loaves & Fishes

The Liturgical Year 10:15-11:00am in Powers Hall following the 9:00am Family Mass at St. John

 PLEASE NOTE: All sessions are Family Sessions (children and parent/s together.) Children may not be “dropped off” without a parent or guardian.  

After participating in the Sunday 9am Family Mass,  parents and children gather together for an opening prayer and a “Focus on Faith” reflection given by Fr. Jim about “The Liturgical Year.” After the reflection, the pastoral staff guides parents in small group discussions and reviews the at-home material for the coming month, while the Children’s Faith Formation team guides the children in a related activity. The session ends with all gathered together for a closing prayer…

October 5: Mustard Seeds Launch Our Renewed Family Faith Formation Program!

October 5: Mustard Seeds Launch Our Renewed Family Faith Formation Program!

We launched our new “Family Faith Formation” program with great joy last Sunday with a Family Session for our youngest children and families – our “Mustard Seeds” in Grades K-2.

Kelly Meraw, Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, opened the packed session by welcoming everyone and explaining a little bit about what Family Faith Formation is and why parishes around the Archdiocese and across the country are moving to this model.

She emphasized that Family Faith Formation is not about expecting parents to be “CCD teachers” at home – it’s a way to shift faith formation to be more conversational, to be something that is baked-in to everyday life. Fr. Jim then offered a “Focus on Faith” reflection on this month’s theme of “The Liturgical Year,” explaining the different seasons in the Church year…

Family Faith Formation Launches this Sunday, October 5 with Grades K-2 Mustard Seeds!

Family Faith Formation Launches this Sunday, October 5 with Grades K-2 Mustard Seeds!

Family Faith Formation empowers, supports, and equips parents to impart the faith to their children.  Our program for children in Grades K-7 and their families is organized in three grade-level cohorts, and each cohort  meets six times over the year (October through April) for 45 minutes. All cohorts focus on the same theme each month, which creates a cohesive structure that supports families with children in multiple grades.  Our theme for October is The Liturgical Calendar, and our sessions will be led by Fr. Jim.

The schedule for October is below – our theme for the month is The Liturgical Calendar, and our sessions will be led by Fr. Jim.

Grades K-2 Mustard Seeds: Sunday, October 5 at St. John
10:15-11:00am in Powers Hall..

Our New Children’s Faith Formation Programs Launch in October!

Our New Children’s Faith Formation Programs Launch in October!

We are so excited to launch our renewed Children’s Faith Formation program in just a few weeks!  

As we explained over the summer, we are renewing Children’s Faith Formation in our Collaborative by replacing our programming (previously known as “Religious Education”) with two new and innovative programs  – a Family Faith Formation program for younger children and their families (Kindergarten – Grade 7) and a Small-Group Confirmation Preparation program for older students (Grade 8 and above.)

Please visit our Children’s Faith Formation page for more information about the programs, including a full calendar and a comprehensive FAQ with answers to questions about registration, logistics, sacrament preparation, and more!

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