Update for Parents 3.30.20
Dear Parents,
What an interesting time we are in these days. I pray all is well with you and your household.
So far, we are holding to the May 30th Confirmation date. We’ll let you know if this date changes. This means Confirmation preparation is still going on. Sponsors and candidates should be nearly finished with their sessions and the Sponsor Project. Please email me your Project Reports when you finish. Homily Notes are still due. Ss. John & Paul records and posts Sunday Mass on our website at 10:30 each week. This is Mass! Watch together as a family, hum along with the music, pray.
Since we are unable to meet, we are turning to an on-line platform. The parish’s e-tools page will have information and activities all through April. Look for the Family with Teen(s) page. I’m also sending up to four mini-sessions, called “Confirmation 101,” to be done with parent and teen and sometimes, the whole family. Theses 15-20 minute sessions will continue to help you understand the Sacrament of Confirmation. The sessions will come to you through Constant Contact and will also be posted on the parish e-tools page. I trust these sessions will be completed, so I will not require written proof. I know these are stressful days; please do the best you can.
Fr. Tim will have a chat with each Year 2 candidate and parents. A Sign-Up Genius will soon be sent to you.
God Bless! You are in my prayers!
Janet Elwer
Confirmation Coordinator
What an interesting time we are in these days. I pray all is well with you and your household.
So far, we are holding to the May 30th Confirmation date. We’ll let you know if this date changes. This means Confirmation preparation is still going on. Sponsors and candidates should be nearly finished with their sessions and the Sponsor Project. Please email me your Project Reports when you finish. Homily Notes are still due. Ss. John & Paul records and posts Sunday Mass on our website at 10:30 each week. This is Mass! Watch together as a family, hum along with the music, pray.
Since we are unable to meet, we are turning to an on-line platform. The parish’s e-tools page will have information and activities all through April. Look for the Family with Teen(s) page. I’m also sending up to four mini-sessions, called “Confirmation 101,” to be done with parent and teen and sometimes, the whole family. Theses 15-20 minute sessions will continue to help you understand the Sacrament of Confirmation. The sessions will come to you through Constant Contact and will also be posted on the parish e-tools page. I trust these sessions will be completed, so I will not require written proof. I know these are stressful days; please do the best you can.
Fr. Tim will have a chat with each Year 2 candidate and parents. A Sign-Up Genius will soon be sent to you.
God Bless! You are in my prayers!
Janet Elwer
Confirmation Coordinator
Confirmation 101.1
Begin with prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Supplies: Bible, paper, pencil, internet search capability
The Sacrament of Confirmation
At Baptism, you were called by name, promises were made, you were anointed with oil, and presented to the community. The Rite of the Sacrament of Confirmation also includes the above. Most of you were baptized as babies or small children and your parents spoke for you. Now it’s your turn to profess your faith and with the sacrament, you will be fully initiated into the Church with your faith as a Catholic Christian.
Of course, our faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Take pencil and paper and list ten things you know about Jesus. Yes, he was born in Bethlehem, he is God’s son, he healed people, he died, and he rose from the dead and many other facts. But who is Jesus to you? Read from your Bible, Matthew 16:13-16. Peter says Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. The Gospels tell us about Jesus. I challenge you to read one of the gospels during this time. The Gospel of Mark takes about one hour to read.
Google ‘images of Jesus.’ Choose one or two to spend a minute with.
This time I’d like you to picture somebody you have encountered in the last few weeks who drives you crazy, somebody that you have a hard time being around, or somebody that you just don’t like. Where is Jesus in that person? As Catholic Christians, we are called to see the presence of Christ in everybody we meet, not just the people that we like. Jesus said he is present in the least of our brothers and sisters, and we will be judged by how we treat them. It isn’t easy being Christian. Jesus is with us in everybody we encounter. Sometimes that is easy to forget but we need to always remind ourselves of this. As a fully initiated Catholic, you become a disciple of Christ. We’ll talk about that in a later session.
A Good Clean Joke:
A cop pulled over a car full of nuns. He says, “Sister, the speed limit is 55 mph. Why are you going so slow?”
Sister replies, “I saw a lot of signs that said 41, not 55.”
The cop says, “Sister, that’s the name of the highway, not the speed limit.”
Then the cop glances in the back seat where the other nuns are quaking with fear. He asks, “Excuse me, Sister. What’s wrong with your friends?”
Sister replies, “Oh, we just got off Highway 101.”
God Bless!
Janet
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Supplies: Bible, paper, pencil, internet search capability
The Sacrament of Confirmation
At Baptism, you were called by name, promises were made, you were anointed with oil, and presented to the community. The Rite of the Sacrament of Confirmation also includes the above. Most of you were baptized as babies or small children and your parents spoke for you. Now it’s your turn to profess your faith and with the sacrament, you will be fully initiated into the Church with your faith as a Catholic Christian.
Of course, our faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Take pencil and paper and list ten things you know about Jesus. Yes, he was born in Bethlehem, he is God’s son, he healed people, he died, and he rose from the dead and many other facts. But who is Jesus to you? Read from your Bible, Matthew 16:13-16. Peter says Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. The Gospels tell us about Jesus. I challenge you to read one of the gospels during this time. The Gospel of Mark takes about one hour to read.
Google ‘images of Jesus.’ Choose one or two to spend a minute with.
- What do you think the person was thinking when they created this image?
- What characteristics do you see in Jesus in this image?
- Do you see yourself in any way in this image?
This time I’d like you to picture somebody you have encountered in the last few weeks who drives you crazy, somebody that you have a hard time being around, or somebody that you just don’t like. Where is Jesus in that person? As Catholic Christians, we are called to see the presence of Christ in everybody we meet, not just the people that we like. Jesus said he is present in the least of our brothers and sisters, and we will be judged by how we treat them. It isn’t easy being Christian. Jesus is with us in everybody we encounter. Sometimes that is easy to forget but we need to always remind ourselves of this. As a fully initiated Catholic, you become a disciple of Christ. We’ll talk about that in a later session.
A Good Clean Joke:
A cop pulled over a car full of nuns. He says, “Sister, the speed limit is 55 mph. Why are you going so slow?”
Sister replies, “I saw a lot of signs that said 41, not 55.”
The cop says, “Sister, that’s the name of the highway, not the speed limit.”
Then the cop glances in the back seat where the other nuns are quaking with fear. He asks, “Excuse me, Sister. What’s wrong with your friends?”
Sister replies, “Oh, we just got off Highway 101.”
God Bless!
Janet
Confirmation 101.2
Begin with prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Supplies Needed: Bible, paper, pencil, internet search capability
The Sacrament of Confirmation
Did you know that the moon has a bishop? The moon belongs within the Diocese of Orlando, the home diocese of Cape Canaveral.
At Baptism, you became a member of a parish church, a diocese, and the Roman Catholic Church. Test your knowledge of the Church to which you belong:**
What does it mean to belong to a Church? There is
As baptized and confirmed Catholics, we are nurtured by our parish, and we offer our gifts and talents to our parish. Our parish is Jesus Christ in eastern Polk County!
Read Mark 8:34-38. Jesus puts it on the line. Whoever wishes to come after me … He’s talking to each of us, the Body of Christ. Our faith is a community faith. We are in this together. Our faith and our actions are called discipleship, meaning we are disciples of Jesus and are Jesus to everyone we meet. How are we Jesus? Our actions say a lot. How do we treat people? Do we look at people as God does? Or do we judge and mock people? Are we generous, kind, and loving? We are the Body of Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. St. Paul urges us to use our gifts for the Body of Christ.
The Roman Catholic Church has a long history, some good, some not so good. Watch this video from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from a few years ago to see how wonderfully diverse and beautiful our Church family is.
At the end of our life, we will be judged by the way we lived our lives. Read Matthew 25:31-46. How will your life be judged? Do you need to change anything?
The Sacrament of Confirmation brings us fully into the Church. Discipleship is how we practice our faith.
My prayers are with you as you take this journey of faith,
Janet
Good Clean Joke:
Catholic definitions:
**ANSWERS:
Rev. Timothy Fitzgerald
Diocese of Des Moines
Bishop William Joensen
Pope Francis
Vatican City
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Supplies Needed: Bible, paper, pencil, internet search capability
The Sacrament of Confirmation
Did you know that the moon has a bishop? The moon belongs within the Diocese of Orlando, the home diocese of Cape Canaveral.
At Baptism, you became a member of a parish church, a diocese, and the Roman Catholic Church. Test your knowledge of the Church to which you belong:**
- Name Ss. John & Paul parish priest:
- Name our diocese:
- Name our bishop:
- Name the current pope:
- Where does the pope live?
What does it mean to belong to a Church? There is
- Church - our local church
- Church - the body of Christ
- and Church - the Roman Catholic Church.
As baptized and confirmed Catholics, we are nurtured by our parish, and we offer our gifts and talents to our parish. Our parish is Jesus Christ in eastern Polk County!
Read Mark 8:34-38. Jesus puts it on the line. Whoever wishes to come after me … He’s talking to each of us, the Body of Christ. Our faith is a community faith. We are in this together. Our faith and our actions are called discipleship, meaning we are disciples of Jesus and are Jesus to everyone we meet. How are we Jesus? Our actions say a lot. How do we treat people? Do we look at people as God does? Or do we judge and mock people? Are we generous, kind, and loving? We are the Body of Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. St. Paul urges us to use our gifts for the Body of Christ.
The Roman Catholic Church has a long history, some good, some not so good. Watch this video from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee from a few years ago to see how wonderfully diverse and beautiful our Church family is.
At the end of our life, we will be judged by the way we lived our lives. Read Matthew 25:31-46. How will your life be judged? Do you need to change anything?
The Sacrament of Confirmation brings us fully into the Church. Discipleship is how we practice our faith.
My prayers are with you as you take this journey of faith,
Janet
Good Clean Joke:
Catholic definitions:
- CHOIR: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.
- HOLY WATER: a liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY
- INCENSE: Holy Smoke!
- JONAH: The original “Jaws” story
- KYRIE ELEISON: The only Greek words that most Catholics can recognize besides gyros and baklava.
**ANSWERS:
Rev. Timothy Fitzgerald
Diocese of Des Moines
Bishop William Joensen
Pope Francis
Vatican City
Confirmation 101.3
Begin with prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Supplies: Bible, internet search capability
The Sacrament of Confirmation
You were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Since that time, the Spirit has been alive and active in you. Read Matthew 3:13-17. This is a passage that has the Trinity in it – God in three persons: the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The believers were promised by Jesus that he would send an advocate, or helper, in Acts 1:6-8. The Spirit guides us, encourages us, and can be very practical – you know, that little voice that lets us know if we are about to do something wrong.
The Spirit helps us make the good decisions that accompany a follower of Christ. By now you and your Confirmation sponsor should have discussed the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, and wonder & awe of God.
Each of us has these gifts and the Holy Spirit helps us to use these gifts and to know God’s will. Read Acts 2:1-7. Put yourself in the room. Are you one of the apostles? Are you afraid? Confused? This passage is the wonderful story of the birthday of the Church, the Feast of Pentecost. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, which made them ready to take on the mission of Jesus. It wasn’t easy. Some were jailed; most died a horrible death; but they stayed faithful.
Google Holy Spirit images and Holy Spirit artwork. The images may include a dove, fire/flame, hands, or the colors red and gold. Does an image speak to you? Spend a few moments with that image.
Spoiler Alert When we are able to gather again, I will ask you to create an artwork which includes a symbol/image of the Holy Spirit. I want to make a stained-glass window from your work. You can begin now if you wish.
When we live with the gifts of the Spirit working in our lives, we reap the “fruits” of the Spirit. Turn to Galatians 5:16-26. This passage tells us clearly the fruits that come about by the way we live our lives. Because we are Christians, the way we live our lives should show others these fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How we live our lives is our choice. Always remember, God is with us and the Spirit helps us live the life God wants us to have. We are not in this alone. Our family, friends, and our Church community can be good models of living in the Spirit.
A Good Clean Joke
A woman who was taking a Scripture course discovered a burglar in her kitchen. Since she had no weapon to scare him off, she raised her hand and shouted, “Act 2:38.”
The burglar froze and didn’t move, so the woman called 911. The police arrived and were amazed to find the burglar still frozen where he stood.
“What did you say to him?” the police asked.
She replied that she had quoted scripture to him, “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.”
As the police put the burglar in the squad car, they asked him, “Why did her scripture verse scare you so much?”
“Scripture?” said the burglar, “I thought she said she had an axe and two 38s!”
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Supplies: Bible, internet search capability
The Sacrament of Confirmation
You were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Since that time, the Spirit has been alive and active in you. Read Matthew 3:13-17. This is a passage that has the Trinity in it – God in three persons: the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The believers were promised by Jesus that he would send an advocate, or helper, in Acts 1:6-8. The Spirit guides us, encourages us, and can be very practical – you know, that little voice that lets us know if we are about to do something wrong.
The Spirit helps us make the good decisions that accompany a follower of Christ. By now you and your Confirmation sponsor should have discussed the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, and wonder & awe of God.
Each of us has these gifts and the Holy Spirit helps us to use these gifts and to know God’s will. Read Acts 2:1-7. Put yourself in the room. Are you one of the apostles? Are you afraid? Confused? This passage is the wonderful story of the birthday of the Church, the Feast of Pentecost. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, which made them ready to take on the mission of Jesus. It wasn’t easy. Some were jailed; most died a horrible death; but they stayed faithful.
Google Holy Spirit images and Holy Spirit artwork. The images may include a dove, fire/flame, hands, or the colors red and gold. Does an image speak to you? Spend a few moments with that image.
Spoiler Alert When we are able to gather again, I will ask you to create an artwork which includes a symbol/image of the Holy Spirit. I want to make a stained-glass window from your work. You can begin now if you wish.
When we live with the gifts of the Spirit working in our lives, we reap the “fruits” of the Spirit. Turn to Galatians 5:16-26. This passage tells us clearly the fruits that come about by the way we live our lives. Because we are Christians, the way we live our lives should show others these fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How we live our lives is our choice. Always remember, God is with us and the Spirit helps us live the life God wants us to have. We are not in this alone. Our family, friends, and our Church community can be good models of living in the Spirit.
A Good Clean Joke
A woman who was taking a Scripture course discovered a burglar in her kitchen. Since she had no weapon to scare him off, she raised her hand and shouted, “Act 2:38.”
The burglar froze and didn’t move, so the woman called 911. The police arrived and were amazed to find the burglar still frozen where he stood.
“What did you say to him?” the police asked.
She replied that she had quoted scripture to him, “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.”
As the police put the burglar in the squad car, they asked him, “Why did her scripture verse scare you so much?”
“Scripture?” said the burglar, “I thought she said she had an axe and two 38s!”
confirmation 101.4
Begin with prayer
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?
Imagine a person comes up to you and says, “I understand that you are Catholic. What does that mean? What do you believe?”
Take a minute with your parents and come up with a list of answers: what does it mean to be Catholic?
With the Sacrament of Confirmation, you will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church. The Nicene Creed summarizes our belief.
By now you should have this creed memorized. It is a summary of our faith, and we recite it each Sunday.
Read through the Nicene Creed line by line (below – scroll down past the joke). Do you understand what each line means? Ask your parents or sponsor what they think it means.
With baptism you were given a place to belong, a place bigger than just one person. Jesus Christ is the center of our lives. Jesus had a mission, and now we have a job to do. That job is to point everything we say and do toward God. Sacraments and all that we use in our faith lives-water, oil, prayers, scripture, bread, wine-all point to God. Look up John 3:16-17. This is a familiar passage. Read it, then read it again out loud.
Our church is surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 12:1) We have a great legacy of faith lived by the saints and holy people who have come before us. Our traditions have accumulated throughout the years. Name a tradition in your home that was passed down to you.
Catholics have a spiritual life full of prayer, reading scripture, and conversations with friends. We are always seeking a way to be with God and become closer to God.
Did you know that the Catholic Church is the largest charity organization in the world? We take the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 seriously! Turn to and read Matthew 25:31-46. These Works of Mercy are why we have so many sign-up sheets in the Gathering Space. We help those who are in need. We also take seriously Mark 16:15. The gospel we proclaim may not always be in words. Our actions also preach a gospel message.
Of course, all of what we believe as church is founded on love-a God who loves us so much that God well, stop and look up John 3:16-17. This passage is very familiar, so much so we can gloss over it. But it sums up the love God has for us. With that love, we are to love others. Read this passage and think about the great love God has for you!
So, what does it mean to be Catholic? We believe; we belong; we are to be Jesus in the world.
Church isn’t just a place to go to on Sunday-we are the Church!
There is a saying, “Catholics celebrate what we believe and live what we celebrate.” What do you think this means?
Good Clean Catholic Joke
Man: What is a million years like to you?
God: Like one second.
Man: What is a million dollars like to you?
God: Like one penny.
Man: Can I have a penny?
God: Just a second.
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?
Imagine a person comes up to you and says, “I understand that you are Catholic. What does that mean? What do you believe?”
Take a minute with your parents and come up with a list of answers: what does it mean to be Catholic?
With the Sacrament of Confirmation, you will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church. The Nicene Creed summarizes our belief.
By now you should have this creed memorized. It is a summary of our faith, and we recite it each Sunday.
Read through the Nicene Creed line by line (below – scroll down past the joke). Do you understand what each line means? Ask your parents or sponsor what they think it means.
With baptism you were given a place to belong, a place bigger than just one person. Jesus Christ is the center of our lives. Jesus had a mission, and now we have a job to do. That job is to point everything we say and do toward God. Sacraments and all that we use in our faith lives-water, oil, prayers, scripture, bread, wine-all point to God. Look up John 3:16-17. This is a familiar passage. Read it, then read it again out loud.
Our church is surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 12:1) We have a great legacy of faith lived by the saints and holy people who have come before us. Our traditions have accumulated throughout the years. Name a tradition in your home that was passed down to you.
Catholics have a spiritual life full of prayer, reading scripture, and conversations with friends. We are always seeking a way to be with God and become closer to God.
Did you know that the Catholic Church is the largest charity organization in the world? We take the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 seriously! Turn to and read Matthew 25:31-46. These Works of Mercy are why we have so many sign-up sheets in the Gathering Space. We help those who are in need. We also take seriously Mark 16:15. The gospel we proclaim may not always be in words. Our actions also preach a gospel message.
Of course, all of what we believe as church is founded on love-a God who loves us so much that God well, stop and look up John 3:16-17. This passage is very familiar, so much so we can gloss over it. But it sums up the love God has for us. With that love, we are to love others. Read this passage and think about the great love God has for you!
So, what does it mean to be Catholic? We believe; we belong; we are to be Jesus in the world.
Church isn’t just a place to go to on Sunday-we are the Church!
There is a saying, “Catholics celebrate what we believe and live what we celebrate.” What do you think this means?
Good Clean Catholic Joke
Man: What is a million years like to you?
God: Like one second.
Man: What is a million dollars like to you?
God: Like one penny.
Man: Can I have a penny?
God: Just a second.
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Confirmation 101.5
Begin with prayer
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
This year’s Parish Intergenerational Faith Formation focused on the Bible, God’s love letter to us. We heard over and over two particular words: covenant-a sacred promise, and salvation-God’s promise to always save us.
You know how much I like a timeline! This one is a little corny but it tells us the story of God and the story of salvation.
Begin with prayer
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
This year’s Parish Intergenerational Faith Formation focused on the Bible, God’s love letter to us. We heard over and over two particular words: covenant-a sacred promise, and salvation-God’s promise to always save us.
You know how much I like a timeline! This one is a little corny but it tells us the story of God and the story of salvation.
God loves, God forgives, and God saves. God chose Abraham to create a Chosen People, known now as the Jews or Hebrews or Israelites. Right up to Jesus and his death and resurrection, God loves and saves. In the many centuries of the Bible, there were years of joy and health, and also years of challenges, defeats, famine, and exile. But the Chosen People always had hope that God would forgive them and take them back into relationship with Him.
These last weeks have been challenging to all of us. We’ve been cut off from family, friends, school, work and Mass. We may personally know someone who has suffered with Covid-19. But just like the Israelites of old, we have hope that our lives will return to what they were, and maybe even something better.
Life Teen, a publisher for Catholic Teens, has a blog about hope and Easter that I think you’d like.
My hope is that our parish will be up and running by May 30th, but we don’t yet know if we will need to reschedule the Confirmation liturgy. We will let everyone know as soon as we can.
Most Bibles include a subject index where you can find passages that talk about anger, frustration, friendship, hope, and just about any other feeling you might have. The Psalms in particular cover a wide range of feelings. You’ll find psalms of joy, anger, praise, thanksgiving, comfort, and more. Find the book of Psalms in your Bible. Glance through-there are 150 of them! Find a psalm that speaks to you today. One of my favorites is Psalm 8.
The Book of Romans tells us, “…we boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
Do not give up hope.
A good clean joke...
Confirmation 101.6
Begin with prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Are You Smarter Than a Catholic Fifth Grader?
These last few weeks we’ve reviewed the Sacrament of Confirmation and some things we learned about the Bible at Faith Formation.
Let’s see what you remember and know about your Catholic faith. Teens, challenge your parents to take this quiz with you!
Are You Smarter Than a Catholic Fifth Grader?
The answers will be posted on the Families with Teens e-tool page soon.
Stay safe, and read your Bibles!
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
Are You Smarter Than a Catholic Fifth Grader?
These last few weeks we’ve reviewed the Sacrament of Confirmation and some things we learned about the Bible at Faith Formation.
Let’s see what you remember and know about your Catholic faith. Teens, challenge your parents to take this quiz with you!
Are You Smarter Than a Catholic Fifth Grader?
- Who is the apostle we refer to as “the first pope?”
- Name the five liturgical seasons in order, beginning with the four weeks before Christmas.
- Name the Sacraments of Initiation.
- What is our Bishop’s name?
- List the Corporal Works of Mercy. (the first is ‘feed the hungry’)
- The Roman Catholic Church’s official headquarters is located where?
- What is the name of the three holy days just before Easter?
- Name the Sacraments of Healing.
- Name the Sunday that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit.
- In what town did Jesus grow up?
- How many apostles did Jesus select?
- Name the four Gospels.
- Name the first five books of the Old Testament, known also as the Jewish Torah.
- Name a famous living person who is Catholic.
- What is the name of our diocese?
- Name the Sacraments of Service.
- What is the correct term for the place in the church where the consecrated hosts are kept?
- What is Jesus’ mother’s name?
- What is the liturgical color of Lent?
- Name the two parts of Mass.
- Name the meal where Jesus said, “This is my Body, do this in remembrance of me.”
- Name a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
- Who is a saint you admire?
- Who came next: Abraham, Isaac, ______?
- Who came first, Moses or Noah?
The answers will be posted on the Families with Teens e-tool page soon.
Stay safe, and read your Bibles!
Answers to Are You Smarter Than a Catholic Fifth Grader?
- Who is the apostle we refer to as ‘the first pope’? Peter
- Name the five liturgical seasons in order, beginning with the four weeks before Christmas. Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter (Ordinary Time again)
- Name the Sacraments of Initiation. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
- What is our Bishop’s name? Bishop William Joensen
- List the Corporal Works of Mercy. (the first is ‘feed the hungry’) Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison, bury the dead
- The Roman Catholic Church’s official headquarters is located where? Vatican City
- What is the name of the three holy days just before Easter? Triduum
- Name the Sacraments of Healing. Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick
- Name the Sunday that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost
- In what town did Jesus grow up? Nazareth
- How many apostles did Jesus select? 12
- Name the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
- Name the first five books of the Old Testament, known also as the Jewish Torah. Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy
- Name a famous living person who is Catholic.
- What is the name of our diocese? Diocese of Des Moines
- Name the Sacraments of Service. Marriage, Holy Orders
- What is the correct term for the place in the church where the consecrated hosts are kept? Tabernacle
- What is Jesus’ mother’s name? Mary
- What is the liturgical color of Lent? Purple
- Name the two parts of Mass. Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist
- Name the meal where Jesus said, “This is my Body, do this in remembrance of me.” The Last Supper or Passover
- Name a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Fire, dove, wind, oil
- Who is a saint you admire?
- Who came next: Abraham, Isaac, ______? Jacob
- Who came first, Moses or Noah? Noah
