Wish Fr. Paul a Happy Birthday May 3!! Religious Education Newsletter ~ April/May, 2018

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1 Religious Education Newsletter ~ April/May, 2018 Happy Easter! It was awesome to see many of you celebrating Holy Week and the Triduum. I hope our 2nd graders are better able to understand the Eucharist after Holy Thursday Mass. It s hard to believe we are supposedly in the season of spring when the wind is howling, the ground is white with snow, and more is on the way. It certainly feels like February weather but I am hopeful that Mother Nature will come around and we will soon be enjoying the blooms and smells that springtime brings. Our Religious Ed year is quickly coming to a close with only three short weeks of regular class left. It seems like the past few months have been a whirlwind. We began February with sacramental prep meetings, in March we had Confirmation and Easter, and now through May we will have Divine Mercy Sunday this weekend, First Communion at the end of the month, Altar Server training, Senior Recognition Mass and RE Registration. We are also in the process of budget prep and recruitment of volunteers. Save the date: The Valleyfair trip for all youth in grades 7-12 will be June 12. With the month of April also comes the beginning of spring sports, such as baseball, softball, soccer, and track. I know that many of our students participate in these events. If you child is one of these athletes and practices and events begin to interfere with RE class, I would encourage to send your child to class. It is ok if they need to arrive late or leave before class ends - just call my office and let us know so we can watch for your child or make sure they are released from class. This will allow your child an opportunity to get in on most of their class and can finish out the year. At Holy Family the end of the year will look a bit different than because remodeling will begin in the Church on May 1 with new carpet, pews and air conditioning. This means that during the month of May, all Masses will be held in the Church lower level. Fr. Tony and I are still working out the details for our last night of class on May 2 and will let you know our plan as soon as possible. At Holy Trinity, the routine will remain the same. I want to thank you for entrusting us with your child(ren) each week to teach them about our Catholic faith. Bringing them to Religious Ed class each week is a commitment - especially with all of the other activities going on in your lives. We appreciate that you keep this commitment and love seeing the kids. We will miss them over the summer, but will look forward to seeing them in the fall. I also want to thank our wonderful Catechists, Substitute Catechists, Prayer Listeners, Classroom Aides, Office Aides and priests for their dedication to our Religious Ed program and sharing their gifts of time and faith. Without all of these people, our program would not be where it is today. When you see these folks, please thank them as well. Have a wonderful and blessed summer and safe travels. We ll see you in a few months! ~ Mrs. Penas High School Senior Recognition All graduating seniors are invited to attend Masses on Sunday, May 13 as we congratulate them on a job well done and send them off to begin a new chapter in their adult lives. At Holy Family seniors are asked to attend the 8:00 a.m. Mass and meet in the lower level of the Education Center by 7:45 a.m. to line up. At Holy Trinity seniors are asked to attend the 9:30 a.m. Mass and meet in the Church Social Hall by 9:15 a.m. to line up. Afterward the seniors and their family are invited to attend a breakfast hosted by the CCW. At each parish, seniors should wear their caps and gowns. They will process into Church at the beginning of Mass and will sit as a body in reserved seats. Please come and help us celebrate our graduates! Wish Fr. Paul a Happy Birthday May 3!! Diocesan Divine Mercy Celebration at Holy Family Bishop John M. LeVoir invites you to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday on Sunday, April 8 at the Church of the Holy Family in Silver Lake beginning at 2:00 p.m. Holy Family parish has been designated as the Diocesan host of this celebration. 2:00 p.m. Penitential Celebration followed by individual confessions until 4:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy Reception afterward in the church lower level. Holy Trinity Year End Closing Mass, May Crowning and Ice Cream Social Our Religious Education program at Holy Trinity will end the year with a celebration of May Crowning and Mass, followed by an Ice Cream Social, served by our wonderful Catechists. This celebration is considered a Religious Education class night, so all students are expected to attend. Students may sit with their parents for this Mass. The 2nd graders will be crowning Mary and presenting flowers to her at the beginning of Mass. Everyone will meet in the Church, not in the classrooms.

2 First Eucharist Please keep our 2nd graders and their parents in your prayers as begin their preparations for receiving the sacrament of First Holy Communion on Saturday, April 28 at Holy Family and on Sunday, April 29 at Holy Trinity. February 28: Love - pp. 4-9 were due. March 7: Sacraments, Baptism, Sin - pp were due. March 14: Reconciliation - pp were due. March 21: The Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, The Last Supper - pp were due. April 4: Sacrifice, Jesus Death on the Cross, the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass - pp were due. April 11: Reception of Holy Communion - pp are due and workbooks turned in to Catechist. April 11: First Communion Banner packets will be sent home. April 18: First Communion Banner Due. April 25: 7:00 p.m. First Comm. Practice at Holy Trinity April 28: 9:00 a.m. First Comm. Practice at Holy Family April 28: 4:00 p.m. First Communion Mass at Holy Family April 29: 2:30 p.m. First Communion Mass at Holy Trinity Suggested attire for First Communion: Boys are to wear: Black pants White Dress shirt Black Tie Dress shoes (no tennis shoes) Suit Optional Girls are to wear: White Dress Headpiece is optional (veil, crown, etc.) White dress shoes (no tennis shoes) We will have a photographer taking pictures, packets will be available at practice and should be turned in before Mass. Altar Server Training Altar Server training for all current servers and those wishing to become Altar Servers will be held in the next few weeks. We ask that current servers attend for a refresher course and to be mentors to our new servers. At Holy Family, training will take place from 8:00-10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 19. At Holy Trinity, training will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30 & May 2. We ask that servers attend both days of training, which will last no more than 2 hours per session. Mass & Summer Travels As you travel over the summer, don t forget about Mass. Visit to find a parish and Mass times close to you. Reduce Tuition Volunteer at Winstock! Do you want to reduce the price of RE tuition for one of your children by $40.00? Volunteers are needed to work at the Beer Tent on Friday, June 8 from 4:30-8:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. If you volunteer, $40.00 will be donated in your name to the RE program, which in turn will be used to reduce the tuition of one child for the RE year. Rebecca Heimerl has again agreed to chair this opportunity for our RE families (Thank You Rebecca!!!) and already has a few people signed up so far. If you would like to volunteer and take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Rebecca at or rheimerl@centurylink.net. You may also contact Lori Penas at or htre@tds.net. We need to have a final count of volunteers and names before the end of May Religious Ed Registration In order to begin planning for next year, we will be having registration for the Religious Ed year before and after all Masses the weekend of May 12 & 13. Registration forms will be sent home with students and will also be sent via . We are required to have a new Registration Form filled out each year to have on file with updated information. When you have completed your form, you may drop it off at the parish office, put it in the Sunday collection in an envelope marked Religious Ed, or bring it with you and turn it in at one of the Masses the weekend of May Please help us out and register early so we can have an accurate count of students when we order our textbooks and supplies over the summer. End of Year Housekeeping Items & Reminders Tuition is due: Unless you have already made alternate arrangements for payment, all outstanding tuition is due by May 2. If you have any questions, please contact Lori Penas or Textbooks: Students in grades 9-11 with Didache textbooks need to return them on the last night of regular class on April 25. Didache textbooks that are not returned will result in parents being billed for replacement books at the cost of $ Youcats and Bibles: Students in grades 7-11 that received a Youcat, and students in grade 6 that received a Bible should keep them at home over the summer and bring them back for RE in the fall. VIRTUS Safe Environment Volunteer Training If you would like to volunteer to help out in our Religious Ed programs or at Holy Trinity Catholic School but have not yet attended a VIRTUS training session, please visit or call Celia Knoll at Holy Family or Bonnie Sudebek at Holy Trinity to check for upcoming classes in our area. All volunteers must be VIRTUS trained.

3 KC Scholarships for High School Seniors The Silver Lake Knights of Columbus invite all high school seniors to apply for the 2017 KC Scholarship. Contact Bob Penas at or for additional information and to obtain an application. All applications must be turned in by April 15. The Holy Trinity Knights of Columbus invite all high school seniors and recent military veterans entering their freshman year of college to apply for the 2018 KC Scholarship. Applicants must be a child or qualified dependent of a living or deceased member of KC Council #8253. Contact Wes Kapping at htcounselor@tds.net or for an application. FORMED Remember to sign up for FORMED, a free, online resource to help answer questions you might have and to grow in your understanding of our faith. You can sign up by going to click on Register, enter our parish code RJHGCW. Then fill in the information and begin enjoying the resources available. Student Contribution Envelopes Our God is kind and generous ~ let s show Him that we can be generous as well by giving back to God a portion of what we have been blessed with. Students and parents are encouraged to use their weekly envelopes to show God that we are grateful for the many gifts we have received from Him. Memorizing Prayers Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we can instill in our young people. Students are reminded to keep practicing their prayers over the summer so they don t forget them. Remember that a list of payers for each grade is in the back of their prayer booklet. Please help your children learn their prayers by encouraging daily prayer. Box Tops & Labels Please continue to save Box Tops for Education as well as Labels for Learning (Cash Wise/Coborns), Milk Moola caps and labels (Kwik Trip), and Tyson and Loaves for Learning labels (Country Hearth). Items can be brought to any of the AFC parish offices, HT school office, or one of the collection receptacles in Church. Paper Drive The Holy Family KC s will be having their paper drive on Friday & Saturday, April 13 & 14 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Trailers will be located on the street behind the Church. All proceeds will be used to benefit the Silver Lake Youth Summer Recreation Program and Swimming Pool Operations. Call for additional details for to arrange for papers to be picked up. Eucharistic Adoration - Urgent Need for Adorers Could you not watch one hour with me? ~ Mark 14:37 The primary aim of our Christian lives is to grow in our relationship with Jesus. The Eucharist is a distinctive way of deepening our ongoing communion with God and Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The exposition of the Eucharistic bread reminds us of Christ s real presence in invites us to deepen our communion with him in prayer. For the past several months we have been asking for adorers to spend time in the presence of the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration each Tuesday at both Holy Family (8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.) and Holy Trinity (9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.) parishes. We have several open hours that need to be filled by volunteers in order to continue this devotion. At Holy Family in particular, if open hours are not able to be filled, a decision will need to be made whether or not Adoration can continue. Below you will find the hours that need to be filled. Holy Family is in immediate need of volunteers to fill the hours of 9:00-10:00 a.m., 2:00-3:00 p.m., 4:00-5:00 p.m. 5:00-6:00 p.m. and 7:00-8:00 p.m. to help close. Holy Trinity is in immediate need of volunteers to fill the hours of Noon - 1:00 p.m., 1:00-2:00 p.m. and 3:00-4:00 p.m. If you are interested volunteering to fill an open hour or be a substitute adorer, please contact Celia Knoll at (Holy Family), or Wanda Paumen at (Holy Trinity). April is Child Abuse Prevention Month Diocese of New Ulm Catholic Charities Catholic Charities offers individual and family counseling services in locations around the diocese. They also work with people interested in adoption. To make an appointment or learn more about Catholic Charities services, call Promise to Protect. Pledge to Heal. Report suspected abuse of minors to civil and Church authorities. Diocese of New Ulm Safe Environment th Street North, New Ulm, MN Phone: Fax: McLeod County Social Services: or National Child Abuse Hotline:

4 Are you looking for something fun for your kids to do this summer? Register them for Vacation Bible School! When: June 18-22, 2018 Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m. Where: Holy Trinity Elementary School & Gym in Winsted Registration deadline is June 8 and is limited to 60 children. If you have any questions or if you would like to volunteer to help out, contact Kathy Condon at kcondon@tds.net or As we come into the summer months, remember that there are several ways that you can participate in parish and AFC ministries to serve God, our parish families, and our communities. We invite you to pray about and consider using your gifts in these parish and AFC ministries: Altar Server Grades 5 12 Adult Choir Grade 7 through adult Junior Choir Grades 3-12 (during school year) High School Youth Group Grades 7 12 Vacation Bible School Grades K 6 (at Holy Trinity) Mission Groups Liturgical Minister Eucharistic Minister must be age 18 or older and Confirmed Lector Grade 9 through adult Usher Grade 7 through adult Bible Studies Religious Education Catechist must be age 18 & VIRTUS trained Substitute Catechist must be age 18 & VIRTUS trained Classroom Aide Grade 9 through adult Prayer Listener must be age 18 & VIRTUS trained Office Aide must be age 18 & VIRTUS trained Winstock Country Music Festival Parish Organizations and Committees Area Word Committee Fall Bazaar Committee Local & Area Worship Committee Council of Catholic Women (women of the parish age 18 & older are automatically members of this organization) Knights of Columbus (men age 18 & older are encouraged to join) St. Anne s (Holy Trinity) and Rosary Society (Holy Family)

5 Saturday, April 28, 2018 New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women 59 th Annual Convention St. Catherine s ~ Redwood Falls, Minnesota Believe in me and do my works. John 14:12 7:30 AM Registration / continental breakfast / Silent Auction 8:30 AM General Assembly 9:00 AM Keynote Speaker Nancy Jo Sullivan 10:00 AM Business Meeting/Woman of the Year 10:45 AM Mass 12:15 PM Lunch 1:30 PM Mary Kay Stebbins 2:30 PM Closing Prayer 3:00 PM Drawings Nancy Jo Sullivan Hi, I m Nancy Jo Sullivan. Born and raised in Minnesota, I m a mama to three grown up girls and a brand new son in law. My oldest daughter, Sarah was born with Down s syndrome, and after a brief stay on earth, she now resides in heaven. During her twenty-three years, Sarah imparted lessons of faith that continue to impact our lives. These days, I spend my time writing books and giving retreats. As an author, I sculpture stories, chiseling away words until a blessing is etched. For me, writing is both art and vocation, and I m grateful for both. Nancy Jo Sullivan is an inspirational author and speaker. Having worked with both Catholic and Evangelical publishers, she writes and speaks in a language that is accessible to all denominations. Nancy Jo speaks regularly at Christian conferences and retreats, and serves as a presenter at grief coalitions throughout the Minneapolis area. Mary Kay Stebbins is from the Washington DC area and has resided in Sioux Falls, SD since She is the founder of LOOK FOR THE BLESSINGS ministry. Her credentials are enormously long and her life experiences include an abusive first marriage and a miracle healing of an illness. She has lead retreats such as Youth Encounter Christ and College Encounter with Christ. Praying with and encouraging others in knowing just how big God is, is her passion. She and her husband Mike, are the parents of 5 children, ages The topic she will be speaking on is Are Catholics Christian? Mary Kay Stebbins Contact your CCW President or Parish Office for a registration form. $30 if Registered before APRIL 10 $35 postmarked after April 10. Registration paid by CCW

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