NEWSLETTER RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INSIDE. Journying together in your child s faith development SHORT DESCRIPTION ABOUT OUR PROGRAM

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1 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWSLETTER SAINT VIATOR September 28 Journying together in your child s faith development INSIDE PAGE 2 WELCOME TO THE RELIGIOUS ED. PAGE 3 A STORY OF LOVE AND SERVICE SHORT DESCRIPTION ABOUT OUR PROGRAM PAGE 4 PAGE 5 FAITH IN ACTION: OUR FIRST DAY IN CLASS PAGE 7 ENLISTING WITNESSES FOR JESUS CHRIST PAGE 8 LETTER OF POPE FRANCIS TO YOUNG PEOPLE I like to attend the CCD program because I learn more about God and also meet new friends Our classes are fun and interactive; our teachers brings games and every weekend I look forward to meet my friends at St. Viator ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 1

2 Welcome to the Religious Education program: Forming Faith Filled Believers and Disciples. HECTOR OBREGON-LUNA, DIRECTOR What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon, and touched with our own hands What we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you!" (1 John 1-3) This text of the First Letter of St. John becomes a key element of our catechetical ministry at St. Viator Parish. All our catechists have somehow experienced the presence of God in their lives, they were not able to contain it all for themselves. They felt and thought that it was worth it sharing with our beloved ones, your children. Called to Enlist Witnesses for Jesus Christ. Very often I hear parents stating this is not how I learned my faith, Why does it takes so long to receive our sacraments, like two years? or Why send my child to CCD, can we learn about God on our own terms?. The problem is not how we learn, how long it takes to complete programs or how you can learn about God. The problem is that we want to define other s lives, your child s, with your own way of thinking. It not only impacts their own development but their attitude towards values and principles. Like it or not, our lives and therefore our socializing with others COLLEGE LOREM IPSUM SAINT VIATOR are based on values and principles that are common to all of us. Sending a wrong messages to children can jeopardize the parenting role and therefore the image they have about heroes and parent figures. One of the greatest anomalies that we face in classrooms is the hardened unwillingness and inability of students to ask questions. The students are so conditioned of being afraid to ask questions that they tend to think the BEST way to conclude any kind of reading is with "I don't have any questions. The problem with this is that they have become accustomed to thinking that questions reveal ignorance or stupidity and therefore it is better to stay silent and quite. Thus, it is imperative for all of us to discern and reflect the importance of being open and understanding to the times, and training and nourishing our selves with new insights and tools to respond more effectively to the needs of our children. This is one of the big tasks that we face as catechists and leaders of the church. It is great to look at our past and experiences, but we can not respond to the needs of our children with only those lenses, we need to listen and open ourselves to their experiences as well and dialogue with them in which is COMMON to us; it is then that what we want to teach them will make sense. Join us in this common work of helping your children grow in their faith development and experience with Jesus. >>>>>>> WE INSPIRE YOUTH TO EMBRACE THE BEAUTY OF OUR FAITH AND LITURGY AND TO BECOME LEADERS ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 2

3 A Story of Love and Service Ms. Beth Formica, Reconciliation Teacher (First year) As a graduate of the University of Illinois with a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health Information Management, I hold the credential of Registered Health Information Administrator. Accordingly, I work full-time in Medical Records at Park View Rehabilitation Center in Chicago, Illinois. I have lived in Illinois for 40 years. Although I have attended Sunday Mass at St. Viator for over 20 years, I have strived to find a ministry that would enhance my spiritual integrity while not conflicting with the necessity to work. I have ministered as a Lector, a Eucharistic Minister and a Choir member, but I am most fulfilled as a teacher of Religious Education to public school children who have not received the Sacraments of Holy Communion, and Confirmation Since the school year will be my second year in Religious Education, I will teach my class to pray the Hail Mary, Our Father, the Apostles Creed, in addition to other Catholic prayers. In preparation for their first Reconciliation, the class will learn the Ten Commandments, the Holy Trinity, the Seven Sacraments, the Spiritual Works of Mercy, and the Life of Jesus. The class will be inspired through activities, and reading of the textbook provided for this special time of Reconciliation. I look forward to the upcoming school year at St. Viator. BETH A. FORMICA ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 3

4 A Short Description About Our Program and the Classes We Offer at St. Viator Parish. COLLEGE LOREM IPSUM SAINT VIATOR THE CHURCH EARNESTLY DESIRES THAT all the faithful be lead to the full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations called by the very nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian people as chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God s own people (1 Pt. 2:9; see 2:4-5) is their right and duty by reason of their baptism (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 14) THUS, CATECHESIS IS THE responsibility of all baptized in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. We profoundly hope you will join us in passing on the Fatih to our young ones. HECTOR OBREGON-LUNA, DIRECTOR Reconciliation (First year) At St. Viator, the reconciliation program is aimed for those children who are seeking faith formation for the first time and are in grades 1st through 5th. Throughout the year, they work on understanding the meaning and depth of the sacrament. Their main celebration if the receipt of the First Penance or also called First Reconciliation. To help them expand their knowledge the program uses the Reconciliation: Pardon and Peace of RCL Benziger and Kendal Hunt company. Eucharist (Second year). The Eucharist, second year, prepares children for the receipt of the First Holy Communion. While in class they learn about the nature, extent and dimension of the church and how communion becomes the center of what we do and how we live together as we serve each other; do this in memory of me. When we gather around the table, we join the apostles as it is described in the Acts of the Apostles: They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42). Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) The Rite of Christian Initiation for Children welcomes all students 6th though 12th grades who have not received the sacraments of the Reconciliation and Eucharist. Because of their age an stage in life, they are offered an intensive preparation for both sacraments. Because of their age, they also join activities done with the Confirmation class, such as retreat and other formative activities. Confirmation For the first time in our parish, we are implementing and therefore standardizing a two year formation program for the preparation of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Students in this class are preparing to receive the third sacrament of initiation, Confirmation. Through the different activities they are encouraged to become involved in the different ministries of the church. Further Formation Faith formation is not only about complying with the sacraments, faith is a life long formation. Children in this program continue to learn about our faith and the doctrine of our church. ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 4

5 Faith in Action: Our First Day in Class and the Beginning of a Long Journey. The first day of CCD was truly an exciting day for both myself and my students. It was truly an honor to meet each and every student and parent at the same time. Class began with all of us getting to know each other, who we are as a person and what we all are working towards. We discussed what we all currently do and how everything that we do makes us unique. Our common ground is family and the importance of our faith. We spoke about the steps / processes to preparing for their Holy Communion. We discussed what it means to make their Holy Communion and what it symbolizes to them as they will receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It was truly beautiful to see how excited the children were to discuss how they see their Catholic Faith. So many questions and so many views they have, indeed will make this a learning experience which will be invested in their beliefs. My plans for the CCD year session is to give the children as much education in the Catholic Faith to lead them in the path to becoming more involved in their faith. We will have more discussions after we review a lecture and make sure that all is understood and how they can incorporate the class lecture into their everyday life occurrences. My future plans are to teach as much about our faith in a manner that will forever be of an impact in the lives of our youth in which will be a timeless gift that they can carry with them forever. Thank you! MS. ESTRELLA FORNAL We re back in the swing with Religious Education classes Last Sunday after being assigned to their IT WAS TRULY AN HONOR TO MEET EACH AND EVERY STUDENT classrooms students focused on learning names and information about each other. The students in a single classroom represent many different schools so they typically don t know one another. Games were played to remedy that. This coming Sunday students will begin classroom routines which include prayer, journaling, listening to and using the Bible. They will understand that THEY have not chosen to attend Religious Ed classes but that GOD has called them to do so. Our Loving Father wants them to learn about Him. We are ready!! MARY PARISH Happy to Serve! What a privilege it is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ! To be a catechist is to have a vocation it s a call from God. I am very blessed to be a RCIC catechist at St. Viator Catholic Church in Chicago. RCIC is the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children. My students are 6th though 12th graders who have not received the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. The first day of CCD was a blessing. I got to meet my students and their parents. My plans for CCD this year is to introduce my students to the Holy Bible, help them develop a relationship with God through prayer, Mass, and the Sacraments, help them to grow in their Christian faith, and to prepare them to be good disciples of Christ! Thank you! COLLEGE LOREM IPSUM SAINT VIATOR MR. CANDIDO CANTORAL ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 5

6 COLLEGE LOREM IPSUM SAINT WHEN GOD COMES, HE A LWAYS C A L L S U S O U T OF OUR HOUSE. We are visited so that we can visit others; we are encountered so as to encounter others; we receive love in order to give love. (Pope Francis) N O FA M I LY D RO P S D OW N F RO M H E AV E N P E R F E C T LY F O R M E D ; V I AT O R families need constantly to grow and mature in the ability to love.... May we never lose heart because of our limitations or ever stop seeking that fullness of love and communion which God holds out before us. (AL 4/8/16) It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. (St. Pope John Paul II) S T. V I AT O R PA R I S H / W W W. S T V I AT O R PA R I S H. O R G / ( ) E X T. 2 8 PAG E 6

7 Catechetical Sunday 2018 Enlisting Witnesses for Jesus Christ We are living in a secularized society w h i c h c o n t i n u e s t o s q u e e z e Christianity to the margins, or completely out of engagement with Jesus Christ and the Church. We are losing baptized Catholics at an alarming rate. According to Pew Research, nearly one-in-four Hispanic adults (24%) are now former Catholics and most of them are nones, a term used for people with no religious affiliation. Many parents are saddened to report that their children are leaving the Church after preparing for and celebrating initiation sacraments, and after years of Catholic School or parish religion classes. Figures for Baptisms, Church weddings and weekly Mass attendance are down. Those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics ( Nones ) now make up roughly 23% of the U.S. adult population. Adults, especially young adults, are more likely to say they are not religiously affiliated than in past generations. (Michael Lipka. A closer look at America s rapidly growing religious nones., pew research center; 5/5/2017). Also growing in numbers are those who are baptized, and in junior or senior high school, who are increasingly stopping to selfidentify as Christians and grouping themselves among the Nones. At the same time, we are blessed with an incredibly generous cohort of faithful who are sacramentally graced to give Gospel witness in their homes, schools and workplace, if only they were invited, trained and supported in their outreach as missionary disciples. It will take the whole Church s witness and engagement of the Nones, inside and outside the walls of the church and across society, to reach out, accompany them, and share the joy of the gospel with them. Our 2018 and 2019 Catechetical Sunday and Leadership Institute themes are designed to address the phenomena of the Nones in two parts. During 2018, we will be researching some of the causes eroding faith and moving people to step away from life in Christ and his body, the Church. We will also showcase some of the many groups of missionary disciples already enlisted and engaged as witnesses for Jesus Christ. Hopefully many more will be able to learn about and join in their efforts. During 2019, we will focus particularly on the steps needed to enable the faithful to claim their true roles as witnesses to Jesus Christ. In imitation of Jesus encounter with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), we will become more f a m i l i a r w i t h t e r m s l i k e accompanying, evangelizing and catechizing. We will learn how to a s s i s t f o l k s i n e x p l o r i n g t h e reasonableness of the Faith, having an encounter with Jesus, sharing in a deeper faith experience, and drawing out the meaning of those experiences for their lives. May the joy of our life in Christ be so remarkable that even the Nones are moved to ask what is the secret behind this joy and claim it for themselves. Sincerely yours in Christ, BISHOP ROBERT BARRON, CHAIRMAN Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 7

8 Letter of Pope Francis to Young People M y D e a r Y o u n g People, I am pleased to announce that in October 2018 a Synod of Bishops will take place to treat the topic: Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. I wanted you to be the centre of attention, because you are in my heart. Today, the Preparatory Document is being presented, a document which I am also entrusting to you as your compass on this synodal journey. I am reminded of the words which God spoke to Abraham: Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. (Gen 12.1). These words are now also addressed to you. They are words of a Father who invites you to go, to set out towards a future which is unknown but one which will surely lead to fulfillment, a future towards which He Himself accompanies you. I invite you to hear God's voice resounding in your heart through the breath of the Holy Spirit. When God said to Abram, Go!, what did he want to say? He certainly did not say to distance himself from his family or withdraw from the world. Abram received a compelling invitation, a challenge, to leave everything and go to a new land. What is this new land for us today, if not a more just and friendly society which you, young people, deeply desire and wish to build to the very ends of the earth? But unfortunately, today, Go! also has a different meaning, namely, that of abuse of power, injustice and war. Many among you are subjected to the real threat of violence and forced to flee their native land. Their cry goes up to God, like that of Israel, when the people were enslaved and oppressed by Pharaoh (cf. Ex 2:23). I would also remind you of the words that Jesus once said to the disciples who asked him: Teacher [...] where are you staying? He replied, Come and see (Jn 1:38). Jesus looks at you and invites you to go with him. Dear young people, have you noticed this look towards you? Have you heard this voice? Have you felt this urge to undertake this journey? I am sure that, despite the noise and confusion seemingly prevalent in the world, this call continues to resonate in the depths of your heart so as to open it to joy in its fullness. This will be possible to the extent that, even with professional guides, you will learn how to undertake a journey of discernment to discover God's plan in your life. Even when the journey is uncertain and you fall, God, rich in mercy, will extend his hand to pick you up. In Krakow, at the opening of the last World Youth Day, I asked you several times: Can we change things? And you shouted: yes!. That shout came from your young and youthful hearts, which do not tolerate injustice and cannot bow to a throw-away culture nor give in to the globalization of indifference. Listen to the cry arising from your inner selves! Even when you feel, like the prophet Jeremiah, the inexperience of youth, God encourages you to go where He sends you: Do not be afraid, [...], because I am with you to deliver you (Jer 1:8). A better world can be built also as a result of your efforts, your desire to change and your generosity. Do not be afraid to listen to the Spirit who proposes bold choices; do not delay when your conscience asks you to take risks in following the Master. The Church also wishes to listen to your voice, your sensitivities and your faith; even your doubts and your criticism. Make your v o i c e h e a rd, l e t i t re s o n a t e i n communities and let it be heard by your shepherds of souls. St. Benedict urged the abbots to consult, even the young, before any important decision, because the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best. (Rule of St. Benedict, III, 3). Such is the case, even in the journey of this Synod. My brother bishops and I want even more to work with you for your joy (2 Cor 1:24). I entrust you to Mary of Nazareth, a young person like yourselves, whom God beheld lovingly, so she might take your hand and guide you to the joy of fully and generously responding to God s call with the words: Here I am (cf. Lk 1:38). With paternal affection, POPE FRANCIS ST. VIATOR PARISH / / (773) EXT. 28 PAGE 8