Office for Family & Parish Based Catechesis. From the Editor

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Wilfrid Bond
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1 Children s Mi nistr y U pdate Office for Family & Parish Based Catechesis YEAR C: LUKE Ordinary Time From the Editor Hello everyone!! It is my delight to welcome you to the next edition of the Children s Ministry Update newsletter. We have been extremely busy in many diverse areas, it has been an amazing start to the year! Volume8 Edition2: 2013 We have been out working in numerous parishes, at their request supporting the various children s ministry programs occurring at the local level. The catechists are keen, enthusiastic and appreciate the training and new resources we bring to them. It is always an confirmation as to why the role of this office is vital to the growth of children s ministries in our Archdiocese. It really is rewarding to see the great things happening! We are also working in the rural areas of the South East and the Riverland. Our annual EXPO DAY is not too far away. You would have received the flyer advertising all the details and I do hope that you will make the time to attend. It has been especially planned looking at practicalities for you. It is vital that you RSVP to assist with the organising of the event. A new initiative in collaboration with Susan Melhuish at CRIS, is the twilight Open House for catechists where you will have the opportunity to visit the resource centre out of hours. I have attached a flyer for advertising this to catechists you know. Please RSVP to assist with the catering. Inside this edition Heart Spirituality 2 Family Activities 3 Family catechesis 3 Detailed Diary Dates 4 Your Parish Story 4 Catechist Prayer Page CRIS resources I am a proud member of the ecumenical children s ministry network and believe that we should be pulling our resources together and working collaboratively because we are all doing God s work. I am delighted to be part of a new initiative whereby we are offering an evening seminar for those involved in ministries with children and families. This will be held on the evening of 17th September and I encourage you to attend as the theme is Christmas, purposely chosen to help you in your future planning. We have been totally immersed in the writing of the sacraments draft framework and I am thrilled to say that it is taking shape after many hours of brain power! Many thanks to the writing team: Kathy Horan, Sr Marie Victory, Jenny Seal, Michael Vial and myself, it really is a privilege to know we are pioneers in this important new initiative. I am still waiting for the catechists details forms to be returned to me, please ASAP, I need to keep my data base current. Many thanks to those who have already done so. May you feel God s wisdom in all you do, with blessings, Carmen Diary Dates Expo Day 1st June Is God Online? 5th June Open House for Catechists 11th June Thanksgiving lunch 25th June Thanksgiving dinner 18th July ANNUAL EXPO DAY Saturday 1st June: 9:30am-2:30pm Catholic Education Conference Centre 116 George Street, Thebarton FREE & LUNCH IS PROVIDED RSVP: by 24th May or carmen.balales@cesa.catholic.edu.au OPEN HOUSE FOR CATECHISTS Tuesday 11th June: 6pm 7:30pm Catholic resource & Information Service 112 Kintore Street, Thebarton FREE & LIGHT DINNER PROVIDED RSVP: by 24th May or carmen.balales@cesa.catholic.edu.au

2 HEART SPIRITUALITY We all have a mind, feelings, emotions and a body. Our heart is where all of these can come together. An awareness of our thoughts, feelings, emotions and body assists us to listen to our hearts and hear what is happening within us on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis. It is here, in our hearts, where we can meet our God. God desires to meet us where we are and journey with us to encounter him more deeply. This is what Spirituality of the Heart is about. Spirituality of the Heart has its roots in Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. Some examples are: A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26) But as for you, return to your God; hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God (Hosea 12:6) I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them. (Hosea 11:4) The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you (Jeremiah 31:3) See what love the Father has given us (1 John 3:1) One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out And again another passage of scripture says They will look on the one whom they have pierced (John19:34,37) Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scriptures has said Out of the believer s heart will flow rivers of living water. (John.7: 37b, 38) And so we have known and believe in the love God has for us.... God is love and those who abide in love, abide in God and God abides in them (1 John 4:16) Beloved, let us love one another because love comes from God (1 John 4:7) NRSV( 1998) Spirituality of the Heart has a three-fold dimension. The first is of God s personal love for me as shown through the heart of Jesus the Jesus who heals the leper, gives sight to the blind, sets captives free, forgives the sinner; who journeys with disciples who don t fully understand him yet still befriends them, who betray him yet still loves them, who are simply human and very much loved. Through the gospels we get a glimpse of the compassionate God the God with heart. The second dimension of Spirituality of the Heart is about our response to a loving God. God sees and knows of our desire of our desire to grow close in the midst of the events and situations of life s journey. Even when we don t feel close, when we feel angry, disappointed with life, ashamed or can t make sense of it, God is waiting with open embrace like in the story of the Prodigal Son. We are encouraged to hope and trust in these moments. The third dimension of Spirituality of the Heart is to move out to others in compassionate love and action to be on mission wherever it takes us within our family, our workplace, our parish even standing in line at the shops. We are called to be patient, caring, loving and compassionate. We are called particularly in children s ministry to bring the love of God to children, particularly through the way we are as loving people while we are with the children. So let us together take heart in the love God has for us. Let us place ourselves before God to heal and transform us. Let us be true ministers of love to all whom we meet. Inspirations of the Heart: our personal recommendations I was touched by the love of God, and nothing was the same. I entered a place in the soul I had never been before. My love for God intensified beyond description, and my love of self was real and grounded. Love for others became profuse. I could barely contain the charity in my heart. Even the most unlovable were lovable to me, and I no longer had to judge them or convert them or even understand them. I only had to love them. This is the opening paragraph of the Preface in the book Radical Love by Adolfo Quezada. I have read this book a number of times. Now, I find that I can t go further than a sentence or paragraph at a time as it gives me enough inspiration, awareness and opportunity for reflection on my own life. The main reason for this, I believe, is because it focuses on God s radical love for each of us. By Jenny I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I was given Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado and have found it centres me and I take it into my day ahead. This book has daily readings which remind us of the highs and lows that happen in our days, but the hope in God s grace that fills our lives. Each day there is a little gem that resonates with me and fills my heart... God answers the challenges of life with one word: grace. God uses these daily encounters to give me an experience of grace in the ordinary, everyday moments. By Carmen Page 2

3 FAMILY ACTIVITIES The following ideas have been taken from childrensministry.com which also provides a free first issue of their magazine to try before a subscription is taken out. However, ample ideas can be accessed from their website. These ideas have been specifically chosen as ones which nurture the heart of the child in an age-appropriate manner. Also, they have been chosen as concrete action activities in the areas of story, prayer-in-action and faith challenge. Love Lambs (for ages 3-5) to help them know that they are special to God Read the story of the lost sheep Draw a simple sheep shape on a sheet of paper. Set out cotton balls and glue sticks. Hold up a cotton ball and complete the sentence, "You're special because..."tell something that's special about each child, such as "You're a good helper." Then dip the cotton ball in glue, and stick it inside the sheep shape. Allow children to add cotton balls, telling what's special about you and about each other. Continue until you have a fluffy reminder that you're all God's special sheep. ( Children s Prayer Walk (for ages 6-9) to nurture the heart and their relationship with God Take a walk around your church grounds or neighborhood with the children. Stop every 50 steps and invite the children to look around for: something to praise God for creating; someone who has a need, and; something that reminds them of a blessing God has given them. Allow time for children to look around and to pray silently before resuming your walk. When you return to your meeting area, discuss the most surprising thing that each child found. Faith Challenges for year olds A matter for the heart Use faith challenges to foster spiritual growth and development in your preteen kids. Operation: Heal What's Broken Directive: Give others grace and forgiveness. Scripture: Matthew 5:23-24 Basic Training: When people go through tough times in their relationships, they look for peace, compromise, or healing. We all have broken relationships that require forgiveness and reconciliation. Because God's grace saves us, we can show grace to others. Read the Scripture. Show the scrap of fabric and tell them it's like a relationship. Then rip the fabric and ask them to think of things that rip up a relationship. Have them try to put the fabric back together. Hold up the fabric and discuss the consequences of ripped relationships. Jesus can help us to mend broken relationships. Challenge: Think of a relationship that they need to mend. Challenge them to go to that person during the week and offer forgiveness, an apology to bring peace between them. Encourage them to journal about their experience. Mission Accomplished: When kids return, have them share their stories of how they mended a relationship. Then join hands in a circle and pray, thanking God for his grace to heal ripped-up relationships. Family Catechesis: At-home-activities for families Help your child/children to: Create a heart badge with a picture of Jesus saying I love you Alternatively, create this in a picture frame or on a canvas that your child can place beside his/her bed. On a canvas, your child can finger paint their fingerprints as a sign of their uniqueness. Create a prayer card to Jesus who loves them. Decorate this card and pray this prayer regularly with your child. Create a story book with the scenes of one of his/her favourite Jesus story. Discuss with your child why this story has meaning for him/her. Read it together regularly and see how its importance unfolds for your child. Reflect upon how he/she can put one of the Gospel stories into action in their lives at home or at school, eg judging others (Lk 6:37-42), love for enemies (Lk 6:27-36), a lamp under a jar (Lk 8:16-18), feeding the five thousand (Lk 9:10-20). It is recommended that as a parish, family catechesis is developed. This can be done simply by placing one idea, as above, in the parish bulletin each week. Also, the parish school may be happy to insert one idea each week from the parish in their school newsletter. As well as promoting family catechesis, this will strengthen ties between school families and parish. Hope these ideas will spark off many more for you. Page 3

4 Office for Family & Parish Based Catechesis Catholic Education Office 112 Kintore Street Thebarton PO Box 179 Torrensville Plaza SA 5031 Ph: Fax: We re on the web -parish-based-catechesis The crowning attribute of Jesus was this: His heart was spiritual Max Lucado Detailed Diary Dates 2013 Annual Expo Day Saturday 1st June: 9:30am-2:30pm Venue: CEO Conference Centre, Thebarton Is God Online? Wednesday 5th June: 9am-4pm Venue: CEO Conference Centre, Thebarton Open House For Catechists Tuesday 11th June: 6-7:30pm Venue: CRIS 112 Kintore Street, Thebarton Catechists Thanksgiving dinner Tuesday 25th June: 6:30pm Venue: Convent meeting room 112 Kintore Street, Thebarton Catechists Thanksgiving lunch Thursday 18th July: 12:30pm Venue: Convent meeting room 112 Kintore Street, Thebarton Ecumenical Children s Ministry seminar Tuesday 17th September : 7-9:30pm Venue: CEO Conference centre 116 George Street, Thebarton Your Parish Story The work of this office has taken me to stepping into the role of support person for the group of catechists from the Blackwood parish I am assisting in planning a new look Religious Education program which caters for children attending the neighbouring government schools. Peter Wong contacted me seeking assistance as he was new to the role of coordinator. The small team of catechists are so enthusiastic about implementing the program and are excited to watch it take shape. We meet every term to plan ahead and together we bounce off ideas and discuss practicalities pertaining to their particular context. We deliberately meet at the Catholic Resource and Information Service so that the group has instant access to relevant resources needed for the program. The great team at CRIS have been very helpful in offering the latest resources available. This has been a very beneficial process for all involved and I am delighted to see it come into being. Well done Peter and your team!! I also thank the other parishes who have sought out the support of this office, it makes the work of this office so worthwhile. By Carmen Page 4

Catechist Personal Prayer Page Mary, the Woman of Heart Mary. Who is this woman for me? What is my relationship with her? Is she mother, sister, companion, friend? How can I relate to her?

5 Catechist Personal Prayer Page Mary, the Woman of Heart Mary. Who is this woman for me? What is my relationship with her? Is she mother, sister, companion, friend? How can I relate to her? Can I relate to her as woman of faith, as prayer companion, as companion in the events of my life as a woman of heart? We know who Mary is. We know her as the mother of Jesus, who cared and nurtured him physically, emotionally, spiritually. Can she do this for us?...for me?...for my family? Mary gave birth to and raised a son. She journeyed with him in all the ups and downs of life. She experienced a lot and heard about him from others. Mary pondered all these things in her heart. Let us take these thoughts, these questions and let us ponder them in our heart and build our relationship with Mary, the woman of heart, so that we can grow more deeply into people of heart.

6 RESOURCES FROM CRIS **Sister Wendy on Prayer by Sister Wendy Beckett For Sister Wendy, in prayer, all the movement comes from God as scripture says, it is God who prays in us. Common sense prayer does not depend on your natural capacity It is as simple as a conversation between friends. If you want God to take possession of you, then you are praying What kind of God thinks of tricks, lays down arcane rules, makes things difficult? Prayer is the last thing we should be discouraged about.(p.3). We do not sanctify our normal activities by interspersing them with pious thoughts. Work demands as its right (and she should know) our full concentration, and so does much else in the day. God s good food: surely we should appreciate it and take time to do so. The companionship of friends and all that makes leisure pleasurable. These are things to be enjoyed and savoured, not rushed through as not truly spiritual. Jesus shocked the pious of His day by His delight in rather raffish company. He had a healthy enjoyment in what it meant to be human. Yet how can we doubt that at every moment Jesus was intimately united to His Father? (P32). Sr. Wendy shows us the meaning of Grace the unconditional free gift of Godself to us to use for the health of the world as a conduit of His Spirit. With her we pray: Dear Lord, do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. (P129). (Excerpt from a review by Kay Stringer) **We Live Inside a Story by Megan McKenna Veritas: Dublin (2010). McKenna describes this book as a book on storytelling and spirituality and starts the book with a line that says stories remind us how to climb inside each other s souls. What she means by this is that stories are the glue that keeps us together in whatever groups we belong to. Stories sink into our souls where we find the goodness and truth within us. The author divides the book into chapters that cover The Trinity, Creation Stories, the story of the Incarnation, the story of the Paschal Mystery, the Spirit in the World, the Church in the World, the Spirit in our worlds and final chapters that focus on small communities, friends and family and Me, I, One Person alone. At the end of each chapter are questions, activities and prayers that would be suitable for staff reflection, study groups or for personal reflection. Notes are provided and a bibliography is included. (S. Melhuish) *Breath of the Soul : reflections on prayer by Joan Chittister *Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit by Thomas Keating *The Gift of Prayer by Margaret Silf *In the midst of noise : an Ignatian retreat in everyday life by Michael Campbell-Johnston, sj. God s enduring presence : Strength for the spiritual journey by Joyce Rupp Divine beauty : the invisible embrace by John O Donohue CATHOLIC RESOURCE & INFORMATION SERVICE: 112 Kintore Street, Thebarton OPENING HOURS: Monday Friday 9:00am 5:00pm

Office for Family & Parish Based Catechesis. From the Team

Office for Family & Parish Based Catechesis YEAR A : Matthew Volume12 Edition1: 2017 From the Team Hello everyone and welcome to this year s first edition of the Children s Ministry Update newsletter.