Help Children Harness the Power of Prayer

Transcription

1 March 2018 St. Kilian Congregation 428 Forest Street Hartford, WI Dennis Vlasak, DRE ext. 406 Attendance ext. 307 Help Children Harness the Power of Prayer POWERSOURCE ASK GOD: 1. To remind your family members to converse with him regularly. 2. To show your children that prayer involves more than just asking God for stuff. 3. To help you include listening to God as part of your prayer time. Prayer is many things: a privilege, a command, a blessing, and an active way to build our faith with Jesus. Prayer is the conversation of life, says Adam Stadtmiller, author of Give Your Kids the Keys (Regal). Prayer is always available. Prayer is always the answer. Every issue in our life finds its solution and answer in prayer. Stadtmiller emphasizes that prayer is for all people, no matter their age. There s no difference between the importance of prayer in the life of a child and that of an adult, he writes. Although prayer should be natural, it might not come naturally to children. Even Jesus disciples needed to be taught how to pray; that s why Jesus gave them the Lord s Prayer (see Matthew 6:9-13). By modeling prayer in a variety of styles and settings, parents can teach children the following: Prayer involves ongoing conversational dialogue with our almighty yet approachable God. Prayer can be spontaneous or planned, short or long, loud or silent, for ourselves or for other people. Prayer involves praise, confession, and thanksgiving, not just requests. God is at work through our prayers and always answers them though sometimes not how we want or after a long period of waiting. Read on for practical ideas about putting prayer s power to work in your family.

2 Pray Without Ceasing As children s communication skills develop and grow, so does their ability to pray. Toddlers begin to understand that Jesus is their friend, so pray to him in simple language that relates to children s daily lives. Preschoolers become more aware of the world around them, so remind children this age that Jesus cares about everything that happens to them and to other people. By ages 7 to 9, most kids feel a need for God s help and strength and are able to verbally express their thoughts and desires. Look up Bible verses about prayer together. Preteens begin to focus on relationships, so remind them of their value to God and of the fact that no prayers are insignificant or unworthy. TEACHABLE MOMENTS Prayers of Praise You ll need a Bible, matches, a pillar candle, and small, individual candles with paper collars. In a darkened room, gather around a table that contains the pillar candle. Light it and say: In Old Testament times, people prayed to God by giving him burnt offerings and sacrifices. Read aloud Hebrews 13:15. Say: Now, instead of giving animals or grain to God, our sacrifices are our praises. God wants us to praise him by telling about the wonderful things he has done. Read aloud Psalm 66:1-5. Pick up a small candle, light it from the pillar candle, and complete this prayer: God, I praise you for. Invite others to take candles and do the same. Say: The Bible describes God s glory as shining. Read aloud Luke 2:9. Say: This room is glowing because we ve praised God through our prayers. Say amen and extinguish the candles. Lord s Prayer Ribbon For every family member, you ll need 4-inch ribbon strands in the colors below. Read aloud Matthew 6:9-13. Say: Blue is the color of fathers. (Hold your blue ribbon.) Our father in heaven. White is for holiness. (Tie white to blue.) Holy is your name. Purple is majestic. (Tie purple to white.) Your Kingdom come, your will be done. Green is the color of the earth. (Tie green to purple.) On earth as it is in heaven. Yellow reminds us of wheat. (Tie yellow to green.) Give us this day our daily bread. Red reminds us of Jesus blood and forgiveness. (Tie red to yellow.) And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Orange is for the darkness of evil. (Tie orange to red.) And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Gold reminds us of heaven. (Tie gold to orange.) For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Give children each a white pillowcase and a fabric pen. Say: This week at bedtime, let s pray for a different person each night. Help kids each write a new name on their pillowcase nightly after they pray for that person. Pop Up Prayers Create a prayer reminder using an empty 20-ounce bottle, plastic disposable plates, a permanent marker, glitter, corn syrup, and water. Cut six half-inch ovals from the plates. Write Family, Neighbors, Church, Our Government, World Problem, and Peace on the ovals, one per oval. Put the ovals and some glitter in the bottle. Fill it three-fourths full of corn syrup; top with water. Tighten the lid. Each day, shake the bottle and pray for what comes up first. Anywhere Prayers Read aloud Jonah 2:1 and find unique places to pray as a family. Let each person find a spot (closet, car, treehouse, swing set). Then gather in those places for prayer, thanking God for always loving and listening to us no matter where we are. Spin the Prayer Bottle In this redemptive version of the game, the person spinning prays for whoever the bottle points to. After receiving prayer, that person spins the bottle and prays for the next person it points to. You also can play Spin the Prayer Person, where each player gets a turn being spun in a swivel chair! Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18, NLT

3 MEDIA MADNESS MOVIE Title: A Wrinkle in Time Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family Rating: PG Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine Synopsis: This film adaptation of Madeleine L Engle s classic 1962 novel features Meg, an awkward 13-year-old. When her scientist father disappears, Meg, her brother, and a friend go on a space-traveling tesseract quest to find him. Three magical beings Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who offer wisdom and clues along the way. Our Take: This coming-of-age story emphasizes personal courage and the importance of family. Older kids and sci-fi fans will marvel at the imaginative adventures and unusual characters. The film contains elements of peril. Games, Sites & Apps Detective Pikachu In this adventure puzzle game for the Nintendo 3DS, players try to solve mysteries in the city with a talking Pikachu. A live-action film adaptation of this game is slated to hit the big screen next spring, with Ryan Reynolds voicing the Pikachu character. TweenTribune.com This learning-based site from the Smithsonian offers free articles about news, science, history, art, and more. Articles are available in different lexile (or reading) levels, so students from kindergarten to high school can benefit. Spanish versions also are available. TV Title: The Gifted Network: Fox Synopsis: When their son becomes a mutant, a family must flee their ordinary lives and go into hiding. The family eventually joins a group of mutants fighting to survive due to society s prejudice. Our Take: Various episodes of this adventure-based series are rated between TV-PG and TV-14, making the show questionable for preteens. The violence and action-adventure also may be too scary for sensitive viewers. However, the program addresses prejudice and society s reaction to people s differences that may help families talk about how to show kindness and love to everyone. Preview The Gifted before deciding whether to watch it with your kids. Love You to Bits Preteens who enjoy solving puzzles will be drawn to this awardwinning sci-fi adventure game. Players search the universe for parts of the main character s robot girlfriend after she was destroyed. The story promotes kindness. It s an app now, but will be available for PC and Mac soon. Rated for 9+. CULTURE & TRENDS Hair 101 for Dads Fathers who need a crash course in little-girl hair care and in bonding with their little girls can attend free workshops through Daddy Daughter Hair Factory. A dad began this nonprofit in 2015 to encourage strong relationships. (daddydaughterhairfactory.com) Boy Bands Are Back The days of N Sync and One Direction may be over, but a new wave of boy bands is vying for young listeners. Groups such as Why Don t We, BTS, PRETTYMUCH, BROCKHAMPTON, and CNCO cover the musical spectrum, from Latin and Korean pop to groovy a cappella. (time.com) QUICK STATS Slowing Abuse Long-term, growing awareness of sexual abuse has led to a 65% decrease in child-related cases over the past 25 years. (nytimes.com) Aim for 100 Children who spend fewer than 100 minutes each day doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity are considered to have a sedentary activity level. (pediatrics.aapublications.org) Extended Families Ten percent of U.S. children (more than 7 million) live with adult relatives other than or in addition to their parents. (grandfamilies.org) This page is designed to help educate parents and isn t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our prayer is that you ll make informed decisions about what your children watch, read, listen to, and play.

4 March, 2018 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY St. Katharine Drexel 4 3 rd Sunday of Lent Daylight-saving time begins New Altar Server training 3-5 pm 4 th Sunday of Lent 18 5 th Sunday of Lent 25 Palm Sunday 12 New Altar Server training 6-8 pm 19 Joseph, Husband of Mary First Day of Spring Mass of Chrism At the Cathedral 7:30 pm St. Patrick s Day St. Patrick Holy Thursday 30 Good Friday 31 Holy Saturday Easter Vigil

5 Dear Parents, Take time this Lent Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how busy I am? I can t take time. I don t have any time! Does it seem like we re busier than ever? Does our busyness make us happy or better yet, joyful? Joy is deeper than happiness. Joy comes from God. Our choices, however, open us to joy or close us from it. Our Catholic Faith invites us every Lent to take time, to enter into retreat mode to live more reflectively, more attentively to the movement of grace in our lives. The common metaphor is to go out, as Jesus did, into the desert for 40 days. Lent is a season of desert grace, where life is quieter and more focused. Or at least it can be, if we so choose. Maybe some can take an actual retreat. It s a good thing. However, I m betting that most of you have trouble getting an hour to yourself these days. So I m encouraging you to find realistic ways you can slow down and take some time with yourself and with the God of the Universe who desperately wants to be your closest friend. Why are we so busy these days? I do think that we are guilty of dedicating time to things that, at the end of the day, are not as essential as they may seem. How much time do we spend watching sports, cooking shows? How much time are we on social media? Even just the constant checking of our smart phones? Perhaps there are things that we can trim a bit to create some time in our lives to stop and be still and allow God into our lives again or for the first time. Perhaps we can find a regular pattern to live this Lent that connects us to grace and all the surprises that grace has to offer us. It might be in the car. It might be a regular walk. Maybe some dedicated time for spiritual reading and for prayer. And yes, Mass, where Jesus nourishes us in Word and Sacrament. As we dial down the volume and slow our pace this Lent, we will be giving ourselves the gift of joy or at least a chance at more joyful living. In the process, consider your family and how attentive living may bless them too. You can model this for them. You can practice discipline with the phone and devices that can distract us from what really matters in life. As a family you can, together, venture into the mystery of grace, of knowing our God personally and knowing each other better. Lent, which began on February 14 th, is one of the many blessings that comes to us from our Catholic Faith. Lent asks us to take time to prepare ourselves to receive the holiest days of our Church year and the great good news that it delivers: God, in Jesus Christ, is victorious over evil, over death and that victory is ours! May you and your family live in this peace and joy throughout Lent and in the Easter Season this year! Come Holy Spirit.

6 LENT Prayer Partners First Eucharist and Confirmation Prayer Partners There are Prayer Partner Cards with the names of First Eucharist students and Confirmation Candidate s names on them available at the entrances to St. Kilian. We encourage you to pick a random card from the basket and pray for these First Eucharist students and Confirmation Candidates as they continue the final preparation to the celebration of their Sacrament. First Eucharist will be held at St. Kilian on Sunday, April 29 th at 2:00 pm. Confirmation will be held at St. Kilian on June 3 rd at 2:00 pm with Auxiliary Bishop Jeffery Haines. [Text] [Text] Imagine a New Kind of Lent Just imagine that this Lent is going to be different from every other Lent we've experienced. Imagine that there will be many graces offered us this year. Let's even imagine that God is going to help transform our lives, with greater freedom, greater joy, and deeper desires for love and service. Preparing our hearts is a process of preparing our desires. This means practicing our sense of anticipation. If we imagine Lent as an "ordeal" or a time to dread in some way, then we've already pre-disposed ourselves to not get very much out of it. These early days of Lent are a time to start anticipating something wonderful that is about to happen. [Photo] Our sense of excitement and anticipation will grow more easily if we begin to imagine what God wants to give us. There is something coming that we can truly look forward to. If we get too focused on ourselves and what we are going to do or not do, we could risk missing the gift God wants to give us. We have to keep aware of the fact that grace comes from God. This is about God's great desire to bless us. With this mindset, it is easier for us to imagine that what we really want to do is place ourselves in a space to receive what God wants to give us.

7 The Knights of Columbus Have Purchased a Gift for You! Enjoy a free subscription to formed.org an incredible online gateway to the best Catholic content, all in one place! With FORMED, you can: Prepare for the Sunday Mass by watching an insightful five-minute video by renowned Catholic teachers Enjoy a movie with you family that is both nourishing and entertaining Enrich your marriage with the award-winning series Beloved: Finding Happiness in Marriage Help your children grow in character and embrace the beauty and wonder of the Faith Formed provides amazing content 24/7 for you to grow in your faith. It s FREE and EASY to register! Visit formed.org with a web browser Click on Register (lower right of page) Enter the Parish Access Code: 8HWXY8 Enter your and create a password (you need this to login later) There is an introductory video you may watch that describes formed.org Examples of books available 8HWXY8 Examples of movies available

8 Questions about the Catechism: A Continuing Series [Text 28. and How Photos] can this "indispensable adaptation" [Text and Photos] be accomplished? [Text] Yes. The Catechism uses a straightforward doctrinal style to communicate the content of the Catholic faith. Such a style presents Catholic doctrine in an intelligent and coherent way which can only assist authors, editors and publishers of national and local catechisms and catechetical materials. It is their responsibility, under the guidance of the bishops, to adapt or mediate the Catechism to the local culture and to use this major catechism as the primary resource in the development of minor catechisms. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults is one example of how the United States bishops have developed a national catechism based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Two additional guides for the indispensable adaptation of the Catechism might be suggested. First, the documents of the postconciliar catechetical Magisterium, especially Catechesi Tradendae and the General Directory for Catechesis, contain criteria of a more general nature for the mediation and inculturation of the Catechism. Second, the qualities and attributes of the local, regional and national catechetical ministry as well as certain documents from bishops' conferences (such as the National Directory for Catechesis) contain more particular criteria for the mediation of the Catechism. 29. Who collaborates within this process of adaptation and inculturation? [Title] The Catechism is intended primarily for bishops, so their pastoral leadership and participation in the process of inculturation is decisive. Under the grace and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the bishops should be joined by pastors, catechists, authors, editors and publishers of catechetical materials as well as the local community in finding ways to inculturate the Catechism in their local dioceses. Rooted Youth Group Service Experience for our Parish Communities For the third year ROOTED, the Youth Group of St. John and St. Kilian will be holding a hygiene item and sock drive for the Capuchins Community Services in Milwaukee during the Season of Lent. ROOTED will again collect the items that will then be donated St. Ben s Community Meal and the House of Peace. ROOTED will distribute special bags from the Capuchin s that have a list of hygiene items that they are looking for. The ROOTED Youth Group would again like both St. John and St. Kilian Parishes to be involved in this service experience. ROOTED will distribute these bags to students in both RE programs, St. Kilian School, as well as having bags at the entrances to both parishes. Pick up the bags this weekend in the entrances of both St. John and St. Kilian and return them by March 18 th!

9 **IMPORTANT NOTE!!** Enter the parking lot from State Street ONLY! Exit the parking lot onto Johnson Street ONLY! In our continuing effort to ensure the safety of all, we MUST have everyone follow the laws and plain common decency in the Parish parking lot!! No one wants to be the cause of someone getting hurt. The way things are in the parking lot now, it is just a matter of time before someone is hurt or worse yet killed! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, drive slowly and with extreme care in the parking lot!!

10 It s A Spring Thing Craft Fair The 16 th annual craft fair, featuring unique handmade crafts, a raffle, and hot sandwiches, will be held at St. Kilian on Saturday, March 10 th from 9 am 3 pm. It is held in the gym and cafeteria. Admission is $3. Come support St. Kilian and local crafters! Fast and Abstinence Customarily, fasting required that a person eat only one meal a day, but current Church discipline permits one to take a meal and two lesser meals which together do not equal the main meal. All persons who have reached their 14th birthday are bound by the rule of abstinence. All adults are bound by the rule of fast from their 18th to their 60th year. [Text] [Text] Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat and meat products as well as days of fast. The other Fridays of Lent remain days of abstinence from meat and meat products. The Fridays of the year outside Lent remain days of penance, but the traditional abstinence from meat may be substituted with some other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance. This may be physical denial, self-restraint, or acts of religion, charity or Christian witness. [Photo] * First Eucharist Families ~ Preparation Continues * Parents and children should be working together on their lessons at home. Are you completing the lesson each week? Are you reviewing the information already presented with your child? Don t forget the Greeter or Gift Bearer assignment that you signed up for. We look forward to seeing all of you at Mass each week!

11 Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowls Through CRS Rice Bowl, we hear stories from our brothers and sisters in need worldwide, and devote our Lenten prayers, fasting, and gifts to change the lives of the poor. Each day of Lent, individuals are invited to use the Lenten Calendar included with many CRS Rice Bowls, or found on-line to guide their Lenten almsgiving. These daily almsgiving activities for example, give 25 cents for every faucet found in your home help families reflect on the realities of our brothers and sisters around the world and how they can be in solidarity during the Lenten season. How will you contribute to the culture of encounter this Lent? There s an App for that! Put Lent at your fingertips with new daily reflections and recipes, integrated social sharing and a new way to track your Lenten sacrifices! The CRS Rice Bowl App is available in English and Spanish from Google Play and Apple App Store. First Eucharist There are 37 students from St. Kilian School and Religious Education Program preparing for First Eucharist. The students range from 2 nd to 5 th grades. These students and their parents will attend an Afternoon of Reflection on Sunday, April 15 th as their final preparation for the reception of First Eucharist. Please pray for these students and their parents as they prepare for the reception of Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. St. Kilian s First Eucharist celebration will be held on Sunday, April 29 th at 2:00pm. Confirmation ~ Hartford Community Meal You are invited to come for lunch at St. Aidan s on Monroe Street, offered by the cooperation of five Hartford Churches, on the last Saturday of every month. It is a hot meal with a different menu each month. There is no requirement regarding income. It is simply a way for people from all over the Hartford area to come together, to get to know someone they may not meet otherwise, to build community spirit, and to have a good hot meal as well! Families are welcome! There is no cost although, donations are accepted. Lunch begins at 11:30am and continues until 1:00pm. St. Kilian and St. John parishes will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 2:00pm with Auxiliary Bishop Jeffery Haines. There are 31 young people from St. Kilian and 12 young people from St. John that are preparing for Confirmation. Please include these young people in your prayers as they enter the final preparation period for this Sacrament of Initiation.

12 Thank you for your participation! GREETERS A New Family Ministry THE POWER OF A WARM WELCOME! A revitalization of the Greeter Ministry is taking place at St. Kilian Parish! The parish will be focusing on families in the Greeter Ministry. A Church Greeter is one of the most important jobs in the church! Greeters are the first people that parishioners and visitors see. It is vitally important to be welcoming especially to our visiting guests! The greeter may assist, and care for the needs of, those entering for worship. New this year, we are having each Religious Education student family schedule six (6) Masses where the family will be greeters at the doors to the Gathering Space or the Breezeway. Make sure that you sign and date the form in the Sacristy to show that you were here for the date and time you signed up for! Nest to the sign-in sheet is also a box with greeter name tags that should be worn. Why is the parish doing this you ask? There are a number of reasons, but one very important reason is to have the children and youth experience serving and being Christ to others through the service of hospitality and greeting other parish family members. After all, we are a faith that values community! Thank you for being a part of our family here at St. Kilian Parish and for fulfilling the responsibility you assumed when you had your child or children baptized that you would be the first teachers of your children in the ways of the faith. Helping you to be the best teachers is the reason that St. Kilian provides Religious Education programs for your children. We understand that life is demanding and that the religious education of your children competes with many other activities in your weekly schedule. Please know that the first and most important religious education tool at your disposal is weekly celebration of Mass and participation in the sacramental life of the Church. When you look at the Ten Commandments you see that the first three have to do with God keeping God first in our lives; respecting his Holy Name; and keeping holy the Lord s Day [by participation at Mass] these are first because we are called to love God before anything else. Our love for others and the things of the world flows from our love for God. GREETERS: Watch for THE upcoming information on each Religious Education POWER registration OF A WARM for the RE year. student and their family to WELCOME! New this year, we are having schedule six (6) Masses where As told by a number of parents, the it has family become will be a greeters burden at to the 1- have Arrive the costs at the of church back doors to school purchases doors to the and Gathering RE Space or registration minutes come before due Mass at the same the time. Breezeway. The RE Committee starts. and Parish have acted on those concerns. Why is the parish doing this you 2- Be available before Mass In response to open doors to these and requests, registration ask? There is being are a number moved of from August welcome to April/May reasons, but a very important and assist due both to these requests. At the same time, we are reason is to have the children regular converting members to and a new a data software company for the and youth experience being keeping visitors of with the Religious a smile. Be Ed records. The system is currently Christ to others through the being attentive, installed. especially I have to yet to actually service work of with hospitality the new and system. elderly, The offer new assistance system will act more greeting like of the other Skyward parish family system used with by wheelchairs many school or districts in the members. area. I believe that we will be able walkers. to send a print out of the current registration 3- Be present at the end of information that we have on record, and you simply make Mass to open doors and changes and mail the changes back. There is also the assist people as they leave, possibility wishing of them a family a good portal that will allow families to go into their week. record and update their information electronically. 4- Watch Provide for directions updates to as the the new system gets closer to going sacristy, live! restrooms, Registration will occur in April and May this gathering year for space the kitchen, upcoming RE year. etc.

13 Encounter Lent We are called to build a culture of encounter. Jesus made that clear from the way he lived, the message he preached. Pope Francis makes that clear by his own daily example. And we have a host of holy men and women who have come before us, who have gone to the margins of society so that every member of our human family might know the love of God. Now, it s our turn. With the spiritual pillars of Lent at our disposal, we set out on a 40-day journey, a journey of encounter with ourselves, our neighbors and our God. Through prayer, we encounter Christ, present in the faces of every member of our human family, so often still walking that long road to Calvary. March RE at a Glance Through fasting, we encounter our own obstacles, those things about ourselves that prevent us from loving God and neighbor. Through almsgiving, we encounter our brothers and sisters around the world, asking what we can give up so that others might have life to the fullest. Lent is our time to encounter, to cultivate a spirit of global solidarity. CRS Rice Bowl, Catholic Relief Services Lenten faith-in-action program is a tool for families and faith communities, a vehicle through which the stories of communities around the world can be shared, an invitation through which our prayers and Lenten sacrifices can change lives. Mar. 4 10:00-11:00 am - Class - 4K-Grade 7 Mar. 4-6:30-8:00 pm - Class - Grades 8-11 Mar. 10 It s A Spring Thing Craft Fair 9 am 3 pm Mar. 11 Daylight-Saving Time begins spring ahead 1 hour Mar :00-11:00 am - Class - 4K-Grade 7 Mar. 11 3:00-5:00 pm - Altar Server training Mar. 11-6:30-8:00 pm - Class - Grades 8-11 Mar. 12 6:00 8:00 pm Altar Server training Mar. 18 9:00 am - Children s Mass - All children should attend. Grade 2 - Gospel Procession (SKS Students also invited) Students should meet their Catechist in the Gathering Space near the Sacristy before Mass. Children s Collection Mar :00-11:00 am - Class - 4K-Grade 7 Mar. 18 Grade 7 - Reconciliation Mar. 18 6:30-8:00 pm - Class - Grades 8-11 Mar. 25 No Class ALTAR SERVER SIGN-UP It is that time of the year again to have our young people start to think about signing-up to be trained as altar servers. On Sunday, March 4 th, Brian Collegnon, the Altar Server Coordinator, will be in the 5 th grade RE classrooms giving a short presentation to the classes. The Ministry of Altar Server is open to all youth from grade 5 through grade 12, in both St. Kilian School and the Religious Education program. If you have a child that is older that would like to become a server, they can attend one of the scheduled training sessions. In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Ministry of Altar Server is open to both girls and boys. If you have questions, you may contact Brian Collegnon at collegnon@att.net, or training sessions will be held on Sunday, March 11 th from 3:00 5:00pm, OR, Monday, March 12 th from 6:00 8:00pm. These training sessions will meet in the Gathering Space and take place in the church. Please be aware that a funeral could cause a session to be rescheduled. If that should happen, information will be placed on the parish website at: fm.