Some Summer Activity Ideas for Your Family

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1 June 2017 St. Kilian Congregation 428 Forest Street Hartford, WI Dennis Vlasak, DRE ext. 406 Attendance ext. 307 Some Summer Activity Ideas for Your Family POWERSOURCE ASK GOD: 1. To help you nurture your children s developing faith. 2. To assure your children that he s with them as they grow. 3. To remind you to make your children s summer faith filled, special, and memorable. Water Fun. What could be better than cool fun on a hot day? Start by sharing a Scripture story featuring water: for example, the Creation, the Baptism of the Lord, or the Wedding at Cana. Depending on your children s ages, your family might enjoy a water balloon toss, splash contest in the pool, experiments with floating, sinking and evaporation, or a bathtub-duckie race. Go Stargazing. Even if you don t own a telescope, taking a drive into the country side on a clear summer s night to watch the stars has a definite celestial feel to it. As a child, I would look for the Big and Little Dipper constellations, but I also marveled at the bright lights of distant planets and the twinkle of the occasional shooting star. Pondering the immensity of the cosmos in relation to our miniscule presence on earth is another gateway into conversation about God s vastness and our gratitude for the beauty of the night sky. Build a Backyard Obstacle Course. Use the theme of Exodus as your inspiration. With your backyard sandbox desert and wading pool sea, you ve got a starting point for an obstacle course your kids can build out of their favorite outdoor toys. Make it a maze, including things to creep under, jump over or crawl through. Wind up at the Holy Land with a picnic lunch feast!

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3 Questions about the Catechism: A Continuing Series 10. What exactly is in the Catechism? The Catechism contains the essential and fundamental content of the Catholic faith in a complete and summary way. It presents what Catholics throughout the world believe in common. It presents these truths in a way that facilitates their understanding. Prepare for the Sunday Gospel Tune into a series of weekly podcasts from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee with Fr. Phillip Bogacki, Pastor of Christ King Parish, Wauwatosa and St. Bernard Parish, Wauwatosa, and Fr. Ricardo Martín, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Racine and Vice-Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, to help you start thinking about this Sunday s Gospel reading. Sit down, listen and pray with Fr. Phillip Bogacki and Fr. Ricardo Martín as they brainstorm about their homilies and reflect on the Gospel reading. The Catechism presents Catholic doctrine within the context of the Church's history and tradition. Frequent references to Sacred Scripture, the writings of the Fathers, the lives and writings of the saints, conciliar and papal documents and liturgical texts enrich the Catechism in a way that is both inviting and challenging. There are over three thousand footnotes in the Catechism. 11. How is all this organized in the Catechism? The Catechism, like the Catechism of the Council of Trent, is divided into four major parts. They are referred to as the "four pillars" on which the Catechism is built. In his Apostolic Constitution promulgating the Catechism, Pope John Paul II called them the "four movements of a great symphony." They are 1) the Creed (what the Church believes), 2) the Sacraments (what the Church celebrates), 3) the Commandments (what the Church lives) and 4) the Our Father (what the Church prays). The Catechism consists of 2,865 paragraphs, each of which is numbered. There is an internal cross-referencing system among the paragraphs which makes it simple to find all the passages in the Catechism which treat a particular subject. In addition, the Catechism provides several indices for ease in locating particular passages. Indices are organized according to themes, Scriptural citations, symbols of the faith, documents of ecumenical councils, documents of other councils and synods, pontifical documents, ecclesiastical documents, canon law, liturgical texts and ecclesiastical authors RE Schedule The calendar for the year is in this newsletter! Some minor changes are still possible.

4 June, 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Pentecost 5 6 Sts. Marcellinus and Peter St. Justin St. Charles Lwanga and Companions 10 St. Boniface St. Norbert St. Ephrem 11 Most Holy Trinity Flag Day Corpus Christi Confirmation Celebration 2:00pm th Sunday in Ordinary Time St. Romuald 19 St. Anthony of Padua St. Cyril of Alexandria Summer Begins St. Aloysius Gonzaga St. Irenaeus 28 Confirmation Practice 7:00 pm 22 St. Paulinus of Nola, St. John Fischer, St. Thomas More 29 Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles 23 Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 30 The First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church 24 The Nativity of John The Baptist

5 Journey On. Then Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, Are you also going to leave me? John 6:67 As Religious Ed classes end and the school year winds down, there is an interesting phenomenon that occurs here at St. Kilian. Sunday Mass attendance drops considerably. I am not sure how much it drops, but it often seems about half the normal amount of pews have people in them. One of our faithful and faith-filled catechists refers to this as The Mass Exodus you would almost think the Egyptian charioteers themselves had suddenly chased people out of the building! The summer Gospels of Ordinary Time are full of the main body of work of Jesus teachings, and contain the parables and miracle stories that help us all understand the love, compassion, and mission of Jesus the Christ. Most of us would not attend a concert or sporting event, join an organization, or even read an article and skip half of it, or more. There would be no continuity and our understanding would be skewed or disjointed. We, along with our children, would not be getting the entire story of Jesus. We are also cheating our children out of becoming comfortable with our Parish Community. This Community may one day be, or already is, a source of great strength, witness, support, and/or comfort to them. I am wondering if we and society in general have become so self-sufficient that we no longer have gratitude for our blessings? Do we no longer give God credit for the blessings in our life? God s blessings and faithfulness never end - or even take a break, yet in our human weakness and, dare I say, fickleness, we do! Many national Catholic education experts caution their fellow Catholics against the practice of going on vacation when it comes to practicing our faith. Jesus came to not only teach about how to have a relationship with God, but also with one another. Catholic theology teaches that when we gather, all of us together, we make up the Body of Christ. When members are absent, we are a fractured Body, we do not function well, both within the community and in the broader world in which we live. The Body suffers. When your children were baptized as infants, the statement is made that you, the parents, are the first and the best teachers of your children in the way of the Faith. St. Kilian is blessed to be able to help and guide you. Thank you for the privilege of allowing us to help form your children this year! Our faithful volunteer catechists do an amazing job! I wish you and your family many blessings as your children continue to grow in faith and wisdom! Have a blessed summer, and. See you at Mass!

6 Religious Education Schedule - 4K-Grade 7 Class Time - 10:00-11:00 am - Attendance Phone Line ext. 307 September 10 10:00 am Class Cafeteria - Welcome - Dismiss students to Classrooms Parent Meeting in the Cafeteria 17 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade 7 Catechetical Sunday 24 No Class October 1 10:00 am Class - Fire Drill - 10:30 am 8 10:00 am Class - Reconciliation - Grade 3 - Other Grades - Class 15 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade :00 am Class 29 No Class November 5 10:00 am Class Daylight Saving Time Ends 12 10:00 am Class - Reconciliation - Grade 4 - Other Grades - Class 19 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade 5 26 No Class December 3 10:00 am Class - Reconciliation - Grade 5 - Other Grades - Class 10 10:00 am Class 17 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade 4 24 No Class Christmas/New Year s Break 31 No Class Christmas/New Year s Break January 7 10:00 am Class 14 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade :00 am Class 28 No Class - Catholic Schools Week - SKS Open House February 4 10:00 am Class 11 10:00 am Class - Reconciliation - Grade 6 - Other Grades - Class 18 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade 3 25 No Class March 4 10:00 am Class - Fire Drill 10:30 am 11 10:00 am Class 18 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade 2 Reconciliation - Grade 7 - Other Grades - Class 25 No Class April 1 Easter No Class 8 10:00 am Class - Tornado Drill - 10:30 am 15 9:00 am Mass - 10:00 am Class - Gospel Procession - Grade :00 am Class 29 No Class

7 Religious Education Schedule - Grades 8-11 Class Time - 6:30-8:00 pm - Attendance Phone Line ext. 307 September 10 6:30 pm Class - 7:30 pm Evening Prayer 17 6:30 pm Class Catechetical Sunday 8:30 am Mass 24 No Class October 1 6:30 pm Class - Fire Drill - 7:00 pm 8 6:30 pm Class - Grades Regular Class Time Confirmation Parent Meeting - 6:30 pm St. Theodore Room 15 6:30 pm Class 22 6:30 pm Class 29 No Class November 5 6:30 pm Class 12 6:30 pm Class 19 6:30 pm Class 26 No Class December 3 6:30 pm Class 10 6:30 pm Class 17 6:30 pm Class 24 No Class Christmas/New Year s Break 31 No Class Christmas/New Year s Break January 7 6:30 pm Class 14 6:30 pm Class - Grade 8 - Individual Reconciliation 21 6:30 pm Class 28 6:30 pm Class - Normally there s no class on the last Sunday of the month. However, we have class tonight to allow catechists & students the opportunity to watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 th. February 3 (Sat) - Grade 10 - Day of Reflection 9:00 am-5:30 pm Gather in the St. Theodore Room Students dismissed following Mass 4 Grade 11 Confirmation Candidate/Sponsor Day of Reflection 9:00 am Mass ~ Reflection Time 10:00 am 12:00 pm ~ Lunch to Follow ~ Reflection Time 12:30-3:30 pm 4 No Evening Class - Super Bowl Sunday 11 6:30 pm Class - Grade 10 Individual Reconciliation 18 6:30 pm Class 25 No Class March 4 6:30 pm Class Fire Drill 7:00 pm 11 6:30 pm Class 18 6:30 pm Class - Grade 9 - Individual Reconciliation 25 No Class April 1 Easter No Class 8 6:30 pm Class - Tornado Drill - 7:00 pm 15 6:30 pm Class 22 6:30 pm Class 29 No Class

8 CONFIRMATION Confirmation Practice Confirmation Candidates are reminded of the Confirmation Practice Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 7:00 pm in St. Kilian Church. All candidates are required to be at the practice. Sponsors are asked to be present with the candidate for the practice. If a sponsor is unable to be there, a parent is asked to attend in their place. Please arrive by 6:50 pm so that we can start on time. Practice should only take an hour if everyone is on time and attentive to what is going on! Confirmation Celebration St. Kilian and St. John parishes will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 2:00pm with new Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Haines. There are 20 young people from St. Kilian and 7 young people from St. John that will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please include these young people in your prayers as they prepare to be confirmed in several weeks. Candidates are reminded to be in Gathering Space by 1:40 pm on June 18 th for the entrance line-up. Information about Registration for the RE year Registration information will be sent the beginning of August to all families who were in Religious Education during the year, to students graduating from St. Kilian School, and to new families that have requested information. I hope to have an online form perfected by the date registration material is mailed out that will allow you to register online. If you know of anyone who is new to the area or of someone who has children who should be attending Religious Education Classes, please have them call the Religious Education Office, or you can contact me, and an information packet will be sent to them in August. Reconciliation and 1 st Eucharist for Parents of students who will be preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation First Eucharist next year will have parent meetings on September 18 th or 23 rd for Reconciliation and January 19 th or 23 rd for Eucharist. Dates for the Sacraments are still being determined. 1 st Reconciliation generally is early December. 1 st Eucharist generally is several weeks after Easter. Confirmation for Parents of students who will be preparing for Confirmation next year will have a parent meeting on October 8 th. The date for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation is determined by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I will let the parents know as soon as I know the date. Direct any questions or comments to Dennis Vlasak in the Religious Education Office at ext. 406 or dre@stkiliancong.org.

9 A summer vacation Bible camp opportunity at nearby St. Boniface Parish W204N11968 Goldendale Rd., Germantown.

10 30+ FUN SUMMER IDEAS FOR PRE-TEENS, TEENS AND THEIR PARENTS 1. Go to a jump park. There are new parks in Menomonee Falls and Grafton. 2. Go roller skating. There are roller rinks in West Bend and Cedarburg. 3. Go roller blading. Skate around your neighborhood or load up the skates, pads, and helmets and go to an area park to enjoy God s creation! 4. Head to an indoor rock climbing center. They are opening up around us. 5. Take a class art, cooking, pottery, archery, gun safety whatever interests you and you teen(s) share or want to learn that might be fun exploring together. 6. Start a family book club. Find several books that you all will enjoy and have your family book club. Keep them reading all summer it will help them come fall! 7. Start a family movie club. Find movies at second run theaters, rent or stream movies you can enjoy together and then talk about them. Many movies have discussion guides that can be found online! 8. Go out for ice cream. Take scheduled breaks if need be! 9. Make homemade ice cream or ice pops. You can find lots of recipes online! 10. Go camping even if it is in your backyard or at Pike Lake. 11. Go swimming as a family. Make use of the new Veteran s Pool, or travel to Slinger Pond, Regner Park, or another community pool. 12. Take a hike or nature walk. Use the trails at Pike Lake, Heritage Hills County Park near Slinger, Polk Kames State Ice Age Trail between Slinger and the east side of Cedar Lake. These are several close by. Include trying to identify trees and/or plants. 13. Do a Service Project. Pick a project the whole family can do together. Before beginning, discuss the project and what everyone thinks about the situation and its cause. Discuss again when the project is completed. What things in society need to be changed to help or to eliminate what causes the problem? 14. Go to an amusement park. Six Flags might be expensive, but Bay Beach in Green Bay is VERY family friendly in their pricing and there is no entrance fee!! 15. Combine Bay Beach with a visit to Lambeau! Tours are available all summer; the Packer Hall of Fame is impressive. During training camp find out about how you might be involved in having a player ride your bike to the training field! Picture opportunities are plentiful, there are also opportunities to get autographs bring your Football Cards or a Packer helmet or mini-helmet and a Sharpie! 16. Start a family fitness routine. It could even be walking every night after supper! 17. Go Geocaching. Use Google to find the many, many geocaching areas near us!

11 18. Start a journal together. A shared journal might be fun to get everyone s perspective on family activities or just general day-to-day life! Sometimes it is easier for kids to say something in a journal than in person. 19. Go on a shopping adventure. This can be fun even if you don t buy things! Try on silly hats or masks and take pictures on your phone or share photos of what you might buy someone if you had the money. It will make them smile knowing that you are thinking of them! 20. Go thrift store shopping. Check out St. Vincent de Paul stores in other towns. The items are inexpensive and you are helping the mission of a great Catholic organization. 21. Have a movie or TV series marathon. This is especially fun if you have a favorite movie, or TV, series. Make popcorn and/or pizza and watch them all in order. 22. Play laser tag or Paint Ball. Use Google to find locations. 23. Make a special breakfast together with and for the family! Or, go out to breakfast. 24. Play Frisbee, or perhaps learn and play Frisbee Golf. Use Google to find Frisbee Golf Courses near us. 25. Find and head to a Go Kart track. 26. Try horseback riding. There are riding stables in the area try Google! 27. Have a video game marathon. There are many non -violent, family-friendly games for the whole family. 28. Go to a Timber Rattlers game in Appleton, a Beloit Snappers game in Beloit, a Chinooks game in Mequon, or a Madison Mallards game in Madison. All are very family-friendly and much less expensive than a Brewers family outing! 29. Play fun games in your yard, like badminton, volleyball, croquet, bean bag toss, or corn-hole/bags. Maybe make up a family tournament. 30. Have a water gun or water balloon fight. You re never too old for this! 31. Go bike riding around town. Or, load up the bikes and ride a bike path. 32. Be a visitor in your own town, county, or area. Visit spots that you have never been to. Have you seen the local Auto Museum, the County Historical Society, the Domes, the Milwaukee County Zoo, or the Milwaukee Public Museum? 33. Pray the Rosary as a family. There are many resources on-line that will explain how to pray the Rosary. This is a great skill to pass on to your children! 34. Host a sleepover. Okay, maybe this is something you do not really want to do with them, but it just might get you cool parent points! 35. Take advantage of the City Library s summer reading programs and other activities. 36. Google is your friend! Google Catholic family summer ideas - lots of ideas pop up!

12 SUMMER READING IDEAS The website ala.org is run by Librarians. Check out the Youth Media Awards section. There you will find Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and Printz Award winners, along with many other literary award winners. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature. thereadingwarehouse.com is a website that contains books at a reduced price. They have a recommendation section based on age. They also have Scholastic Weekly Readers for summertime and Summer Bridge Activities, the #1 teacher recommended series to help stop summer learning loss. bookoutlet.com has bargain books at read-iculously low prices every day. They have kids, fiction, cooking, young adult and so much more! aquinasandmore.com has books for children, teens, and adults on Saints, fiction, literature, church documents, etc. brandonvogt.com/best-catholicbooks-of-all-time is a blog list composed by the Content Director of Bishop Robert Barron s Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Footsteps Walk a little slower, Daddy, Said a child so small. I m following in your footsteps and I don t want to fall. Sometimes your steps are very fast, Sometimes they re hard to see, So walk a little slower, Daddy, For you are leading me. Someday when I am all grown up, You re what I want to be, Then I will have a little child Who will want to follow me. And I would want to lead just right, And know that I was true, So, walk a little slower, Daddy, For I must follow you. -Author Unknown

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14 Baccalaureate Mass All graduating High School Seniors who are members of St. Kilian and St. John Congregations are invited to attend the 4:30 pm Mass on Saturday, June 10 th. Please meet in the Gathering Space at 4:15 pm wearing your graduation gown and any tassels, stoles, etc. (no caps). Graduates will process in at the beginning of Mass and will have reserved seating. Summer Prayer An appetizer reception will follow Mass in the Gathering Space sponsored by the Confirmation students and parents. Everyone attending Mass will be invited to stay and celebrate with our graduates. (Confirmation parents are the hosts of the appetizer reception.) Creator of all, thank You for summer! Thank You for the warmth of the sun and the increased daylight. Thank You for the beauty I see all around me and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation. Thank You for the increased time I have to be with my friends and family, and for the more casual pace of the summer season. Draw me closer to You this summer. Teach me how I can pray no matter where I am or what I am doing. Warm my soul with the awareness of Your presence, and light my path with Your Word and Counsel. As I enjoy Your creation, create in me a pure heart and a hunger and a thirst for You. REMINDER The Archdiocese of Milwaukee recommends and St. Kilian requires, at least one year of religious formation prior to a student preparing for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Students in their first year of Religious Education during the year will receive First Reconciliation and First Eucharist in the year. The Archdiocese recommends and St. Kilian requires participation and attendance in Grades 9 and 10 Religious Education prior to the direct preparation for Confirmation in Grade 11. *NOTE* - This does not apply to Catholic High School students, contact the DRE. CONFIRMATION One large group picture will be taken following Mass. All young adults receiving Confirmation need to be on the picture as it is placed in the parish archives. Envelopes to order pictures were sent. Parents can take their own pictures after the photographer has taken the group picture. Please wait until the photographer has finished, as other camera flashing affects the quality of the picture. Amen. The Religious Education website is