Celebrate Children s Spiritual Milestones

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1 May 2017 St. Kilian Congregation 428 Forest Street Hartford, WI Dennis Vlasak, DRE ext. 406 Attendance ext. 307 Celebrate Children s Spiritual Milestones 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 faith milestones special and memorable. Marking children s physical firsts from first steps to first words is an exciting and cherished part of parenting. Even more important and worthy of celebration are spiritual firsts, or faith milestones. These rites help children know that they re growing up as Christians and continually reconnecting to their faith family. Milestones also allow churches and parents to partner together to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus. Spiritual occasions that warrant family celebrations include: Baptism or Dedication Children are a gift from God, so we give them back by committing their lives to God. By witnessing a baptism or dedication, fellow church members agree to partner with parents to help raise children as Christians. Receiving a First Bible When children receive God s Word, it s like their very own special love letter from God. He wants us to read the Bible and hold it in our hearts so we can live it out. Making a big deal out of getting a new Bible shows kids how important the book is to our faith and its growth. Confirmation or Other Transitions to the Preteen Years Leaving behind elementary school symbolizes that preteens are beginning to own their faith. During their spiritual journey, they ll decide whether to draw closer to God or reject him. Thankfully, God is always there for kids and parents, guiding us throughout our faith walk.

2 Your Family s Faith Journey At-home faith talks are vital for nurturing children spiritually. In Shift (from Group), Brian Haynes offers these guidelines for family times with Jesus: Faith talks should occur regularly and be age-appropriate. Each week, set aside time to focus on biblical truth in a relational way. Faith talks should focus on God s Word. Read the Bible together, celebrate it, and apply it to all aspects of your daily lives. Faith talks don t have to be difficult or formal. Make them fun! For example, go outside on a hot day and compare standing in the sun and shade. Then read and discuss Psalm 121:5-6. Faith talks shouldn t depend on children s choices or attitudes. God instructs parents to be intentional about leading their kids spiritually. Come to Jesus TEACHABLE MOMENTS Place a 50-foot rope or hose in a circle around a chair. Choose one family member to be the disciple, and have him or her stand inside the circle. Everyone else, stand outside the circle. Say: Some children wanted to see Jesus. But Jesus friends, the disciples, didn t want the kids to bother him. Imagine Jesus is inside this circle and you want to reach him. When I say go, lift the rope and try to sneak under it. The disciple will try to touch you before you get through. If you re tagged, sit down. You can be freed when someone else touches you. When you reach the chair, run back outside the circle. Ready? Go! Take turns being the disciple. Then ask: What was easy or hard about this? How did it feel when someone helped you get to Jesus? Read Mark 10:14. Say: Jesus wants us to come to him. Ask: How can we do that? Say: We can go to church, read the Bible, sing, and pray to Jesus. He s always there for us! Celebrate New Life After seeing a baptism, talk to your children about their own baptisms or their desire to be baptized. Tell them Jesus washes away our sins. As a family, make handmade cards for newly baptized people. God s Relevant Word Show children how the Bible applies to their lives. Talk about biblical heroes and how they both stumble and grow in faith. Tie Bible verses into kids interests, from music and poetry to travel and adventure. Lifelong Learners Preteens often feel as if they ve outgrown Sunday school. Provide age-appropriate Bibles and devotionals for older kids who are forming their identity in Jesus. Help them anticipate the future, and assure them that Jesus is always with them as they grow. Family Timelines Tape a long piece of paper to a wall. Together, create a timeline of your family s journey with Jesus using words, drawings, and Bible verses. Add marriages, birthdays, and milestones such as when a child started preschool or you moved. Include fun memories as well as challenges that affected everyone. Then discuss: What are our best memories? What difficult events have we faced? How did those make us closer to each other and to Jesus? How have we seen God s faithfulness? What dreams do we have as a family? Special Sheep Draw a sheep shape on paper. Set out cotton balls and glue sticks. Have family members take turns holding up cotton balls and saying why each person is special. Then dip the cotton in glue and stick it on the sheep. Continue until you have a fluffy reminder that you are all God s special sheep. Read Luke 15:3-7 and say Jesus is a good Shepherd who loves us, his sheep. God s Path On a map of your hometown or neighborhood, mark important spots such as your home, school, church, friends houses, and more. Highlight the roads your family uses most often. Read aloud Psalm 139:1-3. Say: God always knows where we are, what we re doing, and where we re going. He has big plans for us as we grow and get to know him better. Jesus loves us and will always be with us. With a red marker, draw a large heart around all the sites you ve highlighted. Display the map as a reminder of God s promises. Train yourself to be godly. For godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV

3 MEDIA MADNESS MOVIE Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Genre: Comedy, family Rating: Not yet rated Cast: Jason Drucker, Charlie Wright, Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott Synopsis: Hoping to attend a gamer convention, Greg talks his family into traveling to his great-grandmother's 90 th birthday party. Crazy road-trip antics result. This is the fourth Wimpy Kid movie but the first in five years, so the cast is all new. Our Take: Young fans of the popular book series will enjoy seeing the Heffley family in action. The film lends itself to discussions about decisionmaking, family unity and conflict, and how much control kids should (and do) have over their lives. Games, Sites & Apps Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild This new title from the acclaimed series is for the new Nintendo Switch console. For players, Hyrule is an open world waiting to be explored. They must battle enemies, hunt wild beasts, and gather food and equipment for the journey. Rated E10+ TheKidShouldSee This.com Parents can sign up (for free) to receive 8 to 12 videos per week tailored to curious kids. Many videos emphasize STEAM-related topics and spark conversations about the world around us. All videos are appropriate for young viewers, but the content isn t dumbed down. BOOK Title: Stef Soto, Taco Queen Author: Jennifer Torres Synopsis: Middle-schooler Estefania Stef Soto is embarrassed by her Mexican-American family s food truck and tired of the teasing she endures because of it. When the business is threatened, however, she fervently defends it and also learns to embrace her cultural identity. Our Take: This heartwarming realistic fiction, geared toward grades 3 through 6, explores conflicting loyalties between family and friends. Young readers will consider the role of cultural heritage and the importance of tradition. They ll benefit from seeing how Stef finds her voice amid conflicts and challenges. Clarify* by Playbac This video-news app from the inventor of BrainQuest explains news stories and current events in fact-based, kidfriendly language. The timely videos end with discussion-starter questions that families can use. The first week is free, but after that a subscription costs $1.99 per week. CULTURE & TRENDS New Zoos Now that the Ringling Bros. circus has disbanded and SeaWorld is phasing out its orca shows, zoos are the next animalbased attraction facing changes. A reported new unzoo approach involves taking people to the animals and providing more space for animals to roam, often above visitors heads. (various sources) Happy Campers If you re not yet comfortable sending your children to summer camp or just want to share in the fun check out the family sessions being offered by many groups. It s a popular strategy for getting away together without worrying about meals or hotels. (empowher.com) QUICK STATS Faked Out Fewer than 45% of U.S. kids ages 10 to 18 said they could accurately tell which stories in their social-media feeds were fake. Nearly one-third said they ve shared fake news before realizing it. (Common Sense Media) Movie Violence PG-13 movies have 23% more gun violence than R-rated movies do. (Pediatrics) Step It Up Pokémon Go players walk an estimated 2,000 extra steps daily, compared to people who don t play the game. (healthday.com) This page is designed to help educate parents and IS NOT 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 May, 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 7 4 th Sunday of Easter 14 Mother s Day 5 th Sunday of Easter 21 6 th Sunday of Easter St. Joseph the Worker 1 St. Athanasius 2 Sts. Philip and James, Apostles St. Isidore 22 St. Damien de Veuster 3 4 National Day of Prayer St. John I Sts. Nereus and Achilleus St. Pancras 5 6 Our Lady of Fatima Armed Forces Day 26 St. Bernadette of Siena th Sunday of Easter St. Rita of Cascia 29 Memorial Day The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ascension of the Lord St. Philip Neri St. Augustine of Canterbury

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7 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 faithfilled 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, 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!

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9 Questions about the Catechism: A Continuing Series 8. Does the Catechism contain a methodology for its use by the faithful? 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. No. The Catechism does not include a methodology. It is a complete and accurate exposition of Catholic doctrine. It does not present methodologies for the communication and study of that doctrine by people of different ages and circumstances throughout the world. Methodology varies according to the developmental levels of those to whom the catechesis is directed and according to the cultural contexts in which catechesis is given. Catechetical directories, such as the General Directory for Catechesis and the National Directory for Catechesis, provide more information on methodology, and local catechisms, such as the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, incorporate a methodology reflecting the audience and cultural context. 9. How is the Catechism a "point of reference?" The Catechism is a "point of reference" primarily for the development of national and local catechisms. For example, the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults was adapted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In addition to the new adult catechism, Catholics in the United States ordinarily depend on catechetical materials that present what the Church believes, teaches, lives and prays in a comprehensive and systematic manner within a process that spans many years.. The Catechism is a "point of reference" for the development of these kinds of catechetical programs as well as for catechetical materials that will be revised or developed in the future. Secondarily, the Catechism is a "point of reference" for bishops, priests, catechists, teachers, preachers, scholars, students and authors. Similar to a Bible commentary or theological dictionary, the Catechism serves as a vital reference work for all those responsible for catechesis RE Schedule We are nearing the finalization of the calendar for the year. Watch for next year s RE Schedule in your inbox before the end of school!

10 CONFIRMATION Confirmation Practice Confirmation Candidates are reminded of the Confirmation Practice scheduled for 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 6:50pm 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 21 young people from St. Kilian and 10 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. Candidates are reminded to be in Gathering Space by 1:40 pm on June 18 th. 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. 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 and an information packet will be sent in August. 1 st Eucharist Students from the Religious Education and School Programs who have been preparing for the Sacrament of First Eucharist will celebrate the Sacrament on Sunday, April 30 th at 2:00 pm. One large group picture will be taken following Mass. All children receiving First Eucharist need to be on the picture as it is placed in the parish archives. Envelopes to order pictures were sent the beginning of April. Parents can take their own pictures after the photographer has taken the group picture. Please wait until the photographer has finished, as flashing affects the quality of the picture. Direct any questions or comments to Dennis Vlasak in the Religious Education Office at ext. 406 or dre@stkiliancong.org.

11 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 (no caps). Graduates will process in at the beginning of Mass and will have reserved seating. A Summer Blessing May you walk with God This summer In whatever you do Wherever you go. Walking with God means... Walking with honesty And with courage, Walking with love And respect And concern for the feelings of others. May you talk to God This summer And every day and In every situation. Talking with God means... Praying words of praise For the beauty of creation Saying prayers of thanks For friends and good times, Asking God's help In all your decisions Expressing sorrow When you have failed. May you talk with God Every day. Amen. - Author unknown 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. 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. Does not apply to Catholic High School students. 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 the beginning of April. Parents can take their own pictures after the photographer has taken the group picture. Please wait until the photographer has finished, as flashing affects the quality of the picture. The Religious Education year will start on Sunday, September 10 th.