Teachers of God s Gifts Be Still and Know That I Am God -

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1 Teachers of God s Gifts On Catechetical Sunday, September 21, 2014, those who have accepted the call to serve as catechists/teachers of the faith should be recognized in a formal way. This includes those who have formally accepted the call to serve in faith formation/theology programs in parishes and schools. This year s theme of Teaching About God s Gift of Forgiveness is most appropriate as we witness daily acts of hostility and hatred in our world. What can we do? How can we bring about peace? We start by realizing that God s gift of forgiveness is for all, it is never ending, it is available 24/7, and it is nothing we earn. The parables of the good shepherd and his lost sheep, the woman and her lost coin, the loving father and his lost son tell us how God acts and how we, too, should act. Forgiveness is not about wiping out our past acts as if they no longer existed. Rather, it is a matter of turning back to, of restoring our relationship with God and also with all those who have been touched (and may still be hurting) from our sins, our failures to love. On Catechetical Sunday these teachers of Jesus forgiveness will be commissioned in each parish/cluster. Catechetical Sunday is also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person serves in passing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. A special prayer and blessing can be used to honor families and special recognition can be given to those who serve in leadership roles on commissions, councils, boards, and committees that support faith formation efforts. A listing of Catechetical Leaders for will be published in the The Witness during September. Catholic school administrators (faith leaders) will be featured in The Witness during Catholic Schools Week. How to obtain materials for Catechetical Sunday was referenced in the August Leaders Gram. May this new year of faith formation be a time for renewal of a relationship with Jesus, faithful participation in the sacramental life of the Church especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and for restoring broken relationships both personal and global. Blessings to everyone who helps spread the Good News as a Teacher of God s Gifts. Be Still and Know That I Am God - In a world seemingly driven to distraction with tweets, texts, facebook, talking heads on television and more, nothing seems more difficult or is more needed than prayer. This year we are focusing on the spiritual practices of discipleship. The first and surest way to form disciples is prayer. Prayer is the practice of bringing ourselves into a personal, intimate relationship with God where we know and are known by God. Prayer has the power to transform as it steadily conforms us into the image of Christ. Through this encounter with the Divine, we begin to desire what God desires, think like God thinks, and will what God wills. With prayer, we begin to follow Christ more intentionally and draw others to Him through our prayerful spirit. Prayer requires silence, which can be a stumbling block in our society. To hear the small, still voice of God we must discipline ourselves to turn off the phone and television, shut down the computer, tune out the radio, and block out the constant chatter. We must follow Jesus, who sought solitude and silence to commune with the Father. And in the morning a great while before day, he rose and in a lonely place, he went out and prayed (Mark 1:35). We begin prayer with the simple act of seeking a quiet place, stilling our hearts, breathing deeply, and allowing ourselves to rest in God s presence. Be still and know that I am God (Ps 46:11). What can we do in our parishes to nourish prayer? The first place is to nurture silence. We could start each meeting or gathering with bringing ourselves in the presence of God through a few moments of silence before the reading of Scripture or a more formal prayer. We could invite our children, teens, and parents to spend time in silence when we gather and encourage help the habit of reflective silence and prayer. We could encourage people to prepare their hearts in silence before they come to Mass. We could hold a holy hour and invite others to spend quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament. Silence, the beginning of prayer, will bear great fruit in our parish communities. As Mother Teresa wrote: The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love. The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace. What will you do to nurture silence in your life?

2 All Are Welcome - Each parish, faith formation program, and Catholic school has an incredible capacity to welcome and weave people with disabilities into the life of their faith community. This fall, the Office of Ministry with Persons with Disabilities (PWD) offers two opportunities to support parishes in ministry with persons with disabilities. 1. Mass of Celebration of Life - All are invited and welcome to attend the Celebration of Life Mass with Archbishop Jackels on October 19, 2014 at 10:00 am St. Mary Church, Manchester, Iowa. This Mass is an opportunity to celebrate the gifts and talents that persons with disabilities offer. Parishes are asked to print and display the attached promotional flyer. 2. Weekend Retreat for Adults with Disabilities - The retreat weekend for adults with disabilities, Saints Among Us, has been scheduled for October 4 and 5 at Camp Iodiseca in Solon, Iowa. This is an annual archdiocesan sponsored weekend retreat for adults with disabilities. Parishes are requested to post the attached flyer in key locations to help foster an awareness of this special event. A special effort should be made to contact adult parish members with disabilities and families who may have an adult person with disabilities living in their home and personally invite them to participate. Online registration for both retreatants and companions/volunteers is available at Contact the PWD Office at , ext 286 for assistance. The Next 2000 Days - Working with families with children between five and ten can be quite delightful. Children of this age are eager to participate and learn new things. Their learning style is very tangible and hands-on and experiential. Any kind of suggestions for parents with this age group of children needs to be filled with activities. They are learning the practice of the faith. One of the many gifts of the Catholic tradition is that it is incarnational. It is the fullbody experience. In this series of Gram articles for this year we will continue to provide suggestions and ideas of how to work with families of young children. Children ages 5-10 are school aged and it is easy to pass on responsibility to the schools and RE programs. Yet, it is critical to keep parents engaged in their catechesis of the domestic church, the family. Protecting God s Children - One of the annual administrative tasks of each FFC/CSB is to insure that all requirements of the Bishop s Charter for the Protection of Children (POC) are implemented according to Archdiocesan directives. All employees of the Archdiocese and those volunteers working with youth are required to complete the initial employment requirements that include required background checks and training in the area of Protecting All of God s Children. The attached POC update for 2014/15 outlines the mandatory requirements that all programs must comply with during this program year. Measuring Up Listed are some traits/standards that effective, faith-filled FFC/CSB members exhibit. Each current member is asked to reflect on the list and set growth goals for this year. Collectively commissions and boards could evaluate their work based upon this same list of qualifications. Goals can be kept and reflected upon periodically during the year. A member is one who is a. a person of faith, in full communion with the Catholic Church (Canon 205), who acknowledges that formation and educational programs are a significant expression of the evangelization mission of the Catholic Church, and supports the teachings of the Catholic Church. b. a person of joy and who others want to be around. c. willing to grow in their knowledge and supportive of all the tasks and areas of catechesis. d. collaborative and works well in group settings. e. visionary in their thinking and can formulate creative solutions to challenges. f. capable of viewing issues from a variety of viewpoints and able to see the larger picture. g. able to publicly support the collective recommendations/decisions of the commission and board. h. able to attend meetings. i. able to grow in their understanding of the commission s/board s role and function. j. willing to represent all the members of the Church in the Archdiocese including the marginalized and those who are un-churched and/or have become disenfranchised with the Church.

3 September 2014 FFC/CSB Prayer Invitation to prayer: In the name of the Father Introduction: This month we celebrate the ancient Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sunday, September 14. The liturgy of the Holy Cross is a triumphant liturgy. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of the salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. Our Mother Church sings of the triumph of the Cross, the instrument of our redemption. We made the Sign of the Cross before prayer that helps to fix our minds and hearts to God. After prayer we make the Sign of the Cross to keep close to God. During trials and temptations our strength and protection is the Sign of the Cross. At Baptism we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying the fullness of redemption and that we belong to Christ. Reading: (Philippians 2: 6-11) Brothers and sisters: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Reflection: This reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Christian community at Philippi offers that beautiful testimony of Christ Jesus who loved us enough to give up his life for us by death on a cross. There is great hope in the cross, yet very few of us will be called to die the way Jesus died. Saint Paul helps us understand that to be authentic stewards of our faith we must be willing to lay down our lives for Jesus. To be faithful to the Gospel is to be willing to take up our cross daily and follow him. In that way we will find our dying and our rising equally assured. Sharing Starters In what ways do you embrace the triumphant cross of Jesus? In what ways have you have witnessed others embracing the cross in their every day life? Closing Prayer Oh my Jesus, in your passion came true the prophecy of Simeon, that your mother would be pierced by a sword of immeasurable anguish and sorrow. Grant that as we who commemorate the memory of her grief, imitate her stewardship example and participate in a profound way in your redemptive work. Help us to embrace the journey of your passion, so that like Our Blessed Mother, your first and greatest disciple, we too may be brought from death to life by your cross and resurrection. We pray this to you, Christ, our Lord, Amen. (Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows, Feast September 15) Sections taken from the September 2014 ICSC e-bulletin. The Stewardship e-bulletin is a wonderful resource for all parishes and schools, ready to use adult formation resource, also available in Spanish - download from:

4 Archdiocese Of Dubuque Safe Environment Update September 2014 In June, 2011 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a revised Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Charter addresses the Church s commitment to deal appropriately with cases of sexual abuse of minors by church personnel, past and present. The Charter mandates that all dioceses throughout the United States provide safe environments for minors. The archdiocese is audited annually to assure compliance of the Charter. A. Requirement for Employees & Volunteers - To follow the Charter s mandate to provide safe environments for minors, the following requirements apply to all new employees and volunteers in the Archdiocese of Dubuque who interact with minors on a regular basis (an average of one hour per week): Background Check Required Forms Packet for New Employees and Volunteers - The Archdiocese of Dubuque requires a completed Background Check Forms Packet for all new employees and volunteers upon employment. This packet can be found on the Archdiocese of Dubuque website ( and in the FirstClass Conference Folder >Protection of Children>Initial Mandatory Paperwork. Please send all completed and signed forms to the Human Resource Office, 1229 Mt. Loretta Ave., Dubuque, IA 52003, fax number VIRTUS Training All adult employees and volunteers must complete safe environment training using a one-time program entitled VIRTUS: Protecting God s Children. The training can be completed through completing an online training module OR attendance at a live training session. Completion is expected as soon as possible upon employment or volunteering and must be completed before there is unsupervised contact with minors. Registration for this training can be done by logging on to click on registration and follow the prompts. The last prompt is to select a training session choose the online module OR a live training session (if available.) A copy of the VIRTUS certificate is to be on file for every employee and volunteer. Attendance at a VIRTUS: Protecting God s Children live training session can be counted as 3 clock hours of Catechist Formation in the area of Catechetical Methods. B. Safe Environment Training for Parents - The Charter requires dioceses and eparchies to provide education and training for parents about ways to make and maintain a safe environment for children and young people. Therefore, the following requirements are mandated for all parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of Dubuque: Parent NewsNotes are to be distributed in September, October, November, January, and February and can be found in FirstClass >Conferences>Protection of Children>POC NewsNotes An explanation paragraph is to accompany each article and this paragraph can be found in FirstClass >Conferences>Protection of Children>POC NewsNotes C. Safe Environment Curriculum for Students - The Charter requires dioceses and eparchies to provide education and training for children and youth about ways to make and maintain a safe environment for children and young people. Therefore, the following requirements are mandated for all parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of Dubuque: Age appropriate safe environment training is offered to all children utilizing curriculum promulgated by the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Protection of Children Update Page 1

5 The safe environment curriculum for students can be found on FirstClass >Conferences>Protection of Children>POC SETFC Materials 1415 In the curriculum, different lesson plans are shared for the following age ranges: PK - Gr.1, Gr. 2-4, Gr. 5 8, Gr taught at the same grade level each year. Safe Environment curriculum information is to be made available to parents and can be found on FirstClass >Conferences>Protection of Children>POC SETFC Materials 1415.* *This folder contains required parent letters, refusal forms and curriculum materials. Program administrators will need to track and report specific numbers and dates relating to the parent education component (NewsNotes) and the training requirements for students (SETFC) in all school age religious education and Catholic schools programs. This information will be collected electronically from each program/school. This form will be due March 15, D. Victim Assistance Poster - All locations (schools and parishes) are required to display the Victim Assistance Coordinator (VAC) poster with VAC information cards. If your site has need for posters please contact the Office for the Protection of Children. The master for the information cards that you may print and cut to include in the pocket at the bottom of each poster can be found in FirstClass >Conferences>Protection of Children>VAC Contact Info E. Handbook/Newsletter Notation - Please include the following in any of your handbooks and/or newsletters sent to parents: Help For Victims Of Sexual Abuse: The Archdiocese of Dubuque has established a program of pastoral assistance to people who believe they or those in their care have been sexually abused as minors by clergy or other Church personnel. This assistance will include help in informing civil and Church authorities. Victim Assistance Coordinators are trained to facilitate access to appropriate professional mental health services, social service agencies, support groups and/or individuals who can provide spiritual care. Any individual desiring help from this program is invited to call toll free (563) or to report an allegation or receive assistance. This program is part of the Policy for the Protection of Minors. If you have questions, please contact: Carol Gebhart, Director Office for the Protection of Children DBQCOPC@dbqarch.org ext. 227 Protection of Children Update Page 2

6 AMONG US Weekend Retreat for Adults with Disabilities October 4 th & 5 th, 2014 Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca, Solon, IA For more information call (563) ext. 286 or send an to DBQCFFPC@dbqarch.org All are welcome! (volunteers, family, friends & caregivers) Sponsored by: Archdiocese of Dubuque Office of Persons with Disabilities

7 Mass of Celebration of Life With Persons with Disabilities, Family, and Friends October 19, :00 a.m. St. Mary Parish 119 West Fayette Street Manchester, Iowa Celebrant: Archbishop Michael Jackels All are invited and welcome!