St. Mary Catholic Parish 250 Kraft Street Berea, Ohio 44017-1449 Return Service Requested FAITH FORMATION & EDUCATION PROGRAMS PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION SPIRITUAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES St. Mary Church 250 Kraft Street + Berea, OH 44017 + 440-243-3877 www.stmaryberea.org GRATEFUL LIVING PROGRAM BOOKLET 2018 2019 FAITH FORMATION & EDUCATION PROGRAMS PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION SPIRITUAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES St. Mary is a faith community which worships together, follows the teachings of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives, evangelizes others by our lives and actions, gives generously of our time and resources in service to others, shows compassion and love towards one another, provides religious education and works for social justice for all.
THIS YEAR S PROGRAM LIST Welcome to our NEW YEAR of Faith Formation, Education and Growth here at St. Mary, Berea. In this Brochure are listed the many current and exciting new programs for our faith families in which to engage and inspire us to Great Living! The Parish School of Religion Faith Formation Programs BE- GINS on September 10th this year, with REGISTRATION on Sunday, September 9th after the 9:30am Mass in the Fr. Garrity Center. Each Month our candidates for First Communion (2nd Graders) and Confirmation (8th Graders) will be coming to Church for Mass at 9:30am and then meet their teachers to learn about the Sacraments they will be receiving this year. Confirmation is April 6th and First Communion is May 5th. Many of the Men s and Women s Spirituality Programs BEGIN in September. The Men s TMIY is all about love and marriage and the Women will be taking on The Friendship Project. Both are exciting and NOT TO BE MISSED! In October, Mayor Cyril Kleem will lead US in a four-part series on Discipleship as it relates to our citizenship. There s a SPECIAL EVENT for all Women in November, A Morning of Grace! Come and reflect with other women to reconnect, renew and reflect on the role of Mary as Chosen by God! And ANNOUNCING the BIG GROWTH OP- PORTUNITY - that is THE WILD GOOSE! Yes, The Wild Goose is a DVD Series that will help to invite the faithful Catholic Christian into a more profound lifegiving relationship with the Holy Spirit. Led by Deacon Tom, Fr. John and Fr. Mike, these sessions will be offered Monthly on Wednesday evenings! Check the Bulletin or website! And MOSTLY because we are faith-filled Catholics who love the Lord, Sunday Mass is our primary faith formation and educational growth opportunity. Being with one another as we are being for the Lord is what it is all about. Join us in being faithful Catholics at Mass! Evangelization is the core of our faith endeavors this year. Reaching out to others to care and support, offer aid and assistance and to lead all to Christ is our outward focus. Evangelization has an inward focus as well; for us to reflect on our encounter with Christ, to appreciate God s grace within and to strengthen our discipleship. The St. Paul Street Evangelization is our effort to meet others where they are with the Gospel message. COORDINATOR: John Mastandrea jmastandrea@stmaryberea.org Priesthood, Diaconate, Consecrated Religious Life, Marriage, Sacred Single Life Deacon Martin Dober is a 5th Year Seminarian at St. Mary Seminary. As a Deacon he is assigned to Ss. Cosmas & Damian, Twinsburg, for weekends, while he completes his theological studies in May 2019. Deacon Martin will be ordained to the Priesthood on May 18th, 2019. John Draves is in his 2nd year of Formation at the Congregation of Holy Cross. The Congregation is an apostolic religious community comprised of priests and brothers. They work, pray and live united in a common religious life sharing the same history, vows and spirituality. Let our prayers rise like incense, to you O Lord, for priests, deacons, consecrated religious, married and single all to follow Your Way!
SUNDAYS after the 9:30AM MASS Fr. Garrity Center Meeting Room A faith and fellowship experience for all parishioners, focused on learning, sharing, and answering some of the very basic questions of our faith. Starting with a DVD series on Divine Mercy, we will be encouraged to embrace God s mercy in our lives. In a casual setting, parishioners seek to learn more about our faith and discipleship call by breaking open the Word of God and making connections to faithful living out the call to discipleship. COORDINATOR: Amanda Mazi amazi@stmaryberea.org WEDNESDAYS at 7:00pm Fr. Garrity Center NEW this year is a Parish-wide opportunity to grow in our living the life of the Holy Spirit. The Wild Goose Project is a simple attempt to invite Catholic Christians into a more profound life giving relationship with the Holy Spirit. This is a relationship marked by the love of God which breathes life into our daily existence. The Holy Spirit is not merely something relegated to Confirmation but the Spirit desires a relationship with us that will take us on the greatest adventure imaginable; a journey to the very Heart of God. The Holy Spirit desires to be present to us in a manner that brings light out of darkness, freedom out of bondage, order out of chaos and life out of death. This exciting DVD series seeks to awaken God s love and transforming power in the hearts of all who participate in this endeavor. Each episode offers insights for discussion and prayer in how best to live the life of the Spirit. COORDINATOR: Deacon Tom Cully dtom@stmaryberea.org Have you ever thought about becoming Roman Catholic? Do you currently share faith in Jesus Christ and want to become better at it? How about joining the process to become a one, holy catholic and apostolic member! The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a faith formation process focused on sharing the faith with those who are INTER- ESTED in becoming one with us, that is, Roman Catholic. The RCIA is about conversion and through the learning sessions, catechumens, those who have NEVER been baptized, and candidates, those who are AL- READY baptized, begin formation in the ways of being Catholic. The Parish community celebrates their journey at various times throughout the year, all of which LEADS TO their Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion at the Easter Vigil. COORDINATOR: Linda Sullivan lsullivan@stmaryberea.com Christine DiSanto cdisanto@stmaryberea.com DISCIPLESHIP and CITIZENSHIP PROJECT OCTOBER WEDNESDAYS AT 7:00pm Fr. Garrity Center A four-part Community Sharing Session offered to define faithful citizenship. It is a unique endeavor that ties together our call to discipleship as Christians and our call to be good citizens. The focus of this endeavor is on the nature of discipleship being lived publicly as faithful citizens, as related to voting and other forms of electoral responsibility within our call to citizenship in terms of loving God, neighbor and community. The four-part Community Sharing Session would include the following: (1) the Church s role in public life, (2) Catholic social teaching and faith, (3) Catholic social teaching based on reason and applying it to voting and other political decisions, and (4) being a good disciple and citizen in everyday life. COORDINATOR: Mayor Cyril Kleem dtom@stmaryberea.org
PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION (PSR) MONDAY EVENINGS 6:45pm 8:15pm School St. Mary Parish is committed to offering faith based learning to all our children; Grades 1 through High School. Monday evenings is for those students, Grades 1 8 to come together and learn the ways of Jesus through a guided curriculum that includes the Scriptures, the tenets and beliefs of our faith, the Liturgies of the Church, the Old and New Testament, the Sacraments and Moral Living. Dedicated and certified catechists lead the children in lecture and dialogue, along with prayer experiences, crafts and special events. COORDINATOR: Mrs. Johanna Garr stmarysbereareo@yahoo.com YOUTH ENGAGEMENT TEEN INITIATIVE Service Opportunities, Spirituality Growth, Social Outings SEMI-MONTHLY ON 2nd & 4th SUNDAYS Fr. Garrity Center Youth Engagement Teen Initiative YETI is a comprehensive Youth Ministry program for all junior high school and high school teens in grades 7 12. Designed by teens for teens, YETI allows young adults to stay connected to their faith, their parish and their friends. Activities include a variety of opportunities to live their faith through social, service and spiritual events. Bi-monthly gathering will include planning, action, and reflection. YETI is for teens and led by teens. Together teens are called through prayer, service, stewardship and friendship to work in collaboration with other ministries, to teach social justice and to strengthen their spirituality and involvement in liturgical ministries. COORDINATOR: Christopher Garr cgarrstmaryberea.org 2nd SUNDAYS OF THE MONTH 9:30am MASS and 10:30am Session Fr. Garrity Center The Sacramental Preparation Program is for all those students in Grades 2 and 8 to participate in a process of faith formation and learning about the Sacraments of Initiation. The Preparation Program takes place on Sundays at St. Mary Parish, in preparation for the reception of the Sacraments: First Reconciliation (Confession), First Eucharist (First Holy Communion) and Confirmation. Celebrating weekly Mass is an integral part of our faith lives and the Sacramental Preparation Program begins with the 9:30am Mass on the 2nd Sunday of each month and following Mass, students and parents gather in the Fr. Garrity Center for a light meal and a lesson on the Sacrament. All students and their parents are expected to attend each of the required program events. PRAYER OUTREACH MINISTRY The Prayer Outreach Ministry is a ministry of prayer by our parishioners and for our parishioners. Prayer Warriors spend quality time in daily prayer FOR others needs, requests and special intentions. This year every household and street within our parish census has been scheduled on the calendar for the purpose of a week-long prayer endeavor. Families are able to contact the parish office with special requests for prayers. Always NEEDED are willing PRAYER WARRIORS to pray for the community of St. Mary and beyond. COORDINATOR: Ann Laubert prayerwarriors@stmaryberea.org COORDINATOR: Mr. Bob Sferra rsferra@stmaryberea.org
BIBLE STUDY TUESDAYS AT 11:00am Resurrection Chapel One of the noblest pursuits a child of God can embark upon is to get to know and understand God better. The best way we can accomplish this is to look carefully at the book God has written, the Bible, which communicates who He is and His plan for all. One of the most effective and simple approaches to reading and understanding God s Word involves three simple steps: observation, interpretation and application. When we ask, what does this passage say, what does this passage mean and what am I going to do about what it says and means, one comes ever closer to understanding God better. Spend an hour reading and exploring one of the many Books of the Bible and break open the Word of God for daily living. COORDINATOR Barb Goebl bgoebl@stmaryberea.org PRAYING the ROSARY OF MARY DAILY at 9:30am Resurrection Chapel MONDAY EVENINGS at 7:15pm The Rosary is a prayer simple yet profound and a prayer of great significance. It blends easily into the spiritual journey of the Christian life, which, after two thousand years, has lost none of the freshness of its beginnings and feels drawn by the Spirit of God to set out into the deep (duc in altum!) in order once more to proclaim, and even cry out, before the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, the way, and the truth and the life [John 14:6]. The Rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation. It is a typically meditative prayer, corresponding to the prayer of the heart or Jesus prayer. Saint John Paul II wrote, To pray the Rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His mother. THAT MAN IS YOU! The Battle Over the Bride THURSDAYS at 7:30pm Fr. Garrity Center Meeting Room The sacrament of marriage plays a special role in God s plan for salvation. The love one spouse has for another reflects the love Christ has for his church here on earth. Can we better understand ourselves and our neighbors by appreciating the beauty of marriage? How do we share that beauty with the wider world? The Catholic vision of love and marriage is profound; it spans from Paradise in Eden, through Christ s sacrifice on Calvary, all the way to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in heaven. In addition to scripture we also examine the latest neurological science that affirms Church teachings about unconditional love and the nature of the human person. Learn from the saints how to develop the best possible spiritual life. Explore the hidden life of the Holy Family which is offered as a model for your family. Back for its second year at St. Mary, That Man Is You is an interactive men s program that develops authentic make leadership in the modern world. Each session includes a video presentation, group discussion and prayerful fellowship. All men are invited to participate. COORDINATOR: John Mastandrea jmastandrea@stmaryberea.org The focus of this NEW ENDEAVOR is to strengthen the marriages of young couples by providing a support group, fellowship, and studies that promote the principles of marriage found in God s Word, grow in knowledge and understanding of God s beautiful design for marriage. Every marriage should last a lifetime! Young Couples + Families offers practical advice for couples and families to lay the foundation for a successful and fulfilling life and fun! Casual events for couples and their families are designed to met the needs of families with children.
WOMEN S SPIRITUALITY THURSDAYS at 7:00pm Resurrection Chapel Calling ALL WOMEN of ALL AGES to join in yet another rich opportunity to grow in the ways of faith, grace and love, through a Book Discussion Series, beginning on Thursday September 13th, The Friendship Project. We can all read a book, but when we read a book with intent and then join others in a shared discussion, so much more can happen! Our lives and hearts can change! In The Friendship Project, explore the theological virtues with an eye toward friendship. Focusing on faith, hope, love, prudence, gratitude, loyalty, generosity and prayerfulness help answer the question What does it mean to be women of hope? How does that change our lives? How does prayerfulness teach us to listen to and talk with both God and our friends? COORDINATOR: Alane Mastandrea amastandrea@stmaryberea.org BOOK STUDY The next Book Study will be Gaze Upon Jesus, by author Kelly Wahlquist, author of Walking in Her Sandals. What if you had walked beside Mary from the Annunciation to the point at which she and Joseph found Jesus in the temple? How might seeing Christ as a child impact you and your faith? In this book, experience Christ s childhood through the eyes of women. WOMEN S SPIRITUALITY SPECIAL EVENT A MORNING OF GRACE SATURDAY NOVEMBER 3rd 9:00am Resurrection Chapel SATURDAY November 3rd 9am-Noon Resurrection Chapel Come with an open heart and spirit to share with each other the unique mission and purpose of Our Blessed Mother in our lives. Come and reflect with other women and reconnect, renew and reflect on the role of Mary as Chosen by God! We will start with a light breakfast and share our thoughts and role in God s Kingdom, and almost certainly, some laughs. We will conclude by noon. COORDINATOR: Alane Mastandrea amastandrea@stmaryberea.org QUIET PRAYER TUESDAYS at 12:30pm Resurrection Chapel Following the inspiring words of the Lord in Mark s Gospel, Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. [Mark 6:31] Resurrection Chapel is open for a quiet prayer experience. Guided prayer is offered on Tuesdays. Resurrection Chapel is open ALL DAY from 6am to 4pm for that come away we all need. COORDINATOR Barb Goebl bgoebl@stmaryberea.org