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NEWSLETTER
From the Desk of the Director of Religious
Education
Lenten Family Penance Service
On March 24, 2010, our parish will have a Lenten Family Penance Service
at 7:00pm in the Church. All members of our parish are invited to attend
this special celebration. Our confessors will hear confessions in both
English and in Spanish. Parents, when was the last time that your child
saw you go to confession?
Our Penance Service will begin with the Liturgy of the Word. At the end
of our Service there will be an opportunity for individual confessions.
We will be praying the Act of Contrition together during the Penance
Service so it will not be necessary to pray it again during your
individual Confession.
The Rite of Reconciliation:
The priest gives you a blessing or greeting.
Make the Sign of the
Cross and say: “Bless me father, for I have sinned. My last confession
was…” (give the number of weeks, months or years).
Confess all of your sins
to the priest. The priest will help you to make a good confession. If
you are unsure about how to confess or you feel uneasy, just ask him to
help you. Answer his questions without hiding anything out of fear or
shame. Place your trust in God, a merciful Father who wants to forgive
you.
Following your confession
of sins, say: “I am sorry for these and all of my sins.”
The priest assigns you a penance and offers advice to help you be a
better Catholic.
The priest, acting
in the person of Christ, then absolves you from your sins.
************
We have some special instructions for the children who normally attend
Religious Education on Wednesday nights:
Religious Education students in Levels Kindergarten, Level 1 and Level 2
will meet as usual in the school for Religious Education class on this
night.
Religious Education students in Levels 3, 4, 5, 6, Sacrament Prep 1,
Confirmation I, Confirmation II, and Sacrament Prep 2 should attend the
Lenten Family Penance Service accompanied by at least one parent.
What, When, Where
The Light Is On For You
Wednesday, March 3, 10, & 17, 2010
Confessions and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 7:00 - 8:00pm in
the Church
Stations of the Cross/Soup Supper
Friday, March 5, 12, 19, & 26, 2010
Stations of the Cross at 7:00pm in the Church/Soup Supper immediately
following in the Church Hall
AWARE - The Beatitudes
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 7:00 - 8:00pm in the School
Women's Lenten Morning of Reflection
Saturday, March 13, 2010 - 9:00am-12noon in St. John's Church Hall
Please contact Amy Ekeh at 301-868-3026 or email at AmyEkeh@hotmail.com
to register or for more info
Children's Liturgy of the Word
Sunday, March 14 & 28, 2010 during the 9:45am Mass in the Church
AWARE - How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist
Wednesday, March 21, 2010 at 2:00 - 3:00pm in the Social Center
Lenten Family Penance Service
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 7:00pm in the Church (See instructions on
opposite page for this night)
No Religious Education/Confirmation Classes
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Seder Meal
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 7:00pm in the Church Hall
Holy Thursday—Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 8:00pm in the Church
Good Friday—Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord
Friday, April 2, 2010 at 8:00pm in the Church
Easter Vigil Mass
Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 8:00pm in the Church
Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Regular Sunday Mass Schedule
No Religious Education/Confirmation Class
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Catechists
Our 2009-2010 Religious
Education Catechists
Kindergarten--Franca DeCampo
Level 1--Laura Caron and Terri Griffin (Michelle Parris-aide)
Level 2--Mary Alyce Bauer and Carolyn Kuchma
Level 3--Janet Smyre
Level 4--Kathy Jones
Level 5--Sheri Beach and Crystal Pratt
Level 6--Deacon Santiago and Lisette Montalvo
Sac Prep 1--La Verne Ward-White
Sac Prep 2--Mary Camarrata and Melissa Barry
Confirmation I--Wendy Kennedy
Confirmation II--Fr. Francisco Tovar
Hispanic Coordinator--Maria de Los Angeles Michelitch
Liturgical Year
Is There Water in This Desert?
The desert is not ground to be crossed casually. Imagine weeks of
journeying in such terrain! For forty days Jesus fasted and prayed in
the desert, echoing Israel’s Exodus wandering of forty years. Out there,
Jesus met the devil and wrestled down temptation. So did the desert
fathers who followed the Lord’s example and went into the wilderness to
struggle with their demons, fleeing civilization like a shipwreck in
order to save their souls.
The church invites us all to encounter the desert each year during the
season of Lent. This spiritual wilderness can only be entered under the
signs of ashes, a reminder of life’s limitations and death’s
inevitability. We go armed with the ancient practices of fasting,
prayer, and almsgiving to battle against self-absorption. Saint Bernard
of Clairvaux told his monks that there are, in the end, only four
virtues: “Humility, humility, humility, and humility.” Pride has no
place in the desert, where every living thing faces its fragile claim on
existence.
Lent calls us to conversion, to change our hearts and not just our
clothes, to make real progress in the direction of who we’re meant to
be. Through the Sunday readings of Lent, we journey with the whole
community of faith through the spiritual desert to the revelation of the
Transfiguration, showing us the divine hidden in the human. With our
catechumens, we seek the living water that the Samaritan woman finds in
Jesus, the wellspring of our baptism. We meet the fellow born blind and
know that he is us. We witness Lazarus come out of his tomb and dare to
believe the bonds of death are broken. Together, we go all the way to
Jerusalem with Jesus, trusting that God’s glory is greater than sin’s
power to destroy.
Faith Sharing
How do I enter into the desert experience through my chosen Lenten
Practices? What kind of changes am I being called to make in my life at
this time?
Reprinted from “Keeping Faith First: Resources
FYI
If you have not settled
all financial responsibilities, please be sure to do so by ASAP. Notices
will be sent home explaining what you owe. Contact the office if you
need to make payment arrangements or if you have any questions regarding
your account.
Please remember that all children in grades K-6 must be escorted into
the building before class by an adult and must also be picked up after
class by an adult at their classrooms. Confirmation I & II students may
not pick up their younger siblings.
We follow the P.G. County school system for the closing of schools due
to inclement weather or any other emergency. If schools are cancelled or
close early on any Wednesday, then we will not have class on that night.
Check the
website at www.sjreled.com if you
are unsure. We will also leave a message on our voicemail if classes
will not be held that night.
Please make sure that you refer to the Religious Education Calendar and
the monthly Religious Education Newsletter for any changes or additions
to the regular year.
You can also visit our website at
www.sjreled.com.
ed.com.
Prayer Intention for the Learning Year
The Prayer intention for
March will be:
We Pray
for Those Who Have No Home
God of
compassion, show us how we can reach out to those who have no shelter,
no protection from the weather, no secure place to rest through the dark
of night. Amen
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