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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