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Volume 1, Issue 2 April 5

Family Catechism Days


for children in grades K-4 and their families
Welcome to our Second Family Catechism Day! We have prepared these sessions at the request of Bishop ic!en to invite you to share in the t"ofold mission entrusted to us #y $ur %ady of &ood 'elp ( to pray for conversion of heart and to teach the faith to our children) We hope your family has en*oyed your time here today+ "ill come again and invite your friends!

Meet Today's Saint: St. Augustine


St) ,ugustine is a great Saint and doctor of our Church) 'e helped many people to encounter Christ and has led many Christians to a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Church) -et+ in his youth St) ,ugustine found himself mired in sin and though he desired to turn a"ay from that sin he prayed .&ive me chastity and continence+ #ut not yet!/ 0St) ,ugustine1s Confessions Boo! 2+ chapter 34 'o" Saint Augustine of Hippo (c. 1645 often do "e desire things that !eep us from 1650), oil on canvas by P ilippe !e &od and though "e "ant to love &od a#ove " a#paigne (b. 160$, !. 16%4) all else+ "e pray ( help me %ord+ #ut please don1t ma!e me give up chocolate or coffee or .fill in the #lan!)/ -et+ for St) ,ugustine+ Christ "on his heart calling him through another great Saint ( St) ,m#rose and also through 'is Word in Scripture) ,t the moment of St) ,ugustine1s profound conversion+ he felt compelled to ta!e up the Bi#le and he read .%et us #ehave properly as in the day+ not in carousing and drun!enness+ not in se5ual promiscuity and sensuality+ not in strife and *ealousy) But put on the %ord 6esus Christ+ and ma!e no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts)/ 0 omans 78978-744 St) ,ugustine is a great e5ample of one "ho found consolation in Christ as 6esus taught us in the second Beatitude9 Blessed are the sorro"ing+ for they shall #e consoled) 'is great conversion "as also the fruit of his mothers fervent and constant prayer and is a reminder to each of us of the importance of perserverance in prayer for those "ho have fallen a"ay or "ho are mired in sin li!e St) ,ugustine "as in his youth) :ay "e al"ays see! Christ for+ as St) ,ugustine said+ .You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you (St. Augustine's Confessions Book , Ch !.

"he #our $illars of the #aith % A #irm #oundation


We hope you en*oy the .%aying the foundation for a 'ousehold of Faith/ lap #oo! and .Building a 'ouse of Faith/ family game) ;hese sessions are designed to help your family to #uild that strong foundation of faith #y activities that help your children to understand and learn a#out the four pillars of our faith9 the Creed+ the %iturgy and Sacraments+ the :oral %ife and <rayer) ;hese four pillars correspond to the four sections of the "atec is# of t e "at olic " u&c ) =ach of these pillars are essential to a strong foundation in the faith> for "e must !no" "hat "e #elieve as e5pressed in the Creed and Scriptures+ nourish our souls "ith grace through the %iturgy and Sacraments+ live our faith through right action in !eeping "ith the ;en Commandments and the Beatitudes and gro" ever closer to Christ through the dialogue of prayer) '&o# t e "atec is#(
We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of od's co!!and!ents and in prayer, "e !ust first as# "hat "to believe" !eans. $aith is !an's response to od, "ho reveals hi!self and gives hi!self to !an, at the sa!e ti!e bringing !an a superabundant light as he searches for the ulti!ate !eaning of his life. %hus "e shall consider first that search & Chapter One', then the divine (evelation by "hich od co!es to !eet !an &Chapter Two', and finally the response of faith &Chapter Three'.) CCC, *+

From the Catechism: The Good News: God has sent his Son But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.'1 This is 'the gospel of esus !hrist, the Son of God'"'# God has visited his people. $e has fulfilled the promise he made to %braham and his descendants. $e acted far beyond all e&pectation ' he has sent his own 'beloved Son'.( )e believe and confess that esus of *a+areth, born a ew of a daughter of ,srael at Bethlehem at the time of -ing $erod the Great and the emperor !aesar %ugustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in erusalem under the procurator .ontius .ilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. $e 'came from God',/ 'descended from heaven', and 'came in the flesh'.0 1or 'the )ord became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth2 we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the 1ather. . . %nd from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.'3 !!!, /##'/#(

;oday1s activities sho" ho" the Church calls us to reconciliation and on-going conversion of heart through the liturgy and sacraments) ?n this second half of the %enten Season+ the %iturgy is emphasi@ing the theme of turning to Christ as "e get closer to the cele#ration of the <assion+ Death+ and esurrection of our %ord) ;he Church calls us to gro" closer to Christ and love 'im "ith all our heart and mind and soul) ;oday our family catechesis emphasi@ed the &ntrodu'tory rites of the (ass and the Sa'rament of )e'on'iliation) ;here are five main parts to the .?ntroductory ites/ of the :ass ( the =ntrance <rocession+ Sign of the Cross and &reeting+ ,ct of <enitence+ &loria+ and Collect 0opening prayer4) ,fter the entrance procession "here "e recal 6esus1s triumphant entry to 6erusalem+ "e #egin "ith the .Sign of the Cross "hich reminds us that &od saves us from our sins #y the Sacrifice offered on the Cross) We then continue "ith the penitential rite "here "e ac!no"ledge our sins and our need for &od1s mercy and the prayers of the Church) $utside of a penitential season+ "e then re*oice in the &loria as "e praise &od for 'is great mercy to us and finally "e prepare ourselves to listen to &od1s Word #y the "ords of the opening prayer) Continued on page 8

<age A

Continued from page 8

?n the Sacrament of econciliation "e receive &od1s grace and mercy+ 'e heals our souls #y #ringing a#out a .spiritual resurrection/ so "e may once again live freely in &od1s friendship as 'is children) 6esus gave us a great e5ample of &od1s merciful love for us in the para#le of the <rodigal Son) ;his is a great para#le to read together as a family or on your o"n and picture yourself in each role ( as the Father+ the younger .prodigal/ son+ and as the faithful #ut disgruntled older son) ,nd reflect on "hat a #eautiful gift it is to #e a#le to as! forgiveness and receive &od1s mercy and to share this mercy "ith others) %ent is a great time to meet our %ord in the Sacrament of 'ealing and econciliation!

;oday "e learned a#out the A Commandment9 .-ou shall not use &od1s name in vain/ and the And Beatitide9 .Blessed are the Sorro"ing+ for they shall #e consoled)/ ?f "e love &od "ith all our heart and soul and mind+ then "e "ill only thin! of 'im "ith %ove and could not use 'is name lightly) Conversion of heart ( or loving &od "ith our "hole heart is at the root of this commandment) What causes greater sorro" than sin and the suffering "hich is the effect of sinB ;he Sacrament of econciliation in the source of all peace and gives us the consolation that comes from #eing close to Christ)

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Our Prayers for this month are the St. Michael Prayer and the Act of Contrition. ?n the St) :ichael prayer+ *e call upon St) :ichael to defend us in the spiritual #attle "e face "ith Satan as he tempts us to love ourselves a#ove &od and turn a"ay from the source of all %ove) $i'ture +y ,uido )eni <ope 6ohn <aul ?? encourages everyone to pray this prayer to strengthen us in this #attle9 "May prayer strengthen us for the spiritual battle that the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of: 'Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might' ( Ephesians 6:10 ! "he Book of #e$elation refers to this same battle% re&alling before our eyes the image of 't Mi&hael the (r&hangel (&f! #e$elation 1):* ! +ope Leo ,--- &ertainly had this pi&ture in mind .hen% at the end of the last &entury% he brought in% throughout the /hur&h% a spe&ial prayer to 't Mi&hael: ''aint Mi&hael the (r&hangel% defend us in battle! Be our prote&tion against the .i&kedness and snares of the de$il!!!' (lthough this prayer is no longer re&ited at the end of Mass% - ask e$eryone not to forget it and to re&ite it to obtain help in the battle against the for&es of darkness and against the spirit of this .orld!"

Saint Michael the Archangel Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do hou, ! "rince of the #eavenly #ost, by the $ivine "ower of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Act of Contrition ! my God, % am heartily sorry for having offended hee, and % detest all my sins, because % dread the loss of #eaven and the pains of #ell, but most of all because they offend hee, my God, &ho art all'good and deserving of all my love. % firmly resolve, with the help of hy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen. <age 8

;o"el of Ba#el Word Search

What clue in the picture a#ove let Coah !no" that it "as safe to leave the ,r!B
#ive ste-s to a ,ood Confession 7) ,dmit your sins A) Be Sorry 8) Decide not to do that sin again) 4) ;ell your sins to a priest) D) Do the pennance the priest gives you)

Help Noah get to the Ark

<age 4

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