The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II
April 7, 2009 - Level 2, Issue 11 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent |
Although various schools are out on Spring Break, Catechesis is meeting this week. If you are in town, please do come. We have important and rich works for the children.
Our Lenten journey is reaching its climax. St. Teresa's offers various ways to commemorate and celebrate Holy Week. Details are available on the parish web site.
You may recall that the last time children met in the Atrium (mid-March, three weeks ago), Levels I and II received presentations related to the Last Supper and the Eucharist. Families can extend and support the Atrium experience by together attending Holy Thursday mass at 7:00 PM this Thursday. This mass provides a time to remember in a most special way Jesus' deepest and most lasting gift of the Eucharist.
May your family be blessed with a meaningful and memorable Holy Week and a joyful Easter season. Peace,
The Level II catechist team:
Liza Bloomer, Kathy Murdock on Tuesdays
Jane Ott, Myrna Gomez on Wednesdays
Barb McHugh on Thursdays
and Lina Hilko (editor)
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| Passion, Death, and Resurrection Narratives |
| In Atrium at the beginning of March (two sessions ago), we introduced the model of the City of Jerusalem. Through this work, the children have become more familiar with important places related to Jesus' death and Resurrection. This week we will reflect in further detail, with the help of Scripture, on this very important time in Salvation History.
In Atrium, we always talk about the events of Jesus' death in conjunction with the events of Jesus' Rising. It is crucial not to separate the two. Sophia Cavalletti explains in Religious Potential of the Child:
"Death is a common event; many men have had the courage to face death for love of their brothers. What is absolutely new is that, in Jesus, death is followed by renewed and eternal life.... To us it seems appropriate to avoid long accounts of the passion, in order to balance the length of the passion narration with the account of the resurrection." The children will be shown again a listing of Scripture passages providing accounts of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Children will be encouraged to read some of the events on their own.
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| Walk the Talk |
This is a very important week for parental support of the work that occurs in the Atrium. We encourage parents to bring their children to the great services of the Easter Triduum. All of what we facilitate in Atrium can be best lived through the services of Holy Week. There is no substitute for this in the Atrium. So, please consider participating as a family in the various memorials and traditions of Holy Week. Here is the schedule of key events taken from the St. Teresa of Avila web site:
Holy Thursday -- April 9
Mass - 7:00 PM
Good Friday -- April 10
Living Stations of the Cross - 3:00 PM
Rehearsal for those participating in Living Stations - 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Passion of Our Lord - 7:00 PM
Holy Saturday -- April 11
Church Cleaning - 9:00 AM to Noon
Blessing of Food - Noon
Easter Vigil Liturgy - 8:00 PM
Easter Sunday -- April 12
Masses: 9:00 AM; 10:30 (Spanish); Noon
(NO 6:00 PM mass)
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For First Communion Candidates |
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A special note from Lina Hilko (editor):
Cathy Jackson (parishioner and CGS family member) attended last year a great and memorable play, "The Gathering," staged by students at Chicago Hope Academy. This is an Easter play based on the Last Supper. This year, we (the Hilkos) are going to join the Jacksons, adding a new experience to our Holy Week. It occurred to me that this play might be of interest to those families who are preparing for the sacrament of First Eucharist. You can visit the school's web site (www.chicagohopeacademy.com) for dates and times of the play. |
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Say Cheese! |
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St. Teresa's is working to create a picture directory of parishioners. Much of our work in Catechesis is to enable the building of a deep relationship between the child and God. Children learn most by example. When you model good relationship-building skills, you support all of your child's lifelong endeavors to engage in meaningful relationships, the most important of which is with God.
Please don't underestimate the importance of a picture directory in building relationships. Please support St. Teresa's creation of a complete directory and demonstrate to yourself and your family how much you value St. Teresa as an important community for your family. You can sign up for your free photo by calling the parish office at 773-528-6650.
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Feel free to provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at LHilko@aol.com and/or Sarah Coles, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at SEColes@gmail.com. Thanks! |
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