The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II
May 5, 2009 - Level 2, Issue 13 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent |
Perhaps our Level II Atria will be the most joyful this week, as the children gather together after a very special celebration of First Holy Communion for fifteen parishioners this past Sunday! Congratulations to the children and families who celebrated this joyous sacrament on a beautiful, warm, and sunny day. It is very important for the children to gather together for these final two catechesis sessions. This is the most effective way (perhaps the only way?) to convey to a child the "go forth" or commissioning aspect of receiving any sacrament. A sacrament is not a single moment, but rather the celebration of a milestone and a strengthening for the continued journey.
This week the Level II children will receive a presentation to synthesize the various components of the mass that they have received throughout Level I and Level II.
If by chance you missed the last newsletter (dated 4/21), please consider going to the newsletter archives in order to read the article about becoming a new catechist. You can access the archives from the St. Teresa web site (links along the left). Is God calling you to serve St. Teresa's children in this important way? You should always feel welcome to learn more from Sarah Coles or any of the current catechists without obligation.
The peace of Christ be with you!
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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| Synthesis of the Mass |
The "Synthesis of the Mass" is a compilation of the main moments in the celebration of the Eucharist. This presentation is lengthy, and each child is asked to make his or her own Mass Missal (book) during work time. Our First Communion recipients this year received this presentation as part of their preparation and will continue working on their Missals.
It would be difficult to explain the whole presentation to parents. So, instead we will highlight here some of the objects, moments and gestures of the Mass that we will review:
- The moment of Listening to the Word (readings from the Bible)
- The objects - cruets, that hold the water and the wine
- The moment where the priest puts one drop of water in the wine to signify us
- The objects of the chalice (holds the wine) and the paten (holds the bread)
- The gesture of Epiclesis (when the priest gestures with his hands the "coming down" of the Holy Spirit on the gifts of bread and wine)
- The moment when we profess our Mystery of Faith ("Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again")
- The object of the crucifix which is a special cross that shows the Risen Christ on the Cross
- The gesture of the Offering ( The priest gestures with his hands the people's offering back up to God and says the words "Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever.")
- The moment of saying the Lord's Prayer
- The gesture of peace where we shake each other's hands to spread and share Christ's peace
- The moment of Holy Communion where we receive Jesus in a special way
The children will be working with these objects, gestures and moments on their own. These are not new topics because the children have received presentations on these throughout their years of catechesis. However, it certainly is a lot of information to pull together at once. In this respect, our time in Atrium (effectively about 1 � hours per session for 16 sessions) is just not enough.
Parents are the first teachers of the faith to their children. And parents are (usually) the ones who sit with the child at mass. So, it falls to the parent to help support the works of catechesis. How can you help your child to notice the gestures and objects of the mass? To participate as fully as appropriate in the moments of the mass? This may not happen every Sunday, but how can you help it to happen from time to time?
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| Walk the Talk |
When Jesus lived on Earth, when he walked and talked and breathed just like you and me, people often asked him about the Kingdom of God - what is it like? One time, he responded like this:
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13: 44)
Sometimes I wonder. Why does the person take time and effort to re-bury the treasure? Why does the person go off and sell everything in order to buy the whole field? I mean, it seems like easier ways were readily available. For one, he could just take the treasure (finders keepers). Or he could take it for convenience sake, knowing he intends to buy the field anyway. And he could simply borrow a few choice items form the treasure in order to finance buying the field. No need to sell all that he has because he's soon going to own the field and the treasure! No worries.
So, why are his actions so precise and correct? This person feels immense joy at the treasure he has found. But he does not cut any corners. He doesn't borrow on the future or against what isn't really his.
We, too, are called to find treasure and to recognize it and value it. We are invited continuously by God to feel overjoyed when we find true treasure. I think God is very happy when we find true treasures - kind of like the joy a parent feels watching their child delight in an Easter egg hunt.
And God asks us to respond out of joy in a wise and responsible manner.
St. Teresa's Finance Council wants our parishioners to understand the amazing treasures of our parish and to respond from knowledge and joy in a wise and responsible manner. This parish has been living pretty much hand-to-mouth for a long, long time. We are not keeping up with our operating expenses, and therefore, we are not attending to the care of our property. The Finance Council provided a presentation on April 26th of St. Teresa's ministerial accomplishments, financial challenges, and new and necessary financial goals. This information needs to be heard by a broad group of parishioners. The presentation (which was very efficient and business-like, by the way) will be re-presented after the 9:00, 10:30, and noon masses on Sunday, May 17th.
The parish finances are intrinsically connected with the desire to provide appropriate space at St. Teresa for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (as well as ensuring the continued success and growth of each and every St. Teresa ministry). Bringing the CGS program back into our buildings is a possibility. Please ensure that your family becomes knowledgeable about St. Teresa's financial realities and opportunities.
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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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