August 2011
St. Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Schools
For more information about St. Thomas Aquinas, click here.
For August 2011, Our Sunday Visitor looks at the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the New Roman Missal, and various activities for families to work on together. Click here to access OSV.
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It seems like only yesterday kids were screaming with excitement that school was over for the summer. Now they might be echoing a different kind of scream. Summer is coming to a close, and school is back in session. The summer months seem to be going by faster and faster each year as we are becoming busier and busier. For some of us, new beginnings are on the horizon: a new school, new jobs, new family dynamics, new pains, new trials, and new tribulations. New journeys are ahead of us and we must remain confident that God is walking with us every step of the way.
I know a lot of people who are in the teaching profession. For some of them, it is just a job. For others (the majority), it is their true vocation. When I give talks or retreats on evangelization to parishes, most of the time school teachers are present. When the subject of evangelization and teaching comes up, almost all of the time, those who are not in the teaching profession will say, "Well, I am not a 'teacher' like him/her but..." I then try and stop them and say, "Yes you are!" Teaching may not be our paid profession, but we all have a responsibility to teach the faith, to evangelize by word and deed, and to learn from others. As Catholic evangelizers we should constantly be teaching. We should be learning, and we should be listening.
And so during this new school year, may each and every one of us be teachers of the faith. May we be good witnesses and examples to all, and may we be true evangelizers of the Word by acting with faith, hope, and love.
Shayne R. Duvall
Coordinator of Evangelization
Archdiocese of Louisville
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Faithfilledmom
By: Lori Hadorn-Disselkamp
www.faithfilledmom.com
The pencils are sharpened, the backpacks are filled, and the kids are headed out the door for school but are not ready to abandon summer time. The poolside is empty, and the only sound that can be heard on the playgrounds is an eerie squeak of an empty swing blowing in the breeze. School is back.
The lazy mornings of summer will soon be replaced by hectic movement and shouts of "We are going to be late!" Homework will be struggled with, and parents will be taxi drivers once more to football, piano lessons, ballet, PTO and sacramental meetings. The pace of our lives will move into fast forward, but before we hit the power button that starts the chaos, just remember in it all we are all family: a family of parents with children, a family of teachers and students, a family of church with parish members, and a family of believers with God as the parent. We are first and foremost a Catholic community who support each other at the pool in the summertime, on the sports fields in the fall, in the pickup line at school, and in the pews on Sundays.
Although the seasons will change and our children will grow in height and knowledge, we are still a family. We are an ever-changing family supported by God, steadfast in His love and support of our earthly families. Whether we are back to school, on the playing fields, or in Church, remember that we are all family.
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The USCCB has a new look to their website. Click on the above logo or here to access the page. There is a lot of good information found on there. Please check it out! |
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