• The Koehn Family:       Alex and Jeff (parents) will come into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Cecilia, and will receive the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation Gretta (kindergarten) and William (preschool) will be baptized the following week.

• Amie Bressert (mother of Makenzie and Mikaela, pre-primary students) will come into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Thomas More, and will receive the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation
• Ed Kaake (2nd grader in 6-9Fatima) will be baptized at St. James Church. Then, during the Easter season, Ed will celebrate his First Reconciliation and First Holy Eucharist.

Jesus said, "Come unto me." We celebrate our brothers and sisters listening and responding to His call!

Lucas Vonderwish and his mother, Sare at the ATrium Altar.

 

At the recent Atrium Parent-Child Evening, all who attended had the opportunity to experience the simplicity and beauty of our atrium. Children from 3 to 12 years old shared favorite and familiar Atrium workswith their parents. What an appropriate activity for Lent to slow down and be led to Jesus by the children!   

Last Supper and Seder Meal Celebrations:

Reading Sofia Cavalletti's description of our Last Supper celebrations with the 3-9 year olds, one can readily see how the moment captures the entire Paschal event - the entire Easter Triduum, so to speak - in one compact moment:   

"A small group of ... children gathers around a table; each child chooses the name of an apostle. One child is entrusted with the task of saying the words of Jesus, which are written, depending on the age of the children, more or less according to the structure of the Jewish paschal banquet. When the supper is concluded, another child reads an abbreviated account of the death and resurrection. The actualization follows immediately afterward: Crucifix and lighted candles are brought to the table, transforming it into an altar; the circle of children widens to include all who are present. The children often linger for long periods of time around he improvised altar and express their prayer spontaneously."

For the older (9-12 and middle school) students, we provide a Seder Meal as the context for an historical understanding of the Last Supper. The children experience the traditional foods, prayers, and rituals that Jesus celebrated with his disciples at the Last Supper, and contemplate the institution of the new, eternal covenant of the Eucharist that Jesus instituted at this meal.

Stations of the Cross

Elementary and middle school students will walk the way of the cross with Jesus by praying the stations of the cross. To make the prayer more meaningful and intimate, this is done in small groups with older students leading younger students in the liturgy. Groups of 4th/5th graders will lead small groups of lower elementary students in praying the stations in church and singing of the traditional hymn, 'Stabat Mater' with student xylophone accompaniment.

The middle school students will lead the 6th graders in a contemporary application of the stations that focuses on images of suffering in the world today, and helps the students recognize how we can unite our suffering to the salvific suffering of Our Lord. Several examples of these contemporary stations:

• Jesus meets His mother ... as a Bangladeshi woman cradles her dying son
• Veronica wipes the face of Jesus ... as a woman strokes the head of a dying man on the street in India.
• Jesus is buried ... as two men place a pauper's body in an unmarked grave in Africa

Liturgy of Light Celebration: Wednesday, April 10 (see schedule below)

The Liturgy of the Light is a beautiful celebration of the Resurrection that is designed especially for children. The celebration includes readings by the children, plenty of singing, and powerful signs from the Church's Easter Vigil: the paschal candle leading us with its one light through the darkness, the spreading of this light to each of us, and the brightening of the dark room as the light of Jesus spreads.

Parents are invited to join us for this beautiful celebration of the Lord's Resurrection.

            8:30      3-6St. Gabriel and 9-12C                                           

            9:30      3-6St. Michael and 9-12G                                          

            10:30    3-6St. Raphael and 6-9Fatima   

            11:30    6-9Lourdes and Queen of Angels                                  

From school to the church ...

The effectiveness of our work with children flows directly from the beautiful and powerful signs that the Church provides us in our worship during this wonderful season of grace. Sacramental signs, the washing of feet, images of the Passion, the link between the Old Testament covenant and the eternal covenant with Christ, the spreading of the Easter light ... atrium experiences simply borrow all of these wonderful signs from the Church.

But the atrium experience is only a gateway to the real life of the Church. Please help your child pass through that gate. According to the age and maturity of your child, help them experience the profound liturgy of the Church during the upcoming Easter Triduum. The silence, awe, and joy of the atrium experience will serve your child well in preparing him or her to enjoy these greatest of all realities in the timeless liturgy of the church.

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