Parent Page
KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE AND SECURE
We appreciate your help and cooperation!
Ensuring the safety of our children requires the assistance of parent volunteers. Each RE Program family (with the exception of those who volunteer as catechists) will be assigned to serve as a “volunteer monitor” only 1-2 times during the year. The efficiency of our security procedures depends on the participation of all volunteers assigned, so parents are asked to please honor their assignment. If a change needs to be made, parents are asked to make arrangements to switch assignments with another parent and then to notify the Religious Education Office of the change. The link below is a list that details the families assigned to help as monitors for each Sunday of our program year.
What we are asking of parents:
- Check for your family’s name on this list and make note of the date and the time that you are assigned to help monitor. Only one parent per family is needed.
- On the day you are assigned, please report to the FRONT DESK of the school 5 minutes early to check in. Additional instructions may be given to you at that time.
- The various monitoring positions are:
Front Desk: inside the main front doors of the school at the top of the stairs;
Parking Lot Door: door into the school at the northeast corner of the church parking lot;
PAC Rear Door: door into the Parish Activities Center (200 Ridge) at the back (SW corner of building) off the courtyard;
Parking Lot at Dismissal: The main church parking lot;
Ridge Ave at Dismissal: Outside the school on the sidewalk along Ridge Ave;
Gym Doors: the doors leading into the gym…up the steps from the circle drive.
Volunteer Monitor Schedule in Adobe Reader (50 KB)
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See you at Mass!
“We are blessed at FHC to be able to offer Sunday Eucharist as part of the “religious education experience” on Sunday mornings in addition to class sessions. We believe that Christ forms and strengthens his community of disciples through their participation in the celebration of the Eucharist. For 4th-8th graders, students attend the 9 a.m. Mass in the church, and then class from 10-11 a.m.; 1st-3rd graders will have class from 9-10 a.m., and then attend the 10:15 Family Mass in the Church. Students are not required to attend Mass with their class at the times noted above if they regularly attend a different weekend Mass (i.e., Saturday or Sunday at 5pm). Parents are asked to inform catechists if this is the case. However, there is a very strong expectation that all families enrolled in the Religious Education Program attend Sunday Mass weekly.
Student seating (grades 4-6) at the 9:00 a.m. Mass: Last year we observed that many students in these grades preferred to sit with their parents/families for Mass – which is wonderful! Based on that observation, we have decided to simply reserve a “student section” at this Mass. This section will be smaller and will be located in the left front section off the center aisle. RE students are only REQUIRED to sit in this section if they are not accompanied by an adult. Otherwise, they are free to choose to sit either in the student section or elsewhere with their families. At least two catechists from each grade level will be seated in this area each week to help provide supervision.
Student seating (grades 7-8) at the 9:00 a.m. Mass: Conversely, many junior high students do prefer to sit with their peers rather than with their parents! We will continue to reserve the west transept area pews for 7th-graders and catechists and the east transept area for 8th-graders and catechists.
Student seating (grades 1-3) at the 10:15 a.m. Mass: These students will move from the classrooms to the church between 10 and 10:15 a.m., under the supervision of their catechists. The classes will sit together at Mass in reserved seats according to the seating chart. Parents are always welcome to sit with students as well. First, second, and third graders MUST be picked up in the CHURCH by a parent or older sibling each week at the end of Mass at 11:00 a.m. As I am sure you will agree, we do not want to dismiss these young children into the parking lot unsupervised.”
Seating Chart for RE Classes, Grades 1-3
Seating Chart for RE Classes, Grades 4-8
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Preparing for Liturgy!
Each RE class is assigned to one (or two) Sundays to serve at Mass as lectors, giftbearers, greeters, and petition-writers. The schedule of these assignments can be accessed from this parish website, following the links: Education - Formation /...Religious Education Program...Catechist Information... Liturgy Assignments. (Each Sunday Spirit newsletter also lists assignments two or three weeks in advance.)
Because our time is very limited on Sunday mornings, and because we wish to help the children offer their very best efforts in worshiping God, we are asking those children assigned to serve as a lector or in a procession to attend a brief, 20-minute practice on the Friday immediately before the Sunday of their assigned Mass.
The practice times are:
• 3:30 - 3:45 p.m. for the 9 a.m. Mass (grades 4-8) - lector only needs to attend practice
• 4:00 - 4:20 p.m. for the 10:15 a.m. Mass (grades 1-3)
Also this year: We will ask some of the students to serve as greeters, along with their parents, for the Mass to which their class is assigned. We hope you will enjoy welcoming parishioners to Mass!
Thank you for your cooperation as we strive to help our families participate fully and vibrantly in our Sunday liturgies!
USHERS needed for the 10:15 Mass! Please contact the rectory office to volunteer to serve 1-2 times per month.
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And so we begin...
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...Amen.
All the ritual elements that we experience at the beginning of Mass – the Sign of the Cross, holy water, song, greeting, silence, prayer – have one purpose: to gather us together to hear the Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist. The holy water & the Sign of the Cross remind us of our common Baptism.
In the Catholic Church and other Christian churches the Sign of the Cross is an important part of personal and public prayer. It is the first sign made on us at Baptism and the last sign made as we pass to our future life. It’s a vital part of liturgical prayer and the sacraments. Every Mass begins and ends with this prayer to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
When we make the Sign of the Cross, we name who God is, and we say we live our lives in God’s name. The Sign of the Cross acts as a “mini-creed” which expresses what we believe about who God is: our God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one, and we do what we do in God’s name.
With the Sign of the Cross we recall in particular the blessing of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We trace the cross of Jesus onto our own bodies as we recall the outpouring of love given by Jesus on the cross. By making the Sign of the Cross, we proclaim ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ, committed to following him in our daily lives.
For parents & kids:
- Practice making the Sign of the Cross: for young children, use stickers to help them remember that the left shoulder comes before the right!
- Use the Sign of the Cross to open and close your meal blessings and bedtime prayers.
- Assist and prompt children to participate in this prayer at Mass.
- Help children remember that “the Holy Trinity” means the three persons of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Quotes about Family
"FAMILY, BECOME WHAT YOU ARE!"
(John Paul II, 1981, "Familiaris Consortio")
"FAMILY, LIVE AND TRANSMIT THE FAITH!"
(Pope Benedict XVI, 2006)
Insights from Pope Benedict XVI at the Fifth World Meeting of Families
in Valencia, Spain, July 1-9
With a particularly significant gesture during the rite of Baptism, the godfather or godmother lights a candle from the great paschal candle, symbol of the risen Christ, and then the celebrant says: "To you, parents and godparents, is entrusted the task of guarding this light so that this child, illuminated by Christ, may always live as a child of the light." If this gesture, in which the whole meaning of the transmission of the faith in the family lies, is to be authentic, it must be preceded and accompanied by the parents' commitment to further their own knowledge of the faith, rekindling the flame with prayer and the assiduous practice of the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist.
I would now like to say a word to grandparents, who are so important for every family. They can be -- and so often are -- the guarantors of the affection and tenderness which every human being needs to give and receive. They offer little ones the perspective of time, they are memory and richness of families. In no way should they ever be excluded from the family circle. They are a treasure which the younger generation should not be denied...
If children see that their parents -- and, more generally, all the adults around them -- live life with joy and enthusiasm, despite all difficulties, they will themselves develop that profound "joy of life" which can help them to overcome wisely the inevitable obstacles and problems which are part of life. Furthermore, when families are not closed in on themselves, children come to learn that every person is worthy of love, and that there is a basic, universal brotherhood which embraces every human being.
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Catholic Websites for Your Family
Family Faith:
Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est
www.findinggod.org
This is the site for our new series, Finding God, from Loyola Press, and it is excellent. Much better than anything we’ve seen before. The site can create a personal profile for you and will suggest articles of interest to catechists/parents, etc. There is a section for lesson planning, additional options/activities for each lesson (some of which are being written by our catechists!), many, many resources and a link to a bulletin board on which you can share ideas with catechists from around the country who are using Finding God. Included on the site is a daily three minute retreat with music and video components. Definitely one to put in your “favorites”. As we are one of the pilot parishes, they strongly encourage us to use the site and give them feedback. Your person to contact at Loyola Press with feedback and comments is Joe Paprocki – paprocki@loyolapress.com.
www.homefaith.com
This site is run by the same people who write the At Home with our Faith newsletter.
Articles and ideas for sharing faith at home, etc.
www.familyministries.org
Browse through this site for information about upcoming conferences and workshops on Catholic parenting, marriage/relationships, step families, divorce/annulment, and natural family planning.
This archdiocesan site is a wonderful source of information and resources related to family life.
www.Jesusdecoded.com
A Website devoted to supplying accurate information on Catholic belief for those inquiring about Jesus and the origins of Christianity. The good news is that contemporary media find Jesus fascinating. The bad news is that fascination can sometimes lead to fantasy. The site features articles and commentary from a distinguished roster of contributors, including Amy Welborn, author of the bestselling “De-Coding Da Vinci”. An additional feature is the “Question Box” which provides a form for submitting questions and comments about the Web site and will include answers to the questions.
Daily Reflections:
www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Daily reflections written by professors at Creighton.
www.jesuit.ie/prayer
“Daily Prayer Sacred Space”. Making it easy to pray.
Catholic Kids:
www.FaithFirst.com
Great site. There is a “club” for each age group.
It’s visually very interesting and the information is good.
Kids can take tours, play games, see videos - all kinds of cool stuff related to Catholicism.
Imagine that!
www.pauline.org
Interactive games for kids on various levels, saint info. etc.
Saints Biographies:
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/indexsnt.htm
Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/
Everything you ever wanted to know about Catholicism.
Catholic Catechism:
www.scborromeo.org/index2.htm
The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Search for what you need.
Social Networking Site Launched for Sydney Youth Day:
WATCH OUT FACEBOOK, HERE COMES SOMETHING CATHOLIC
The Archbishop of Sydney launched the first-ever online social networking site developed especially for a World Youth Day, and he’s looking for friends. The site, Xt3.com (Christ in the 3rd Millennium), is styled after other social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace. You may want to check it out with your young teens and see features such as: Digital Prayer Wall, “Ask A Priest” area, SMS’s (text messages) from the Pope, and more!
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