Level II, Week of February 7th

Ordinary time following the Christmas season is almost over. Just as the liturgical colors are green, the essence of "ordinary time" is to grow and bear fruit after the feasting of Christmas. The atrium has gotten quite busy over the past few weeks as children have been spending more time on BIG works (such as the "Books of the Bible" material and the Missal work), and receiving more in-depth presentations.

Last week, many children participated in a Bible study called "The Synthesis of the Kingdom Parables I." This work is a meditation on the parables of growth: the Leaven, the Mustard Seed, and the Grain. As we thought about the properties of an "earthly" kingdom, we listened to these parables that Jesus used to teach about how different His Kingdom was. It is truly amazing to have the opportunity to truly hear these parables with the children, as they consider the meaning of the seed, leaven, and grain. There were many gasps and Aha! moments that remind the catechists of the simple beauty of Jesus' teaching and his promise:

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike." Matthew 11:25

This week was also an opportunity for some 3rd grade children to go more in depth in their study of the Rite of Reconciliation. This card material helps the children learn about the 4 parts of this beautiful Sacrament of healing:

• Examination of Conscience-where we compare our life with the teachings of the Good Shepherd and realize that we are not always able to walk in His paths,
• Confession-where we confide our weaknesses and sins to God through the priest,
• Absolution-where the priest extends his hand above us and calls down the Holy Spirit as he prays the beautiful prayer of Absolution, and
• Penance-which is our response to the gift we have received in Jesus' death and Resurrection.

We will be opening up the atrium for observation time for parents and catechists who are interested in seeing what CGS is all about. If you are interested, please email me to set up a date and time!

God Bless!

Ms. Mandie, CGS Catechists and Director of Religious Education

January 24/27th Levels I&II

Another week has passed in the Atrium, this is the time of the year where I (Ms. Genny) find that time just flies, though the tempo in the atrium is much slower so it really feels peaceful and rewarding.

The first part of each class this week was dedicated to discussing the earthquake in Haiti. Faith Formation Director, Mandie DeVries, spent about 15 minutes discussing the earthquake and the devastating toll it had on the people of Haiti. The most important part of her message was that though there is suffering, God’s love is bigger than suffering and we can help those who are suffering by praying for them and showing them our love. Each of the children were then given the opportunity to offer prayers, or draw pictures to be delivered to Notre Dame D’Haiti parish in Miami that has close ties to the people of Haiti.

We were very pleased with the response of the children. Their love for the people of Haiti was evident in their drawings, in the prayers that were offered and in their actions in class. One child offered at least 7 prayers to the parishioners, another child worked hard on making a beautiful drawing, and was very specific with what she wanted her teachers to write on the paper, “I am sorry that your home got broken and you have to sleep outside, I pray for you...” Another child decided to start a “We’re Praying for Haiti” club, and everyone that was going to pray for the people in Haiti got to wear a bracelet (piece of yarn). By the end of the class every single child was in the club. Another child drew a picture and wrote “I love you as much as the Sunshine is bright, The sea has waves, and the Night is dark.” Truly Christ is the light in the darkness and I pray that the people in Haiti are comforted by the prayers of these 3 to 9 year olds!

The rest of the atrium time was spent with children working on their prayers for the people of Haiti or other works that the children found interesting. I did a bible study in my level II atrium with my older children (2nd grad and up) about The Finding in the Temple. The kids reflected on how much Jesus knew and how amazing it was that he was teaching the people in the temple even though he was only 12 years old. One of the children in the bible study was 10 and there was a general consensus that Jesus had to know he was God’s son even then. One boy even said he had to know at birth! It was very cool breaking open scriptures with these children. I definitely look forward to 1st Communion preparation when we will have time to go even deeper into the Word.

Level II atrium this week was truly an example of "following the child." Though we had the opportunity to give "planned" presentations, it is always awesome when a child or two show an interest and readiness to go deeper in some aspect of the faith. This week, one child was so interested in the books of the Bible, that a catechist pulled out the "Where did the Bible come from?" material that was handmade for our atrium. The child made discovery after discovery, and was so excited that it was a shame for the class to end.

The Sunday classes and Wednesday 7:00 led the singing at Mass on Sunday January, 24th. All of the children took turns going up to the microphone and singing and they did a wonderful job! It constantly amazes me how willing the kids are to put themselves out there. Even the most introverted seem to find their way up there! So much enthusiasm from such a young age is an encouraging sign for the music program in our parish.

~Ms. Genny, Level I&II Catechist (Sunday and Wednesday)