Level III kids in some of our atria continued their study of Abraham this week, and we finally hear about the birth of Isaac. Abram was 75 when God promised him a son, and he is 100 years old when the promise is finally realized with his wife Sarah. Kind of makes our 3 week wait seem a little weak! In the coming weeks, we'll dive in to the significance of the "Sacrifice of Isaac." Stay tuned.
In a couple of Level III classes this week, the children chose to discuss (at their own level) the tragedies of the past weekend. I invited one of our catechists to share her experiences in talking with the kids: (Thanks, Melissa!)
~ Mandie DeVries, DRE
From Melissa: This past week, we spent time in our Level III atria talking about some serious issues that have been facing our children in the past week or more. As you know, there were two suicides in the Johnston school district last weekend.
You may not know that we have several families in our parish from this school system who were affected. Because of my history as a substance abuse counselor and having worked with youth around the city, I felt comfortable discussing the subject with our kids.
We talked about the impact suicide has on a family, a school, a church and the community at large. We touched on the emotional state of the people involved and the lengths that need to be taken to intervene. We talked about the Catechism of the Catholic Church and what our faith tells us about the issue. We talked about bullying and our role as Christians in this and other situations our youth face. But most of all, we talked about God's never ending love for us.
I encouraged the children to take full possession of their membership in Christ's body and to always, always know that there is a way out of any situation through God and Church. I told them that along with their parents, the entire Religious Education staff is there to help them sort through any difficulties they may have, and that we could always bring in our Pastor, Father Harris for them as well.
During the late class, Father happened to be available, and came in to speak to the children and answer questions about the topic. I was glad to be able to discuss this in the manner we did. Our children are rich in their knowledge, understanding and faith. We were able to bridge some of their questions and hopefully to instill a belief that we as a staff, are also here to help.
If you have any questions at all or want to discuss further, please feel free to send me an email (and I can send you my cell # if you'd like to chat).
Thank you for the amazing opportunity to live in the protection and guidance of our Good Shepherd with your children.
Melissa Hill, Level III CGS Catechist
No comments:
Post a Comment